Big Gipp has taken issue with Billboard and Vibe’s Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time List, claiming that if 2Pac were still alive he would have lyrically bested JAY-Z.
In an interview with The Art of Dialogue, the Goodie Mob rapper said 2Pac should have taken the top spot on the list over Hov, and that the only reason he didn’t was because of Beyoncé.
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“The only reason why you inching Jay past 2Pac is because he got God damn Beyoncé,” Gipp said. “You take Beyoncé away then shit, bar for bar, yeah, he might rap better than ‘Pac. But ‘Pac came with the heart. That’s different, that’s just different. You can never beat the heart, bro. Some people can be technical, just like the difference between Jordan and LeBron.”
He continued: “If ‘Pac was here, who you think the girl would have been with? Hold up … you still can’t act. You can’t do no movies you can’t do what ‘Pac was doing. C’mon, how can you be better than ‘Pac? … that boy was a triple threat. He did groups that was successful, solo albums that was successful and movies that was successful, hands down partner. If he had lived he would have smoked everything walking.
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“After that album that he was doing, he already showed him finished with the new album. When he was moving to Atlanta, putting on the slate, he like, ‘I’m going back and I’m gonna start my new label in Atlanta.’ That shit he was doing over at Death Row was already wrote out.
“He was already writing the new album and gonna say the new label was gonna be in Atlanta … so with me knowing and knowing how electric he was when he walked in the room … ‘Pac didn’t need no money to get people to look at him. ‘Pac was a star without the money.”
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He concluded that no one recorded “as fast” as 2Pac, and noted that the girl’s loved him back when he starred as Bishop in the film Juice.
Check out Big Gipp’s interview below:
Big Gipp isn’t the only rapper who has taken issue with Billboard and Vibe’s recent list, which includes Kendrick Lamar, Nas, 2Pac, Eminem, The Notorious B.I.G., Lil Wayne, Drake, Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj in the Top 10.
TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Ice Cube while he was leaving Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this week, and Cube was also frustrated by the list and his placement on it, though at first, he didn’t seem to be too phased by his ranking as the 18th greatest rapper of all time.
“Who?” he asked rhetorically when the reporter mentioned Billboard‘s list. “I don’t fuck with Billboard or the editor. Billboard ain’t Hip Hop so their opinion don’t matter. So who gives a fuck?”
Cube added that his Mount Westmore contemporary Too $hort not being included on the list was definitely an undeserved snub.
“It’s an irrelevant list,” he continued. “It’s like assholes: everybody got one and they all stink.”
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Ja Rule also expressed frustration at the list, which included Kanye West at No. 11, followed by André 3000, Rakim, LL COOL J, J. Cole, Scarface, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, Missy Elliott and Big Daddy Kane to round out the Top 20. Rule took to Twitter to complain about his omission, but congratulated everyone included on the list.
“There ain’t 50 rappers dead, alive or waiting to be born better than me… #ICONN #Vibes,” he tweeted. “@billboard congrats to everyone on the list well deserved but check my resume… #ICONN #Vibes.”
