Tupac's Top 10

Tweet

Hello millennium sande fans! I’m Igor and I’m really excited to be part of this blog. I was originally supposed to be writing a weekly report on the NBA season, but unfortunately the players and the owners have not come to terms on an agreement yet and the first two weeks of the regular season have been cancelled. Oh the sad time it is for an NBA fan. Since I have no basketball to write about and after reading Cabrock Jones’ article about OutKast’s top 10 songs, I decided to make a list of my favourite Tupac songs.

When I was 14, one of my friends introduced me to hip-hop, and specifically Tupac. We used to jam to his beats all the time back then and ever since I’ve been in love with his music. He’s got a great mix of everything, songs with great lyrics, party songs and beats to chill to. What was unique about him was that these songs were delivered with such charisma and passion. Tupac also addressed many themes about the world and life itself. Anyways, enough of the intro, here are my top 10 Tupac songs, with 5 honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions (These won’t include best lyrics):

5. Me and My Girlfriend (7 Day Theory)
All I need in this life of sin is me and my gir…gun. One of the best metaphors for a song, and Tupac kills it. This is one of his most sampled songs, most notably used by Jay-z and Eminem.

4. Life Goes On (All Eyez on Me)

This was so hard to exclude from the top ten, almost left me in tears. Tupac wastes no time rapping over a nice soft beat about how his homies have passed away, while his life still goes..or went on. This one always gets to me.

3. Old School (Me Against the World)

A more “old school” beat comes on and Tupac starts rapping about all the old rappers that paved the way for him. This song makes be think of a really happy Pac just enjoying himself and rapping about his idols and the old school way. I wonder why no rappers nowadays pay some respect to the older rappers and make a song similar to this?

2. Keep Ya Head Up (Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.)

I will probably get massive criticism for putting this so low, but I couldn’t move the other songs out of the top ten. This song has some amazing lyrics, really showed what a talent Pac was. The young Tupac raps about how women are being treated poorly by men, but that things will get better one day. Deep shit for a 22 year old.

1. All Eyez on Me (All Eyez on Me)

I don’t have much to say about this song, except just listen to it. The beat is perfect, lyrics great, it’s simply amazing.

The Top Ten

2011 NFL Season Preview: Told Through Hip-Hop

Tweet

Well so much for any sort of a “lockout hangover”. The 2011 NFL regular season kicked off Thursday night at Lambeau Field with the defending champion Green Bay Packers defeating the 2009 Super bowl champion New Orleans Saints in a thrilling 42-34 game (at no point in the game did my friends and I flip over to Jersey Shore, that should tell you how good it was). Both of the last two Super bowl MVP’s did not disappoint as Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees combined to throw for 731 yards with 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions (makes me sad to think that we’ll be getting the complete opposite of this when Tarvaris Jackson goes up against Alex Smith on Sunday). The game ended with Drew Brees marching his team down from their own 20 with no timeouts left to the Packers 9 yard line. An incomplete pass across the middle intended for Darren Sproles looked to be the end of the game until an iffy pass interference call gave the Saints one more chance at the 1 yard line. The Saints tried to run it up the middle with rookie Mark Ingram and got stuffed, I didn’t and still don’t understand the play call by Saints coach Sean Payton. Why not throw it there? Because your QB just marched down the field with ease and was picking apart the other team’s D? Strange play calling. It was a great way to signal the return of football that made me even more excited for the upcoming season and because I’ve grown tired of reading the same season preview on every other site I thought I’d try something new. So here is the 2011 NFL season preview as told by Hip-Hop.

Hah, what the fuck you boys talking about? I know it’s us cause we the only thing you talk about.

To the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles. A team that undoubtedly won the offseason by adding pro bowlers Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins and the best cornerback in football, Nnamdi Asomugha. They have been dubbed among other things: the dream team and “the Miami Heat” of the NFL (I find this particularly upsetting since I have been an Eagles fan since the tender age of 9). However, there are several differences between the Eagles and the Heat, in basketball there are 5 players on the court at one time and Miami had three top 20 players (including two in the top 5) making up 60% of their starting lineup. In football this is simply not the case so even with all of the talent the Eagles have amassed, it will not be as direct of an impact. Secondly, the Eagles did not have a pre-season celebratory parade/show (I still don’t know what to call this) and have downplayed the dream team talk. The main thing to know is like last year the Eagles will only go as far as their star QB, Michael Vick will take them. If Vick gets injured early (and if you watched the O-line in the preseason then it is a possibility) it will be a long season in Philadelphia (although if this happens I will be the first guy to talk myself into Vince Young). If he manages to stay healthy, look out. I will be writing weekly updates on Philadelphia’s season so expect more on the Eagles this year.

I never met a bitch that didn’t need a little guidance. So I dismiss her past until she disappoints your highness.

To what seems to be Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization way of looking at free agency. This year’s off-season led to the acquisitions of Chad Ochocinco, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver who has been in some trouble over the past but nothing too serious. Chad has definitely been a distraction in the past to his QB and the whole team, something that Belichick and the Patriots believe that they can keep out of Foxborough and squeeze whatever is left out of the 33 year old (Btw, am I the only one who finds it insanely stupid that we have to call this guy Chad 85? I feel as if you change your name to something fucking stupid then don’t expect people to always call you by it. And yes I’m also talking about you Ron Artest). The Patriots also took a chance with Albert Haynesworth. An extremely talented defensive lineman who basically committed robbery on the Washington Redskins organization with his play last year. Haynesworth is a proven commodity in the NFL when he is properly motivated and so far he has said all the right things about the Patriots team-first mentality. But what is said off the field and done on it are two completely different things and maybe giving a guy whose nickname was Fat Albert the benefit of the doubt isn’t such a smart thing to do. For more on the Pats, go here.

It’s not about the money, money, money. We don’t need your money, money, money.

Unless you’re Chris Johnson. Then it is all about the money.

But get it while you here boy. Cuz all that hype don’t feel the same next year boy

To the St. Louis Rams and the Detroit Lions as being this year’s unquestionable public favourites to match the hype and take the next step into becoming playoff teams. Both teams have very talented, young but injury prone QB’s in Matt Stafford (Lions) and Sam Bradford (Rams) who are surrounded by talented supporting casts. Both teams even have their own game changers in Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh for the Lions and Stephen Jackson for the Rams. So which team do I think will live up to the hype this season? I’m picking the Rams based on the fact that the rest of the NFC West teams look like NFL Europe teams, in other words, terrible.

Now go to sleep bitch! Die, motherfucker, die! Ugh, time’s up, bitch, close your eyes. Go to sleep bitch! (what?) Why are you still alive? How many times I gotta say, close your eyes?

What every Raiders fan thinks of when he remembers Al Davis is still running the team.

Oooohh, I love you so, but why I love you I’ll never know. Oooohh, I love you so, but why I love you I’ll never know.

To the San Francisco 49ers and their QB Alex Smith who for some bizarre reason will be the team’s starting QB when the season kicks off. In 5 years as a quarterback in the NFL, Smith has piled up these statistics; 51 TD’s, 53 interceptions, a completion percentage of 57.1% and a QB rating of 72.1. George Lopez had a better run as a late-night talk show host. Of course the niners might realize their team sucks this year and are throwing Smith out there to have a better shot at getting Andrew Luck next year.

Fuck the media, I got some suggestions. Fuck Marshall, ask us some questions. Like who is D12, how we get started, (but what about Eminem?) bitch are you retarded?

To the 2011 Indianapolis Colts who are probably getting sick and tired of being called one of the worst teams in football now that their star QB Peyton Manning is out for at least 2-3 months with a neck injury. The Colts will start the season off against the Houston Texans who are now everyone’s pick to win the AFC South. The Colts will begin the season with Kerry Collins under center and even though replacing Manning with Collins is like replacing Leonardo Dicaprio with Billy Zane, Collins is still a solid veteran QB (not the same can be said for Billy and his acting abilities) who can manage a team fine. This Colts team and the way their season turns out will be a very interesting subplot this year.

You don’t know what’s in store. But you know what you’re here for.

To me, you, and the rest of the fans. We have no idea what this season will bring but we do know why we watch. Enjoy the season.

Luka Milanovic

@Luka_M91 on twitter