Here's a list of 13 his most impactful songs.Īnother rare posthumous standout, 'Hellrazor' is featured on R U Still Down? and it's a shame it wasn't released during his lifetime because it's easily one of the most poignant songs he ever recorded. It's what's made his music resonate for decades.

Instead, he injected himself and his own moral failings into his lyrics. He never removed himself from the equation. He wasn't pontificating about the problems from the outside. He openly explored how systemic oppression lingered in the homes, and loomed over the minds of Black folks like himself. Pac was about not only exposing oppressive systems, but examining the way those systems worked in Black communities. The unguarded emotion he poured into his music – the anger and rage, sadness and joy, exasperation and weariness - are what stamps his art. 2Pac's deep passion for his community and for Black life is what makes his body work resonate so deeply. While it's true that he was complex, and it's easy to call his music 'contradictory,' those labels aren't entirely accurate. What does it mean to be an impactful artist? Not bestselling, not most popular, but the kind of artist who sets the tempo for what's next, who creates context for others to live in and feel recognized, who presses against boundaries, pushing and re-defining them so that those who come next have the space to explore freely?

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