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Greatest Hits
11/24/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Amy Linden
The late rap star and actor Tupac Shakur was schizophrenic. On one hand, he flagrantly flaunted his bad-boy image and copious arrest record like hard-earned badges of honor. Tupac could lick his lips and deliver a salacious jam like "How Do U Want It," or proclaim himself "2 of Amerkaz Most Wanted" on his duet with then-labelmate Snoop Dogg. Those Thug Life anthems, filled with bitter poetry and anger, spoke to the more exploitative side of Tupac's double-edged sword. The other side was introspective, and socially astute. On the bittersweet "Brenda's Got A Baby," the soaring "Keep Ya Head Up" or the previously unreleased "Changes," Tupac allowed himself to be more vulnerable. It's the swaggering, stylin' persona that made the most noise, during a career that was cut short too soon. Yet the quiet storm of Tupac's more contemplative tracks may be better testimony as to what he was capable of.
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