Tupac “2Pac” Shakur is widely considered one of the greatest rap stars of all time. The 1990s-era emcee helped elevate West Coast Hip Hop for future California-based artists like The Game.
The crew at Montreality recently spoke to The Game for a nearly 30-minute interview. During the sitdown conversation, the Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mind album creator compared modern-day rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again to 2Pac.
“NBA YoungBoy will be the 2Pac of this generation. Sometimes when you see an 18-year-old kid say, ‘NBA YoungBoy is better than 2Pac,’ it’s not because he actually is or 2Pac is better than NBA YoungBoy. It’s just the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant/Lebron James thing. It’s different eras of greatness,” stated The Game.
The 42-year-old rhymer continued, “You should just appreciate them now because an 18-year-old cannot appreciate or relate to Tupac because they weren’t even alive. 2Pac has been dead for 26 years, so an 18-year-old kid wasn’t even born for another six years after he died. So why would you expect him to relate to Tupac over NBA YoungBoy?”
YoungBoy Never Broke Again has built a loyal fanbase over the last seven years. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native earned four #1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. He also led the Billboard Artist 100 chart for two weeks.
Before his death in 1996, Tupac Shakur released classic albums such as 1995’s Me Against the World and 1996’s All Eyez on Me. The RIAA certified the latter LP as Diamond, signifying 10 million units sold. Numerous posthumous projects, like 1996’s The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, arrived after Pac’s passing.
The Game dropped the 31-track Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mind on August 12. The Dr. Dre protégé’s discography also includes 2005’s The Documentary, 2006’s Doctor’s Advocate, 2008’s LAX, 2012’s Jesus Piece, and 2019’s Born 2 Rap.
