2Pac’s Greatest Song Tournament Round 2: Interscope Bracket:

So I was ready to go apeshit all over XXL for not having this up this morning, but I bit my lip, and voila, patience is once again proven to be a virtue.  Alright, enough foreplay, let’s fucking do it:

(1) Dear Mama vs. (8) Temptations: I fuckin’ LOVE that “AAAYYYAYAAYYAYY” in “Temptations,” but it’s not quite enough to top “Dear Mama.”  Like, I still can’t get over how they shot the video for the most heartfelt gangsta rap song of all time while dude was in prison and it doesn’t seem wrong at all.  Pretty much sums up Pac doesn’t it?

(2) I Get Around vs. (7) Lord Knows: I had to google what album “Lord Knows” was on, which shows you about how much I like it.  Plus, even tho I think “IGA” is kinda dated, it’s still Pimpin’ 101: Pac isn’t trying to brag or hurt any chick’s feelings, he just really enjoys fucking around. 

(3) Keep Ya Head Up vs. (6) So Many Tears: I’ve seen people call “So Many Tears” Pac’s most brilliantly written set of lyrics.  But the brilliance of Pac is his ability to balance out the pain and depression with hope and optimism, and “KYHU” does that better than any song in his (and almost anyone else’s) canon. 

(4) Brenda’s Got A Baby vs. (5) Me Against The World: I understand that a lot of people consider “BGAB” to be seminal, but it has aged far worse than any of the other songs on Pac’s first Greatest Hits album.  On the other hand, “MATW” has held up better than any pre-Death Row track hands down, with the exception being “Dear Mama.”  “Keep Ya Head Up” may be Pac at his most optimistic, but “Me Against The World” is the one song that really captures him as the thug banking on better days.  Inspirational shit. 

Check back for Death Row and posthumous brackets later this week (I don’t fuck with the Features bracket cause NONE of those tracks have stood the test of time as vital parts of Pac’s canon. 

Deuces