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Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

6. Tupac ShakurAll Eyez On Me

He was a major inspiration to me. Tupac was good at writing songs about pain. Pain and anger. You didn’t get that as much from Snoop. Snoop’s shit was just slick. He would still say some gangster shit, but he was like the equivalent to Jay Z. As in Jay Z… it’s not mad spiritual, but you’d get a lot of game and a lot of knowledge through listening to Jay about how to manoeuvre and be suave and not take no shit. But just stay sucker free as they say. That’s what I got from Jay and Snoop and getting birds, bitches or whatever. But Tupac, and I guess Nas, but more Tupac was more the fight. Me against the world, back against the wall, not having it. Then he was fucking political, leader. Then he was a gyallis. Then he was at war. Then he’d teach you some shit. I think there was a lot to him. I feel like he gave you all of him. He spoke out loud. And again, I was young, so it’s not like I had mad reference or background into him. I just know that when I heard his music it spoke to me differently, and I knew that was the kind of artist I wanted to be.

Selected in other Baker’s Dozens: Ghetts
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