The Top Ten Tupac Songs

It's truly difficult to choose ten records as Tupac Shakur's best work. He's made so many hit records, influential records, and unforgettable records that no list will ever achieve a unanimous consensus. Here, in my opinion, however are Tupac Shakur's ten greatest records.

Hail Mary, Tupac's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, 1996

This may be his most haunting, paranoid, and profound record, replete with messianic adlibs and an almost ministerial flow. It would have been even better sans The Outlawz, but that don't disappoint so much as underwhelm.

California Love, Tupac's All Eyez On Me, 1996

Before the defection of Andre Young from Death Row Records, the label was the gangster rap stronghold, with Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur as frontmen being serviced with Dr. Dre's already legendary production. Unfortunately, as circumstances would permit, there was little collaboration but this raucous and audacious track was its realized potential, a staple of any Tupac fan.

Hit Em Up, Tupac's Greatest Hits, 1998

There were diss records before and after Hit Em Up, but few, if any, hit as hard. Tupac took his feud with Bad Boy to new dimensions by not only making some extremely vile threats and accusations, but also calling out many rappers on the East Coast as well.

Keep Ya Head Up, Tupac's Strictly 4 My N-----, 1993

A truly positive song that, coupled with his catalogue, highlights his artistic complexity, Keep Ya Head Up, is an ode to black women, and an attempt to empower them.

Dear Mama, Tupac's Me Against the World, 1995

While many rappers routinely thank their parents at award shows, Tupac thanked his mother in song. Always candid, he also mentioned his complex relationship with her, born of her drug addiction, as well.

2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, Tupac's All Eyez on Me, 1996

Expectations for this collaboration were sky-high: think 50 and Eminem or Jay-Z and Cam'ron. And two of America's most legally troubled celebrities at the time, did not disappoint, as they bantered about their success and legal difficulties.

So Many Tears, Tupac's Me Against the World, 1995

One of Tupac's most reflective tracks finds the rapper meditating on the tragedies he's seen. Though it is his reflection, it is more objective and less paranoid than much of his later similar work, making it one of his most poignant moments.

Only God Can Judge Me, Tupac's All Eyez On Me, 1996

Paranoid, brash, and dismissive, this record is Tupac in full me-against-the-world mode. The persecution complex evident on much of his 1995 work is on full display here, but it is most clearly and insightful articulated here.

I Ain't Mad at Cha, Tupac's All Eyez On Me, 1996

Another hit from his massive double-album, I Ain't Mad at Cha is a paean to those left behind as well as those leaving others behind, over a pensive instrumental from Daz.

Brenda's Got a Baby, Tupac's 2Pacalypse Now, 1991

Ever the chronicler of the social ills of the inner-city, Tupac's Brenda's Got a Baby tackles teenage pregnancy in a cogent and gripping way that still is enthralling today.

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