Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97’s Ebro In The Morning doesn’t think that 1996 hit single by Tupac and Snoop Dogg should be in the top 50 hip hop songs.
As hip-hop celebrates its 50th birthday, discussions about the best 50 songs keep going around the culture. When Billboard and Vibe put out their joint list of the Top 50 Rappers of All Time, it got things going. Jay-Z was at the top of the G.O.A.T. list, and Rick Ross was at the bottom, at number 50.
The morning show Ebro In The Morning on Hot 97 has also joined the conversation, but with their own Top 50 Songs In Hip Hop History list. Every Thursday until August 10, co-hosts Ebro, Laura Stylez, and Peter Rosenberg will choose 10 songs. By voting on the Hot 97 app and website, listeners will ultimately decide which songs make the top 50 list.
In a recent show, the best songs from the years 1996 to 2000 were chosen. Three of the 10 were Black Star Definition, “Next Episode” by Dr. Dre, and “If I Ruled the World” by Nas. Co-host Ebro chose 2 of America’s Most Wanted, which was a hit for Tupac and Snoop Dogg in 1996.
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Rosenberg was surprised by the song choice since he didn’t agree with Ebro’s choice. Rosenberg said, “I never thought I’d see you throw away a pick like this.” Ebro found himself fighting again for the late rap superstar. In a previous episode of Rap Life Review, co-host Lowkey said that Tupac was not a good rapper and that he was too high on Billboard and Vibe’s Top 50 list at number 4.
“What are you talking about bro?,” Ebro was clearly upset by Lowkey’s comments. “Bro wrote Dear Mama and Keep Ya Head Up and Brenda’s Got A Baby, like full stories. One song is one story. It didn’t deviate from the topic at all, which is something that many of the greats have never been able to do in one song. They deviate for a punch line or they don’t stay on topic for the sake of swag or whatever they are trying to do. ‘Pac would do a whole song on one topic.”
Rosenberg got the same answer from Ebro. Ebro said that Tupac’s 1996 single, “2 of America’s Most Wanted,” met the criteria for Hot 97’s top 50 songs in the same way that his number 4 spot on Billboard/list vibes did.
- Quality Of Song – Do you listen beyond the 1st verse; or to completion?
- Sustained Cultural Relevance – Does the song stand the test of time?
- Impact – How influential was the track during the time of release?
- Novelty Or Not? – Was the song a novelty song? (ex: “Ice Ice Baby”, “Can’t Touch This,” “Laffy Taffy” etc.)
The Tupac disrespect this week is gotta stop. It’s two days in a row,” Said Ebro. “This record comes on today. It plays all the way through. It was huge when it happened. Tupac and Snoop. And Snoop was on trial at the time and he was in the courtroom. You even remember the visuals all these years later.
Tupac and Snoop Dogg would play the song live at the famous Hour of Blues on July 4, 1996.
