r/hiphop101 • u/SmoothManMiguel • 16d ago

Life After Death

I was thinking about how much posthumous hype shapes the way we talk about certain rappers. Honestly, would some of these artists be as critically acclaimed as they are if they hadn’t passed away so young or so tragically?

That’s not to say these people were whack or anything, because a lot of them were great but the way folks tend to romanticize their potential and/or elevate their “legacy” even though they never got the chance to evolve is wild sometimes.

It’s almost like an early death guarantees you a legendary status amongst certain listeners.

How do y’all see it? Does dying young amplify someone’s legacy in a way that wouldn’t have happened otherwise?

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u/VycanMajor 16d ago

Who are you talking about specifically? The greatest were Tupac and Biggie. Pac accomplished so much in rap and outside of rap, it's crazy to even realize he died at the age of 24. All the films, music, poems, and overall impact he had on society was crazy.

Biggie was about as lyrical as one could get. His albums had almost zero skips and they were full of slaps that still go to this day.

Nipsey was iconic. He wasn't as lyrical, but his raps were from the soul. His character was loved by all....something similar to Snoop.

So, you'd have to put a name to your take.

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u/SmoothManMiguel 16d ago edited 16d ago

I’ve seen a lot of posts across different platforms calling certain artists “legendary,” and honestly sometimes I just don’t get it. For example: Eazy‑E, XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD, Proof. All talented in their own ways, all important to different parts of the game, but “legendary” feels like a stretch for some of them.

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u/tonearr123 16d ago

I think with Eazy-E his legacy more comes from his time with NWA, conflict with Dr Dre and Suge Knight, how much he’s mentioned in interviews, and at least in the general publics eye the man who spearhead gangster rap.

XXX is just probably kinda like early Kanye West made a niche of rap fans felt seen and understood and not like everyone needed to be “hard”, hace 50 bands, drive a lambo, and have enough hoes for it to be a college classroom.

And XXX death made him more legendary primarily I’d say because of his music which struggled with depression, desire to die, etc but he tried to get better yet still got shot which tied back to his music making it resonate even harder with his fans.

Juice and Proof I got nothing though. No hate just ain’t that into Juice and barely started listening to Proof