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Everybody wants to be a Gangster Hip-Hop is a driving force in today’s entertainment and has also become a major influence in American culture. From SportsCenter to Headline News, Hip-Hop has become a part of many Americans’ everyday life. Suburban teens especially seem to embrace the hardcore street lyrics coming from urban America. Two of these “Urban Poets,” 2pac and 50 Cent, have captured the imaginations of youths across America. By weaving tales of the harsh reality of Black America, these two rappers in particular, have been able to give an insight into “Ghetto America” that the world has never seen. With often blunt and violent lyrics, 2pac and 50 Cent have become the voices for frustrated black men who do not have any avenues to express their ideas. On the surface, the parallels between the two men’s careers are striking. However, the difference between the two is that 2pac almost single-handedly raised the awareness of White America about the plight of African Americans, be it with violent lyrics or by songs about young teenage mothers. While 2pac and 50 Cent are similar in their childhoods and careers, 2pac is also celebrated for his accomplishments outside of rap. The most obvious similarities between 2pac and 50 Cent are their upbringings and styles of rap. Both have the hardcore street lyrics that American youth enjoy. But the comparison between them runs deeper than lyrics. Both grew up on the mean streets of New York under strenuous circumstances. For example, 2pac was born to Afeni Shakur, a Black Panther accused of murder, and 50 Cent was born to a father who was in jail for a drug conviction and to a mother who was known all over New York for her drug connections. Without positive role models, both turned to the streets for the attention that all young black men seek in the ghetto. Before the age of fifteen, both quickly earned felony convictions for possession of crack cocaine.
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