Dame Dash Says XXXTentacion Is the Biggie and 2Pac of This Generation

The music mogul on XXX's legacy: "He’s definitely going to be looked at from this 15 to 25-year-old generation as Tupac and Biggie.”

The recent death of XXXTentacion has sparked a polarizing conversation about the rapper’s legacy. Will he go down as one of the greats? Or will his string of controversies cast a permanent dark cloud over his name? Though it will be a few years before we know the answer, Dame Dash is already convinced that XXX’s legacy will be just as influential as 2Pac’s and Biggie’s. The music mogul spoke about the rapper’s untimely death in a recent interview with AllHipHop.com. He also addressed the violence within the rap scene, claiming it has become noticeably worse in recent years.

“You know the sad thing about it is, the last couple days, I was like, ‘Yo, hip-hop is going through that phase,’” he said. “In my generation, it got kind of violent. Then Biggie and Pac died and it kind of calmed down. And then I remember Wiz’s generation, I liked it because it was like other parts of the country were working together, like Curren$y and Smoke DZA. Everyone was just smoking weed and everybody was cool, and being violent was kind of corny.”

Dame continued: “It’s just funny how things go in cycles, and you could just feel it. Actually, I got it on tape. I was like, ‘Yo, it don’t feel right. It’s going to take somebody to get killed, for everybody to cool out.’ And it’s sad that it was him. But he’s definitely going to be looked at from this 15 to 25-year-old generation as Tupac and Biggie.”

Dame went on to say that XXX would be remembered in a favorable light, just as he wanted. Dame also said the rapper will eventually become the subject of multiple movies, as his life and death were fitting reflections of the younger generation’s outlook.

“You speak things into existence, but there’s a gift and a curse with that. You got to be careful what you say,” he explained. “And for some reason, this generation seems to be infatuated with death, and getting there faster, and I don’t understand why.”

You can read Dame’s full interview here.

Interestingly enough, XXX disapproved of his comparisons to Makaveli: “I'm better than 2Pac, bro,” he said in a January interview with DJ Akademiks. “Please don't compare me to him. Please don't. 2Pac can't make rock music. 2Pac couldn't do that. 2Pac didn't do that. 2Pac was a dancer and a poet and a rapper.”

Latest in Music