Notorious B.I.G. vs. 2Pac

Fightin' Words: "Grab your glocks when you see 2Pac" ('Hit 'Em Up,' 2Pac)

When Tupac Shakur got shot in the lobby of a Manhattan recording studio in 1994, he was convinced that East Coast rival Notorious B.I.G. was involved. In one of the all-time best dis songs, 'Hit 'Em Up,' he claimed to have slept with Biggie's wife, Faith Evans. Biggie vowed not to respond, but when Shakur was murdered in Las Vegas, the rotund rapper was immediately suspected. Biggie's murder in 1997, a year after Tupac's, makes this short but very sour feud the most deadly in music history.

Judges' Decision: Double KO

Talib Kweli is in Zurich, Switzerland, as he takes time to talk to Spinner about his new album, 'Ear Drum,' which finds the respected rapper and now label head working with the likes of Norah Jones, Will.I.Am, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake. The reason Kweli is in Zurich, besides the fact it's a cool city to be in, is that he is unusual in the hip-hop game: He's made his career, by his own account, on the road. Kweli will take his live show next to join Wu-Tang Clan, Mos Def and several other acts as part of the ambitious Rock the Bells tour of North America this summer, which will also feature the recently reunited Rage Against the Machine in select cities. For Kweli, being on the road is where he feels he thrives as an artist. That's how he's risen up to work with Jones, West and the others. As he tells Spinner, he's hoping more hip-hop artists will follow his lead.

Are you doing much stuff from the new album on this tour right now?

I do a lot of new songs. I've been doing 'New York Weather Report,' 'More or Less,' 'Listen!!!' and 'Say Something' [from 'Ear Drum'] live for a long time. Just recently I've started to do 'Hostile Gospel' and 'Give 'em Hell.' 'Say Something' is something that the crowd responds to, irregardless of what kind of crowd. A lot of my core fan base, they didn't like the record, they felt like it was too aggressive or whatever, but what happens with me often is I'm caught in a catch-22. I'm making headphone music for people who love the texture of hip-hop, but that music doesn't translate well onstage. My whole career is based on stage shows, not on record sales. So I have to make records that resonate onstage, and 'Say Something' does that. As soon as that beat drops, you're jumping up and down in the audience, and sometimes my core fan base that wants to hear that sort of headphone music doesn't always get that.