Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

On April 7, 2017 Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, YG, Treach and T.I. all contributed to a thrilling medley of Tupac Shakur songs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn on Friday. Snoop Dogg, who collaborated with Tupac on “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” from the landmark double album All Eyez on Me, accepted the Rock Hall’s honor on behalf of Tupac, who was murdered in 1996.

Alicia Keys began the set by leading a band through a rapid-fire tour of Tupac’s discography. She started with a snippet of “Ambitionz az a Ridah” before moving into a snapping, bluesy vamp based around the theme from “I Get Around.” Next she rendered “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” and “Dear Mama” as big-room ballads. These songs were all picked shrewdly, since they have prominent keyboard riffs and singalong hooks that played to Keys’ formidable talents in both departments. 

The band behind Keys laid low for much of the medley, but the drummer came to life during “Changes,” whacking his kit with enough heft to help her end her short segment at an energetic peak.

After Keys demonstrated Tupac’s ability to craft an indelible melody and pick a perfect sample, Snoop Dogg and YG brought the focus back to his rapping by trading verses on “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” Part of the power of the original stems from the contrast between Tupac’s style – he raps with speed and precision, commandeering the beat – and Snoop’s, which is unhurried, though no less authoritative. The same dynamic played out at the Barclays Center, with YG playing Tupac’s role, delivering lines in a breathless rush, and Snoop reprising his part as a steadying force.