Never said 50 was a coward, just a opportunist.You and a few other cats on this site go out your way to make Pac look like a coward.He grew up around black militants who valued community service, being articulate/educated, and trying to put a foot in the oppressors ass.
Far from punks, but soldiers in their own way.The militant/educated cat can have just as much heart as the street cat.Funny thing about it, 50 and Pac had beef with some of the same dudes.As you say, major kingpins(especially when compared to rappers.Typically, they're just entertainers)...Jacque Agnant...Jimmy Henchmen etc.
50, unlike Pac, was able to accumulate enough wealth to really go at them nikkaz if he really wanted to.50 had enough money to hire a squad of ninjas if need be.If you have two countries, and they both got nukes, they're going to try to avoid going to war with each other because if shyt got serious, they could wipe each other of the face of the planet.That's when you meet at the big table, Godfather style, and discuss peace treaties, and stipulations.Say a nikka like Henchmen wanted to extort a artist like Jay Cole? what's going to stop him.Jay Cole ain't got no nukes.He'll just get bullied and raped for his resources.That was the position Henchmen/Jacque was trying to put Pac in.When Pac was hanging with them cats, he was struggling financially(court cases, lawsuits).He did something that they felt was out of line and decided to "discipline" him.Basically strong arm bullying tactics, treating him like he was just some soft ass entertainer.Pac wasn't the first entertainer they had done that to, but he was the first to air them nikkaz out on wax.It was all he could do at that point..Even when he was with deathrow, his money still wasn't right. You can't depend on lil allowances from Suge when he you're trying to go to war with major drug money level nikkaz like Henchmen/Jacque.That's why Henchmen sent Pac a message through one of his people telling Pac not to try to go to war with him because he didn't have his money right.
Do I think Pac was a lil crazy to make a track dissing real killers/declaring war(Against All Odds)...without having his money straight? HELL YEAH.......does it make him a punk or a coward who was shook by a few sharks? I don't think so.If anything, I'd say he just didn't give a fukk and had a death wish.At that point in time, who had ever heard a major star rapper, with all the spotlight on him, go out at some unseen/shadowy/darkside nikkaz on a track like that...just flaunting em and letting his nuts hang nh? Considering what happened to Pac, I don't think we ever will again.I think that's why a lot of people in the industry respected Pac.He went up against a few giants/behind the scene bullies.You know how after Craig knocked out Deebo at the end of Friday? Red drove off on his bike like "Thanks Craig"...I think it's something similar to that.Most of these tough guy acting rappers are really "Red's" behind the scenes.
I give 50 props, thought.He can swim with the sharks.
And about dissing kim, mob, fugees etc.....we really don't know what was going on behind the curtain, we only can see what's on the stage.That hollyweird life is a bytch.You never know who's connected to who