QPac

Though hardly uncommon, an MC comparing his journey to that of the legendary Tupac Shakur will inevitably be met with some skepticism. Savannah-hailing Quando Rondo is clearly undeterred by the potential of such blowback, his 18-track QPac album chasing—if nothing else—2Pac’s prolificness. The album is packed with allusions to Pac’s story, though: “Real Love” is a modernized take on beloved 2pac and the Outlawz deep cut “Made Niggaz.” The bluesy and contemplative “Poetic Justice” borrows its title from one of Shakur’s most memorable films. “Codeine Tales” plays out something like Pac’s “Thug Passion,” while “Collect Calls,” which features Rondo yearning for time to answer calls from incarcerated friends, is classic 2Pac ideology. And then there’s “Letter to My Daughter,” where Rondo steps cleanly into the footprints of 2Pac’s “Letter 2 My Unborn.” Rondo’s vocal style—nasally and as prone to singing as rapping—couldn't be further from 2Pac’s, but the biggest parallel in their stories may be that just like Pac, the Savannah MC refuses to let the opinions of others affect what he will or will not do as an artist.