Mac Casper
@adonnis - pull up, there's refreshments
The reason Tupac was able to say "I don't necessarily think I'm the best ever, I'm just the realest muthaphukka out here" is because people were talking about the possibility of him being one of the best ever. You have to remember that 1996 is when hip-hop was rising through the mainstream and the majority of people who were exposed to the culture via the mainstream media outlets of the time may of been more familiar with legends like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane then people are today but a good percentage of people were still only exposed to the material that had been piped into their speakers by the mainstream, which included Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Dr. Dre, Biggie, The Fugees, etc.