Niccolo Machiavelli and Tupac Shakur, also known as Makaveli, were both genius' of their times. Machiavelli, a 16th century philosopher and writer, was widely recognized for his military theories, most of which are found in his illustrious book "The Prince." Makaveli's renown, on the other hand, came from his audacious and evocative lyrics, especially those in his final album "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory." Interestingly, many of Machiavelli's theories in his book draw a parallel to Makaveli's philosophies and preachings in his album. Overall, in light of his principles expressed in The Prince, Machiavelli would both approve and disapprove of Makaveli's many testimonials throughout "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory." .
Makaveli was extremely forthright in both his lyrics and actions. He did not care what others thought of him and would very often insult and threaten other rappers in his lyrics. As a result, he made many enemies. Machiavelli would have approved of this to an extent because taking a side is better than remaining neutral. Machiavelli states in "The Prince," "If they are powerful, and you do not take sides, you will still be preyed on by the victor. You will have no excuse, no defense, no refuge. For whoever wins will not want allies who are unreliable and who do not stand by him in adversity (Machiavelli, 68-69). With that being said, Machiavelli would not have advised Makaveli to make so many enemies at the rate which he did. In his album's opening track, Bomb First (My Second Reply), Makaveli boldly threatens the lives of several famous rappers. He states "I'm a Bad Boy killer, Jay-Z die too. Looking out for Mobb Deep: nigga when I find you. Weak m------f------ don't deserve to breath"." In the album's final track, "Against All Odds," Makaveli continues to create new enemies while exacerbating his relationship with current ones. He states "This lil nigga named Nas thinks he live like me.
