Anyone who knows me knows about my Fandom of Tupac Shakur. On September 13 this year, it’ll mark 25 years since he died from gunshot wounds suffered while at a traffic light in Vegas with Suge Knight after a Mike Tyson fight.
It’s hard to believe 2Pac has been gone that long. The end of innocence started when he was murdered for a still teenager who lived in Staten Island, NY and loved the rap industry. Back then, there was a lot to like about the game. The East Coast versus West Coast Rivalry headlined by 2Pac and Biggie Smalls was hot. The two best rappers on the planet during a great era that featured Nas, Jay Z, DMX, AZ, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Big Pun, Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dawg, Redman, Eminem, Craig Mack, Heavy D. Plus memorable groups who have stood the test of time like Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, Naughty By Nature, The Beastie Boys, Mobb Deep, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest.
There’s too many to list. That’s how great that era was. It’s sad that some of our favorite artists are no longer with us. But their musical influence lasts forever. That explains the legendary status of Tupac and Biggie. Both killed a year apart due to a Rivalry that went too far. The era of gangsta rap. No wonder close 2Pac ally Snoop Dogg separated himself from it. He chose survival over death. It kind of reminds me of Infamous Mobb Deep’s “Survival of the Fittest.” Their music was street cred and all too real.
When I think of 2Pac, I’m instantly reminded of his start with Digital Underground under the late Shock G AKA Humpty Dumpty. He really was a musical genius too. I saw some cool stuff on YouTube of him playing the piano to one of Tupac’s big hits. Sometimes, we forget that the amount of unique talent these guys have. They’re not just people who flow in a studio. They put in the work. Tupac Shakur grew up in Harlem surrounded by the Black Panthers before Mom Afeni relocated the family to Baltimore where he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts. It was there that he learned to study poetry, acting, jazz and ballet.
No wonder Shakur wasn’t only one of the best selling rap artists of all time. But a renowned actor who starred in good movies such as Juice, Poetic Justice, Above The Rim and Gridlock’d. He had immense talent. When I think of him, I see a poet who had great flow and knew how to captivate the audience with his lyrics. In many of his hit songs, he’s telling a story. That was the case with “Brenda’s Got A Baby.” A true tale of a pregnant girl whose sad story is a lesson to many. Coincidentally, I think that’s one of his best songs. The words hit home. It’s a relevant topic. Teen pregnancy.
That is a quality I admire most about 2Pac. He’s willing to address serious issues including the drug war, struggle to survive, poverty and the always polarizing issue of cops as it relates to urban city black youth. He’s speaking from experience. I’ve always been preferential to the memorable posthumous hit song, “Changes.” I can still remember when the video debuted on MTV. I was upstate with our friends for New Year’s Eve. The video came on and me and Sinan watched in awe at the log cabin as a man who was dead was back on TV front and center rapping about making changes. It was astonishing. I can still recall what Sinan said to me:
“Tupac is a genius.” It was true. This was the end of ’98 with 1999 on the horizon. It had been over two years since his death at a Vegas hospital. You know how there’s all these conspiracy theories on 2Pac being alive. I used to believe it. When that awesome video came on with his truthful words on drugs, poverty and how we treat each other which still is very relevant today, it was a mind trip. The track was part of the posthumous album Greatest Hits in 1998. I still have it. Of course I do. I have virtually every album plus t-shirts. I love 2Pac.
His birthday was yesterday. Believe it or not, he would have turned 50. A staggering thought. Remember when he and Snoop collaborated on “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” The video was comical. It featured both 2Pac and Snoop Dogg in a court room facing charges with their district attorney trying to get them off. You had Tupac tossing a crumbled up piece of paper in the court. It was a satire on the justice system which ironically is in shambles thanks to the liberal influence. I won’t say no more.
When I think of the kind of talented actor he became with his final role alongside Tim Roth, one I truly admired, I wonder if he could’ve become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He really grabbed the camera and was good at portraying flawed characters like Bishop in Juice and Spoon in Gridlock’d. The latter movie about two heroin addicts desperately trying to kick and get into a detox program. Only to get the runaround due to the incompetence of the Healthcare system. Something that still sadly applies today. That movie was on a couple of weeks ago. Of course, I watched. The performances of both Roth and the late Tupac were great. It’s not what I’d call a classic movie. But it’s good and has a valid point about how screwed up our country is. Nothing has changed. Pac would probably roll his eyes now.
Tupac also was in Bullet with Mickey Rourke where he plays basically himself as a bad gangster who has a feud with Rourke’s Jewish family due to trying to settle an old debt. He also starred alongside James Belushi in Gang Related where they play two crooked cops after killing an undercover DEA agent. They cover it up. The ending is quite crazy. That’s all I’ll say.
When it comes down to it, Tupac could’ve done anything. You look at all the material that was released posthumously and shake your head. He may have made a lot of money under Suge Knight working for Death Row Records. But he was “Trapped.” He wanted more for himself. Maybe that’s why he wound up dead. Of course, 2Pac was frequently in trouble with the law due to violence. That included the night of the Tyson fight in Vegas where he and his entourage beat up some rivals. The video showed Tupac kicking someone before they left. That kind of stuff catches up to you. It did that night at a stop light with him seated next to Knight. Of course, the investigation turned up nothing. Although we know the identity of the hitman, it doesn’t matter. The same with former 2Pac friend and then rival Biggie. You wonder why that is.
I still get hyped watching Tupac as the self-serving egotistical Bishop, who turns against his crew after getting a gun. He becomes trigger happy in Juice and it ultimately leads to the dramatic showdown between Bishop and GQ, expertly played by Omar Epps. They just had it on YouTube for free with ads. It had been a while since I’d seen it. All the more fitting that I watched a week ago.
How should we remember 2Pac with his 25-year Anniversary coming up? As one of the best rappers and most gifted artists of his time. He was a thoughtful person who cared about a lot of issues. Even with his own flaws that cost him in the end, Tupac accomplished more in his 25 years than most do in a lifetime.
Rest easy 2PAC. 💜🎇✨
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