Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur was undeniably one of the most controversial recording music artists and is now considered a hip-hop legend. Almost 22 years after his death, Tupac is still being remembered as being the best hip hop/gangster rap music artist since hip hop and gangster rap came on the scene in the late 80s. I grew up listening to Tupac and though some people think his song lyrics glorified violence, sex, and drugs, it was only his own feelings, struggles, and endurance that I came to realize he was writing down and signifying with his music. His music inspired a lot of minds to think of all the possibilities of life and the reality of life of his own people. Even though he was shot and killed so long ago he still lives in some of us through his music and it seems Tupac remains the most talked about and influencing rap artist.

Shakur started his music career when he moved as a teenager with his family to California, with the group Digital Underground in the late 80s. In 1991, he emerged as a solo artist as 2Pac with his debut album 2pacalypseNow. Releasing six albums, including a best hits album in total before his death (six of them have been released posthumously), he has sold over 75 million records worldwide. Tupac went on to become one of the most influential and persuasive rap artists with his dark thug image and emotionally laced lyrics which his fans identified with. He was a poet and had no problem exhibiting his talent. I don’t think there has been any other rapper better than Tupac in expressing the pain and suffering of the oppressed black man and social inequalities in their music because Tupac spoke the truth with passion. He was vocal of his views in his songs and interviews about Black America and the oppressed. Having the lead role in four movies and co-starring with Janet Jackson in another, with eight movies in total, he certainly was looking like an inspiring actor but it seems he has mostly been remembered by many as the greatest gangster rap artist.

While this young rap star was undeniably gifted, talented, and beloved, he was also smart. There's no doubt he would rap a lot of negativity against society but he also read a lot of books and has been credited for having read many interesting books at his young age. In his article, "Symposium Analyzes, Celebrates 'Thug': Legendary Tupac Shakur Looked At As Cultural Artifact Force," Ken Gewertz talks of a speech given by Mark Anthony Neal, an English professor from the University of New York in Albany. Neal responded to a question from the audience about Tupac's glorification of violence and abuse of women by saying he was a "walking contradiction;" he also added he was "an intellectual accessible to ordinary people." To that, I believe he was referring to Tupac as being influential, speaking up for the kids in the streets of America who are growing up just as he did but also fitting into the stereotype of his own culture. This man was certainly controversial and it seems that a lot of people still don't understand the real meaning of his music and may be looking at him only as a rap symbol.

Tupac and His Mother

2Pac was the son of two members of the Black Panther Party whose ideals he reflected in his music. However, he did not know his real father until age 12. He grew up mainly with his mother, aunt and uncles who were also activists that had been convicted of various crimes. He saw the injustices and discrimination against blacks first-hand, having sustained homelessness and hungriness himself, and he wanted to do something about it. He wanted to change things for those like him. I often saw him protesting against discrimination and an oppressive criminal justice system in the news, TV shows, or in documentaries about him. He was born on June 16, 1971 as Lesane Parish Crooks and renamed as Tupac Shakur one year after his birth after the last Incan Emperor, "Tupac Amaru II," who had led an uprising against the Spaniards in the 18th century. As a teenager he joined the Baltimore Young Communist League because of his interests and the influence of anti-government political views he picked up since a young age. He was taught to fight back against injustices by those around him since a kid and he found a way to express his political views and endeavors through the power of music.

In his lyrics, Tupac talked about money, sex, drugs, alcohol, insubordination, and women, or (ho's) as he portrayed it as the "Thug Life'." He sang and prided himself for being a thug and an outlaw, In his article "Only God Can Judge Me: Tupac Shakur, The Legal System, and Lyrical Subversion," Josh Nisker Says that Tupac viewed the American criminal justice system as institutions of slavery and I quote him when he says he "justified (and at times glorified) lawlessness as a necessary urban response to a racially-oppressive system." People can say he was reckless at times and can be reasonably stereotyped as a menace or fair to think that society would classify him as such but he was only trying to raise awareness about the reality of injustices in America and the work we still have ahead of us. He wasn't glorifying his way of life; rather, trying to make people clearly understand the complexity of life of the black man and social inequalities in this country, indoctrinating people through his music and setting himself as an example of the product of society; representing the struggles of young black males and the reasons why they feel under oppression. Tupac states, "I'm a reflection of the community," in other words saying, you made me like this; this is the product of oppression, racism and societal inequality.

I would describe Tupac as being controversial. He had hope for change. He wanted to end all of the injustices against blacks but he was also a thug and would often act against others with anger and violence mainly against others like him. In the article, "In Search Of Manhood: The Black Male's Struggle for Identity and Power," Aza Nedhari suggests that "Black male violence is a direct result of their position within American society." He says it is the result of societal oppression, racism, and sexism, amongst other problems. He also quotes another author in his essay named Harris, "The results of oppression manifests itself through disparities in every social system and dysfunctional behavior for Black males, especially the behavior of violence." It could explain the reason why Tupac acted as he did, and he knew his reckless behavior would lead him to more problems and ultimately his death but he was not afraid. He wanted to use his image to make people understand better and help look for solutions to the struggles and inequality of life by showing everybody the way of life and the mind of a thug.

Every song he wrote tells a story of a part of his life, and always told it as it was. He was known for one to always speak his mind, even if it got him in trouble and it did many times. In 1992 vice-president Dan Quayle had asked to pull his first album from stores with allegations that his music had influenced the murder of a Texas State Trooper. In 1994, Tupac was shot 5 times in what appeared to have been a robbery in New York, at the recording studios where the Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls) was recording music that night. Tupac survived that attack and knew that his attack was planned. He blamed Biggie and his record label affiliates for the attempted murder. A rivalry started that ultimately proved lethal to both rappers.

The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac As Friends

Tupac publicly accused Biggie Smalls of co-conspiring in the planning of his shooting and vowed for revenge. Naturally, he came out with a song defining his feelings about the situation and proclaiming war on Biggie and his record label with the song “Hit ‘Em Up.” A rage started between the West Coast and the East Coast rappers, (and fans as well) followed by reported confrontations, assaults, and battles through their music as a result of this rap war. This war between the West coast rappers and the East Coast rappers brought hate and envy to Tupac by his rivals. Many rappers were jealous of Tupac and now they had a reason to act on it.

On September 7, 1996, at the early age of 25, Tupac was struck six times in a drive-by shooting as he was leaving the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino after his friend Mike Tyson knocked out Bruce Seldon in a boxing match that night. He died 6 days later in the hospital. His murderers were never found and the case remains unsolved which left a hope in a lot of his fans that he may be faking his death and somehow, he will come back. In his last album, Tupac renamed himself Makaveli after "Machiavelli," a known Italian war strategist and philosopher from the 16th century who wrote the book, The Art of War. The book describes how Machiavelli faked his own death to fool his enemies. Tupac's last album, The Don - Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, was released after his death but had been finished one month prior to his demise. Tupac wrote the lyrics to every song in the album in only three days and it was finished and recorded in a total of seven days, hence the name, "The 7 Day Theory." It seems as if the release of this album after Tupac's death had been planned in order to make people believe he actually staged his disappearance. The album has been the top-selling record for Tupac mainly because of the many believers that Tupac, after having read Machiavelli's book, decided to fake his own death as well to fool and surprise his enemies like the book suggests.

'The Don Killuminati: The Seven Day Theory' Album Cover

He surely had every means to do this, he had a lot of people that wanted him dead, and he knew his death would come soon. He embraced death in his records saying he was a soldier and wasn't scared. He made it known he'd joined, then rebuked the Illuminati (also known as having sold his soul to the devil in return for fame, fortune, and material wishes) as other famous artists and people in power have been rumored to do. He came out with the album, The Don-Killuminati, reproaching and vocalizing against this powerful, secret society and he knew they wanted him dead. He made a lot of enemies because of it and that is why a lot of people still think he staged his own death and will reappear sometime soon as in Machiavelli's story. The time of truth for Makaveli (Tupac) to reveal himself to confirm this was not just a myth would have been in 2014. He would have been 43-years-old just as the war strategist, Machiavelli, was when he “resurrected” and marked 18 years since he left just as in Machiavelli's story. Even though the coincidences of his comparison to Machiavelli have run out (almost four years have passed of his time to “reappear”), in his last album recorded before his death, he left us with codes and intuitions that coincide with this theory. The Don-Killuminati has been Tupac's best posthumously released album sold mainly because of the alias he gave himself before his death one month prior to his departure and the idea that he may still be alive.

Whether Tupac is alive or not has been the debate between many for the past 22 years. It has become an obsession for his fans and others as well. I can almost guarantee a great percentage of the population has heard of Tupac. He has sold over 75 million records, arguably making him the best selling rapper world-wide and his image will continue to be celebrated throughout the world for many years to come. In a song he contributed with the rapper Scarface, he mentions the reason for having sold his soul; the lyrics go like this, “sellin' my soul for material wishes, fast cars and bitches, wishing I live my life a legend immortalized in pictures." Tupac has been "immortalized" in pictures and through his music for 22 years now, just as he wanted. The only thing that remains to be seen, as I mentioned earlier, is his presence. If he is still alive and faking his death then surely he lived the life he wanted to live just as he had prophesied.

His rise to fame came quick after introducing himself to the music industry and it seemed too short, having lost an icon that could get the attention of so many people as he did in his messages through his music with such passion and reality. Tupac is really missed by his fans and has become, even after death, an inspirational figure with his passive messages that continue to inspire many. Tupac's legacy is based on inspiration to give hope of a better way of life for society and end societal inequality. His dream was to inspire the mind that would be able to rise and positively change this problem and his legacy kept going through the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF). The TASF was a cultural center that encouraged youth to express themselves and develop their talents through educational programs of the arts. Tupac's dream had been to end the pain of the black youth due to oppression, and his mother started the foundation one year after Tupac's death in order to keep Tupac's dream alive and help kids develop their intuition of the reality of life for black men and women. Unfortunately, the foundation failed to raise enough money to continue and in August 2015, Tupac's mother was forced to sell the foundation's building theatre.

In The Event Of My Demise

Tupac is seen as a cultural form within the black community, hip-hop lovers, and most of the general public for his passion, his political views, and his social status among rappers and the hip-hop industry in general. His notorious attitude and influential skills brought the reality of life in the United States into light from the perspective of the victims of society. He certainly influenced a lot of people with his lyrics and interviews claiming his views and ideas for a better America. After almost 22 years of his death, he has been the most talked about rapper and with all the records sold throughout the years, Tupac has become an icon and a major rap symbol known for his controversial thug status that represents a true chapter of the community, for voicing his thoughts and speaking up for what is right.

There's no doubt Tupac was smart and he could have advocated his beliefs and ideas in a better way but he wasn't interested in trying to portray something he was not. He was a thug that grew up in the streets, struggling to survive and he wanted to prove his point from that perspective. Tupac is considered a martyr because of all he went through to prove his point, and it seems he will still be recognized as a great but controversial rap symbol because that's what he was. Tupac is a Martyr with a controversial life and is recognized throughout the world as a symbolized rap artist. He remains the most talked about and influencing rap artist in our generation.