Today (September 13), Hip-Hop fans across the globe bow their
heads in remembrance of one of Hip-Hop’s most prolific icons. Gone but
surely not forgotten, fans are likely playing Tupac’s music across the
globe from Africa to Europe, from South Central L.A. to the Bay, from
Brooklyn to Baltimore. From his humble beginnings as the son of a Black
Panther engaged in the arts, to his final days at Death Row amidst a
swirl of negative media attention and governmental pressure, Tupac
aspired to be impactful and influential to our urban communities.
To this day, the Thug Life brand is etched in Hip-Hop history like
words etched in stone, as rappers, fans and loved ones will never forget
the passion, enthusiasm, and care that ‘Pac put into his rhymes and his
music for ghettos across the globe. Tupac’s fans were of all races,
faces, and places, but he was especially a voice for young, Black males.
Tupac Speech about Thug Life
With all of the information that we at AllHipHop.com have uncovered
as pieces of the Biggie and Tupac murders come to the surface, it’s
important to remember that no matter how much we loved ‘Pac, and no
matter how much we learn about his life post-humously, we still can’t
bring him back to this life. As the holograms proved earlier this year
at Coachella, Tupac can never be duplicated, as close as some may come
to recreating his persona. Perhaps ‘Pac and Biggie were Hip-Hop’s lesson
to be better to the ones that are here to entertain us as musicians.
Today, remember ‘Pac, but also remember Biggie, remember Whitney,
remember Michael Jackson, remember Dilla, remember MCA, and all of the
artists that gave their lives to this artform we call music.
And, as we remember Tupac Shakur on September 13, 16 years after he
was gunned down, assassinated in the streets of Vegas, let’s stop and
think about how ‘Pac would have wanted us to live our lives, and in
turn, he will live through our actions forever. Tupac’s spirit will
never die, no matter how many times he was shot in his final moments
here on earth, because the legacy of his iconic aura lives on through
generations of fans impacted by his songs. Icons don’t die, they live on
even beyond their time on earth, and if that is true, we can safely
say…
…heaven does have a ghetto.
“I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto”
With that, we leave you will a few quotes from the
seventh and final member of Tupac’s protege group the Outlawz, Young
Noble. Being as close as he was to Tupac himself, let his words bring
you a little closer to the man that taught us that “roses grow from
concrete.”
What are your thoughts on the government’s role in ‘Pac’s murder?
Young Noble: “You gotta think, you know even prior
to that [media scrutiny/harassment], with his family history, his mother
being a Black Panther, and his uncle was Geronimo Pratt, Mutulu Shakur
who really shook the country, like they are in the history books for
this sh*t, people who you can Google and see what they were about back
in the Panther day. The government knew that, and thought that he was a
threat, he was awakening the people that they didn’t want awoke, and he
was awakening the conscious mind.
“To be honest, it’s a lot of stuff that the world doesn’t know that’s
not meant to be talked about in interviews, but at the end of the day,
as far as the government finding out who killed ‘Pac, I never expected
that. He threw up the middle finger at every chance that he had to at
the establishment, but Tupac didn’t have a chance to have no peace in
his life.”
In your eyes, what is the legacy of Tupac, not only on the West Coast, but in Hip-Hop?
Young Noble: “‘Pac belongs to the world; he was
bigger than the Outlawz, his family, and the music. ‘Pac belongs to the
world. We have to sit back and really embrace that. There’s so much
about ‘Pac out there, that if you look at everything that’s out there as
far as evidence, it will drive you crazy, and none of that is going to
bring ‘Pac back. So we just have to live our lives how ‘Pac would want
us to live and make him proud. He would want us to raise our kids, stay
out of jail, and stay alive by any means necessary. Raise our kids
right, and do what we gotta do.” Source allhiphop.com.
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