Friday, March 9th, 2007
2 Pac
Requiem for an Immortal:
10 Years, So Many Tears
by Trent Fitzgerald
On Sept. 7, 1996, after watching the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon heavyweight championship fight at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Casino, Tupac Amaru Shakur (aka 2Pac) was riding in the passenger seat of Death Row Records executive Marion "Suge" Knight's BMW 750 black sedan. A white Cadillac pulled up beside them at a stoplight, and 2Pac was hit by a barrage of bullets. Ambulances rushed the wounded rapper to the University Medical Center. After nearly a week of being in a medically induced coma, 2Pac's fight for life ended on Sept. 13. He was 25 years old.
A decade later, the mystery behind the California-based rapper's slaying remains unsolved. But the memories of 2Pac's productive and creative life continue to shine through in a body of work that remains lucrative for his estate. 2Pac's mother, Afeni Shakur, had planned a trip to South Africa to commemorate her late son's death. However, she recently canceled her trip for undisclosed personal reasons, and instead will fly to the continent on June 16, 2007, to celebrate what would have been 2Pac's 36th birthday.
2Pac's music embodied a spirit of defiance and his lyrics reflected on the poverty and social injustice among the disenfranchised. He rapped about gangs, drugs, violence and despair with such brutal honesty and flair. Much of 2Pac's lyrics can be traced back to his black nationalist lineage. His mother, Afeni, was a former Black Panther Party member who was actually pregnant with her son while she was incarcerated in a New York prison. The rhyme-slinger's stepfather, Mutula Shakur, a prominent member of the Panthers, taught young Tupac the black-nationalist doctrine that would later shape much of the rapper's recordings.
Those influences can be heard on "Changes," a track that appeared on 2Pac: Greatest Hits. "Two shots time to fight back that's what Huey said," he raps. "Two shots in the dark now that Huey's dead." However, 2Pac will probably be most remembered for his social commentaries like the anthemic "Keep Ya Head Up," which addressed the issue of protecting black women against misogynism, and "Brenda's Got a Baby," a detailed look at the pitfalls of teen pregnancy.
His love for black women carried over into his 1995 song "Dear Mama." Through his heartfelt delivery, 2Pac thanked his mother, Afeni, from whom he was estranged, for her strength and encouragement. "When I was a young man and my mama had beef/ 17 years old kicked out on the streets," he rhymes on the endearing track. "Though back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face/ Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place."
Later in his career, 2Pac struggled with his political roots, and chose to develop his "Thug Life" persona. On his final recording released during his lifetime, All Eyez on Me, songs like "Ambitionz az a Ridah" and "Heartz of Men" proudly display 2Pac's glory of thuggin' it out. It's only on "I Ain't Mad at Cha" where you find an emotionally warm 2Pac rapping about forgiveness and reconciliation. But it was the non-album B-side "Hit 'Em Up" that stirred up the most controversy. The diss track took aim at New York rapper Notorious B.I.G., whose untimely murder in March 1997 will forever be linked to 2Pac's slaying.
Two months after 2Pac's death, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released featuring 2Pac spitting rhymes under a rap alias named Makaveli. The collection sparked numerous conspiracy theories including one that 2Pac faked his death and was hiding in Cuba with his godmother, political prisoner Assata Shakur. Since then, there has been a seemingly endless stream of posthumous releases from the 2Pac vaults. His music continues to sell millions of copies, a testament to his popularity and influence within the hip-hop community and beyond.
And his immortalization doesn't end there. Next year, a 25-city trek called the Tupac Legacy Tour will get under way. The jaunt will feature a lineup of still-unannounced artists performing 2Pac songs backed with a live band and DJ. All proceeds from the ticket sales for the event will benefit the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain, Ga.
In an April 1996 interview, 2Pac summed up what it meant for him to be loved by legions of fans. "With all my fans I got a family again," he explained. "They made it more than just an artist thing . . . Instead it was like them saying, 'Hey, that's our homeboy and we support him.' I appreciate them stickin' up for me when everyone was kickin' me when I was down." Ten years after his death, 2Pac's family of fans continues to grow.
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