  |
|
|
|
As we look at the end of one year and the beginning of another,
it's rather fitting to reflect on endings and beginnings of
another kind - the kind that gave Tupac Shakur's life to us
when he started with Digital Underground, and the kind that
ended his life in a hail of bullets and bloodshed.
Actually (some may not believe this) I found a lot of 2Pac's work to be introspective. Even on his posthumous double album I remember several songs where he took a look back on his life and said, "Why am I this way? Could I have been brought up different? Would a strong father figure in my life have made me a better man?" I'm paraphrasing but the intents of his words were/are pretty obvious. 'Pac was so busy being categorized as a gangsta and a thug that a lot of people missed the more subtle things he had to say about his life and the world around him. That's why Tupac's newest single, "Changes" says so much. It doesn't portray the flossy lifestyle that people are accustomed to hearing about from Shakur in his popular singles to date or the endless rows of women whose only desire is to gratify the strong machismo male. Instead, 'Pac asks, "Why?" And I think that's a beginning of another kind - a beginning for all people out there who should re-examine his work. If you think he's the Thug, why? If you think of him as the Poet, why? And where is the truth? What did he really have to say to us? If this article leaves you with one thing, let it be that in 1999 we can help Tupac's legacy be more than his media image as a martyr to gangster rap but as a person whose message got lost in the media's quest for a good story and a "Thug" to rail against for would be censors and media moguls. Question what you know and don't take shit for granted. Peace, Flash Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article 2Pac's Untold Story: His Own in Hip-Hop Music & Culture is owned by Steve Juon. Permission to republish 2Pac's Untold Story: His Own in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
