“There’s gon’ be some stuff you gon’ see
That’s gon’ make it hard to smile in the future
But through whatever you see
Through all the rain and the pain
You gotta keep your sense of humor
You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit
Remember that”
I first heard those words in Tupac’s and Scarface’s “Smile” around 5 years ago. Back then, I never liked rap, I would only keep hearing pac’s music because my older brother would blast it on full volume when we was home alone. I was going through some typical (pre)teen crap and was feeling down a lot, but those words changed both the way I look at life. From then on I started liking Tupac’s music because from then on I actually started listening to what he was saying in his songs, I became a fan long after his departure.
Now, years later, having grown a lot, experienced a lot, I can say that Tupac is my favourite artist. I can’t go a day without listening to one of his songs, the man was a lyrical genius, and that’s only one of the reasons why I’ve always respected him. Besides being a talented musician, he was also a great actor, and even an equal rights activist. And one thing that made him so great is the fact anything he did, he did it with so much passion. Half my ideals are based on things he said or did.
Despite all that, though, he was a very controversial person. He could say something amazing one day, and then act completely wild the other. From Sexual assault cases to songs like “Keep Ya Head up”, there was always two sides of him which he was never hiding, he took on the world as himself, without a mask. He is not the best role-model, but then, who is? He was a very smart man who spoke a lot of truth. As for all the controversial things he’s done and said, well, I don’t think anyone out there is perfect, and if they seem perfect, then they’re just hiding their flaws. Tupac didn’t. I think he deserves respect no matter if you’re a fan of his music or not. He was far more than a musician, he was as wise a person as you’ll come across. He’d always have something to say about the injustice in the world, any kind of problems you’d see in every day first world countries, he was there, pointing them out to everyone, and we haven’t had many celebrities who did that, and I truly believe that if we had more people like him, who spoke out against racism, sexism, and many other problems, the world would be a little better.
I could sit here for hours writing about what he was and what he is to me, but the fact remains that back in 1996, the world lost an amazing person. Happy 44th birthday, Tupac.
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