I was born in 1994 and yet my loyalty/admiration for Tupac Amaru Shakur is unmoved and growing. By the way my face lights up when I hear a song or see a movie with his name on it, you would never know that I was only two years old when he was shot. Perhaps I could blame my mom for that (or thank her). So here are some reasons on why I am #TeamTupac forever. Explicit language used
1) First off, I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California so my first Tupac song was probably “California Love” followed by “To Live & Die in LA”. I was proud to be from the west coast before I even knew there was a west vs east beef. You know that the west coast is the best coast when he was born in New York and still repped hard for California.
2) This man was so deeply brilliant and educated despite his wild and reactionary behavior. I can spend hours watching interviews on YouTube that most people don’t know exist or only see certain clips. Tupac had a plan and meaning for basically everything he did and said from the meaning of Thug Life (when the underdog succeeds despite the odds being against him) to N.I.G.G.A. (Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished). Tupac kept up with any interview question thrown at him and insisted on getting real and deep. Plus it’s crazy that the things Tupac said are still relevant now, right?
3) Tupac was truly a sweetheart who cared about people. There are interviews where he is genuinely hurt by the fact that there are millionaires with 15-room houses and people starving living in a box. Tracks like “Dear Mama”, “I Ain’t Mad At Chu”, “Keep Ya Head Up”, “Baby Don’t Cry”, “Young N****z”, and “Life Goes On” speak for themselves. He stated in his first televised interview that he didn’t want to be a role model but a real model because a role is just something you play. He didn’t sugar coat his life because he wanted young people to learn from the mistakes he had made. Also… that smile… is breathtaking😍
4) As much as I love the educated and caring Tupac, my favorite is the “Hit ‘Em Up” version. Obviously that was one of the best diss tracks in history like I can recite that last 1:42 seconds word for word. There’s something about his raw emotion and refusal to be sugar coated and censored, that excites me every time. He literally did not care in the purest way. Tracks like “Troublesome ’96”, “Picture Me Rollin'”, and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” provides that thug Tupac that fires me up.
5) Despite popular belief, Tupac was not pro-violence or anti-cop. In numerous interviews, he’s stated that he doesn’t want people going out and causing violence, although you gotta do what you gotta do when trying to stay alive. He wanted his fans to hear his music and really think. Tupac was pro-gang but anti-gangsta. He believed gangs were needed in America but not if they would be self-destructive. Tupac continuously denied being considered a “gangsta rapper” stating that there’s no such thing and that his raps were stories and poetry. He also stated more than once that he respects police officers who have that much power and use it to help and protect. That didn’t stop him from being awake to police brutality in America i.e. “Changes”. Again, still relevant!
6) This man is a great actor. Point blank period. His iconic crazy locker scene in Juice mixed with the hilarious BBQ scene from Poetic Justice are enough to convince me that had he been alive today, we would’ve seen more of him on the big screen.
7) Tupac wanted to be a better person. There’s a 1996 MTV interview where he talks about how much he had matured and became more responsible in the last year and that instead of being known for his big mouth, he was now known for being a survivor (referencing the five bullets he took) . He wanted to die being known as someone people said “Wow! Remember when he was bad… Now he’s a sweetheart.” He knew he wasn’t perfect and admitted to being scared with how much people looked up to him. He was ready for a second chance that sadly he never got.
There are many reasons on why I’m #TeamTupac and I’m sure as I continue with my obsession, those reasons will grow. It sucks that I was only a toddler when he was murdered but he will never be forgotten.
#TeamTupac I was born in 1994 and yet my loyalty/admiration for Tupac Amaru Shakur is unmoved and growing.
