Masayoshi Yokoyama discusses his efforts to remain respectful to the legendary rapper's legacy.
I don't have a dog in this race but, just in my own opinion, I don't find this to be crossing any lines. I am not usually a fan of films using computer imagery to bring characters back to life on screen. But, after this Tupac announcement I might be changing my mind. It was something Snoop said on stage for just a brief moment. I don't have time to find the exact quote but, to me, it sounded like part of the reason why he agreed to this was that he wanted to keep Tupac's spirit alive. I like that. I really haven't thought about Tupac in years. I have listened to a few of his songs because of movies, video games, or other commercial reasons but I honestly haven't purposefully gone out there and engaged with Tupac's music in years. I am sure there are a lot of other people out there like me. I love Tupac and I love seeing old interviews with him. He was such a smart man and it sucks that he was killed in his prime. I agree that this addition to Stanger Than Heaven will renew people's interest in Tupac and bring some attention back to his music. I don't have much to say about the fight between his likeness rights holder and his catalog holder. Those kinds of fights happen whenever a rich person dies. It sucks but it's also human. I think the other thing I'm okay with is that his likeness will be used as a character so I'm not as turned off by the idea because nobody is putting words into Tupac's, the man, mouth. It seems much closer to a comedian doing an impression of a dead person. We don't get angry when people act like W.C. Fields or Elvis. Why should this bother us? Like I said, my feelings on this aren't fully formed yet and I don't think yours should be either. I still feel grossed out when this happens in movies. So, why am I good with this? Is it only because I agree Tupac's legacy should be kept alive? I'm not sure but I'll continue thinking about it because the entertainment industry is going to keep doing stuff like this whether we like it or not.












