Tupac Shakur photo by Danny Clinch
I was the very first columnist to write an article on Tupac Shakur here in Inquirer in the website and newspaper. The title of my article: “Tupac: His race against time” was posted exclusively on Inquirer.net on February 15, 2013. Indeed, I am proud I was able to do that because I write for the greater good.
Indeed, it is a long time coming for undoubtedly the Number 1 rapper/hip-hop artist of all time Tupac Shakur to be finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tupac Shakur or better known by his artist name “2Pac” was a brave, outspoken and honest voice that was “silenced” and although he lived only till he was 25 years old, the body of work he has left behind is equal to someone’s who had lived a full life. It is a testament to his undying musical influence and philosophies in life. His fight against the injustices in society back then are still the same very causes that many are fighting for to this day.
Truth be known, I have been a huge 2Pac fan and follower of his work since I was in my mid-teens. In fact, as far back as I can remember I was already collecting his CD’s both the ones released when he was still alive and the posthumous ones, buying books chronicling his career as an artist and his personal life and even the authorized documentaries about him. All of these items which form part of my prized possessions I had acquired in the US during family vacations there.
Tupac Shakur is truly a fascinating artist that even after he was killed more than two decades ago in 1996 he continues to captivate and capture the attention of people from the world over. The struggles he went through early on life, his lineage that his late mother Afeni Shakur was a Black Panther Party member, and his being able to overcome so many obstacles thrown at him– man-made and otherwise–are truly remarkable and inspirational to me and to so many countless others to “keep fighting the good fight.”
Tupac Shakur had powerful and influential enemies both in the streets and in the music industry. These individuals wanted him dead mainly for the reason he was on the verge to more greatness not only in his various professional careers as a recording artist and movie star but somewhere perhaps along the lines of a Martin Luther King Jr someday. With fame and success come the deep-rooted jealousies of others and these people could not stand the thought and the jealousy they had of Tupac Shakur led them to plan several assassination attempts on his life until 2Pac was killed after he fatally was gunned down while he was riding in a car with Death Row Records CEO and co-founder Suge Knight when they were on their way to a post-fight party for Mike Tyson in Las Vegas.
Read the books and watch the documentaries about Tupac Shakur. And, of course, listen to his music.
As he had shown, Tupac Shakur could excel in any profession he was a part of because he always put his heart and mind into all his endeavors. I have watched testimonials in a few of the authorized documentaries coming from fellow artists of 2Pac during his time who averred that to the final weeks of his life he was in the recording studio non-stop composing songs and recording them one after another regardless if they got released or not. Indeed, Tupac Shakur was “racing against time” because he felt the walls closing in on him and his enemies getting closer that he no longer could survive all the odds stacked against him. That is why in the final years of his life he tried to live every single day like it was his last.
Tupac Shakur photo by Danny Clinch
Tupac Shakur’s work rate and dedication to his craft are one reason why there are now so many unreleased songs coming from him that have been put out in the last twenty years. He had foresight, he thought ahead, and he had songs that dealt with a number of topics that he knew should be addressed whether he got to live longer or not.
Modern day rappers/ Hip-Hop artists revere Tupac Shakur because of his superior lyrical prowess, the overwhelming force behind his words, the raw emotion that could be felt while listening to his songs, the proficiency he had to put together well thought out lyrics that tell a complete story or narrate a specific moment in his everyday life, the swagger he had, his sense of style, the fact that he was multi-talented and the fearlessness he embodied that he would not let anything or anyone prevent him from accomplishing his goals in life no whether or not how short his time on earth would become. For me, when you list down 2Pac’s accomplishments… I find it amazing that he was able to do so much given how short his life here was.
I believe that if you are an artist… your greatness is not only measured by the number of radio hits you have accumulated. It is not acknowledged by how many times you have graced the covers of certain magazines. It is definitely not ranked by the number of followers you have on various social media sites because even good-for-nothing artists and talentless hacks can have millions of followers.
Those reasons are so feeble and vacuous because there are celebrities who are famous for just being famous. So many can just be an overnight sensation, a passing fad, and a flash in the pan. But how many of them can say that they are still recalled, revered and admired after their time on earth has long passed?
Clearly, 2Pac rises above all that nonsensical trivial and dumb crap. Tupac Shakur is a name that will be remembered forever defying the common logic of most people these days that you only matter in life if you are “trending” or part of the latest buzz in the news.
Tupac Shakur was real! He had a mission. His music reflected his life. He knew his time on earth would be short because he was already having premonitions and visions of his own death. He made the most of every single day he had and essentially he “lives” beyond his murder because of the lives he has touched and the people he inspires to believe in themselves.
To this day, the people responsible for Tupac Shakur’s murder have not been caught. His death still remains a mystery as to who were the people who pulled the trigger ending the life of one of the greatest artists that ever lived.
Tupac Shakur in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame… it is high time.
Tupac Shakur has mythic status.