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The power of a gun can kill
and the power of Fire can Burn
The power of wind can chill
and the power of the mind can learn
The power of anger can rage
inside until it tears u apart
But the Power of a Smile
especially yours can heal a frozen Heart.

~Tupac Shakur

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Here’s How Tupac Inspired The Hate U Give

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Here’s How Tupac Inspired The Hate U Give

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By now you've heard that by Angie Thomas is the one YA novel you absolutely cannot miss this year. What you might not know is that The Hate U Give was not only inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, but also largely by Tupac, his THUG LIFE tattoo, and his activism. Author Angie Thomas often refers to Tupac not only in her writing, but in her conversation surround The Hate U Give. Since Tupac will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today, becoming the first solo rap artist in its history to receive this recognition, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate his life, art, and activism. And of course thank him for inspiring what came to be one of our favorite YA novels of all time.

What Is THUG LIFE?

"Pac said Thug Life stood for "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody. T-H-U-G-L-I-F-E. Meaning what society gives us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out. Get it?" -The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

In an interview with Cosmo, Angie Thomas said "When we were trying to figure out a title for the book, I came across a YouTube clip of him discussing THUG LIFE. [...] When I when I saw him explain what it means, it hit me that that's not just in my book, but that's what we see in society. When these unarmed black people lose their lives, the hate they've been given screws us all. We see it in the form of anger and we see it in the form of riots. So when I saw that in the video, it was like a sign."

Tupac and The Hate U Give

Though It's obvious that that title The Hate U Give came from Tupac, there are many other hidden places in the book that Tupac inspired!

Starr Carter

When deciding on a name for her main character, Angie drew inspiration from The Greatest himself. Though Tupac never had a daughter, he always claimed that he would name his daughter Starr. In a way, Starr is a tribute to the life of Tupac, and the daughter he never had. And in case you missed it- Starr sports a bandana on the cover of THUG, which can only be attributed to 'Pac's signature look.

Big Mav

If you read closely enough, you'll notice that Big Mav is described to look exactly like the greatest- Tupac Shakur.

Activism

While writing the book, Angie claims to have listened to Tupac's words of wisdom for inspiration. She says that in a way, Tupac and hip-hop showed her who she was- and aims to do the same for black youth with The Hate U Give. Tupac helped Angie to realize that her story mattered. That black stories matter. His revolutionary spirit and Activism allowed for Angie's new perspective.

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Tupac penned a poem called "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." It's a metaphor for young people who grow up in bad situations but are still something to be in awe of. Angie attempted to make Starr, Seven, and all the characters in The Hate U Give roses in their own ways.

About Tupac

Tupac Amaru Shakur was a legendary rapper who combined hip- hop with activism. Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur was a Black Panther, and shaped Pac to be the outspoken revolutionary that he is know to be. Despite his controversial lifestyle, Tupac quickly became one of the most respected rappers of all time. His album All Eyez On Me peaked charts all across the USA and in many ways began the intersection of rap and activism. Tupac was fatally shot on September 7th 1996, while he was leaving a prizefight featuring Mike Tyson. His death left a deep wound in the hip hop and activist community, which is still felt to this day. On April 7th, 2017, Tupac became the first solo rap artist in history to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Revolutionary Lines From 2Pac

"The seed must grow regardless of the fact that it's planted in stone." - Tupac Shakur

"Follow your heart, but take your brain with you." - Tupac Shakur

"You got make a change. It's time for us as a people to start making some changes, let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live, and let's change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us, to do what we gotta do to survive." - Tupac Shakur

"Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure
And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more" - Tupac Shakur
Are you as inspired by Tupac and The Hate U Give as we are? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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Here's How Tupac And THUG LIFE Inspired The Hate U Give

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By now you've heard that by Angie Thomas is the one YA novel you absolutely cannot miss this year. What you might not know is that The Hate U Give was not only inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, but also largely by Tupac, his THUG LIFE tattoo, and his activism.

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Journal of Black Studies: Keepin' It Real in Hip Hop Politics: A Political Perspective of Tupac Shakur

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Journal of Black Studies: Keepin' It Real in Hip Hop Politics: A Political Perspective of Tupac Shakur

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Keepin' It Real in Hip Hop Politics: A Political Perspective of Tupac Shakur on JSTOR

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Karin L. Stanford, Keepin' It Real in Hip Hop Politics: A Political Perspective of Tupac Shakur, Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 42, No. 1 (JANUARY 2011), pp. 3-22

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"One of the things that made 2Pac so difficult for mainstream America to comprehend was the mere plurality of his existence. "

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Tupac Shakur contained multitudes. He was a brilliant poet, a highly trained and skilled actor, advocate and free-thinker. He's also the man who championed THUG LIFE (later explained as the backcronym The Hate U Give Little Infants F---s Everybody"), wrote songs about the disposability of women, and openly wished violence upon his enemies.

One of these does not cancel out the other -- 2Pac has done things worth glorifying and others worth condemning. But his words have outlived him, and many are just as relevant now as they were while he was still breathing. In the wake of an election that saw a man elected on a platform of discrimination and white supremacy, we looked for meaning in 2Pac's back catalog, searching for some of his most positive and socially conscious lyrics, in the hopes that 2Pac at his most woke can provide some levity for anyone confused or in pain.
"Brenda's Got a Baby"
From the jump, 2Pac's rhymes were imbued with complex narratives, humanizing the downtrodden with equal parts empathy and rage. This famous story of a 12 year old girl molested by her family, impregnated, turned out and strung out in the street is one of his darkest and most poignant. Pac lays out the story in a single verse, with strong active language that paints a vivid picture free of florid detail. It's been referenced by countless rappers, though not always so tactfully; Rick Ross once bragged on "Tupac's Back" that "Brenda's havin' my baby." Hmmm.

"Now the baby's in the trash heap balling
Momma can't help her, but it hurts to hear her calling
Brenda wants to run away
Momma say, you makin' me lose pay
The social workers here everyday
Now Brenda's gotta make her own way
Can't go to her family, they won't let her stay
No money no babysitter, she couldn't keep a job
She tried to sell crack, but end up getting robbed
So now what's next, there ain't nothing left to sell
So she sees sex as a way of leaving hell
It's paying the rent, so she really can't complain
Prostitute, found slain, and Brenda's her name, she's got a baby"
"Trapped"
One of the more disturbing developments of the ubiquity of "trap" music is its divorce from its origin -- to call a neighborhood "The Trap" is quite literally referencing the systemic oppression that prevents its residents from climbing out of poverty. Here Pac delineates some of the Catch 22s of the Trap.

"You know they got me trapped in this prison of seclusion
Happiness, living on the streets is a delusion
Even a smooth criminal one day must get caught
Shot up or shot down with the bullet that he bought
Nine millimeter kickin' thinkin' about what the streets do to me
Cause they never talk peace in the black community"
"Holla if Ya Hear Me"
One of the things that made 2Pac so difficult for mainstream America to comprehend was the mere plurality of his existence. On tracks like "Holla If You Hear Me," he terrified pearl-clutching suburbanites with his THUG LIFE tales and his tacit approval of the life of crime. But with bars like these, he captures the anger and frustration of millions who feel trapped.

"Pump ya fists if ya feel me, holla if ya hear me
Learn to survive in the nine-tre'
I make rhyme pay, others make crime pay
Whatever it takes to live and stand
Cause nobody else'll give a damn
So we live like caged beasts
Waitin for the day to let the rage free
Still me, till they kill me
I love it when they fear me"
"Keep Your Head Up"
Quite possibly the most woke 2Pac song of all time, Pac celebrates blackness, women, and black women, promoting hope and positivity amidst tragic circumstances. The fact that it's so disparate from his most thugged out material is likely its greatest strength; if he can get the hardest, toughest gangsters to consider the strength and beauty of black women, maybe the rest of us can, too.

"Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holla to my sisters on welfare
2Pac cares if don't nobody else care
And I know they like to beat you down a lot
When you come around the block, brothers clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive, but don't forget, girl, keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nothing, don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him
'Cause, sister, you don't need him"
"Dear Mama"
Most every thug loves his mama.

"I shed tears with my baby sister, over the years
We was poorer than the other little kids
And even though we had different daddies, the same drama
When things went wrong we'd blame Mama
I reminisce on the stress I caused, it was hell
Huggin' on my mama from a jail cell
And who'd think in elementary, hey
I'd see the penitentiary one day?
And running from the police, that's right
Mama catch me, put a whoopin' to my backside
And even as a crack fiend, Mama
You always was a black queen, Mama
I finally understand
For a woman it ain't easy trying to raise a man
You always was committed
A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how you did it
There's no way I can pay you back, but the plan
Is to show you that I understand; you are appreciated"
"To Live and Die in LA"
This Pac anthem to his adopted hometown of Los Angeles (Shakur was originally from the east coast) is a love letter to a complicated town. He speaks of gangs and police drama on equal terms with women and marijuana, and even calls out the Governor. But our favorite lyric is the start to the third verse, his hat tip to brown pride, and a commonality with segregated communities.

"It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
Black love, brown pride, and the sets again
Pete Wilson tryin' to see us all broke
I'm on some bullshit out for everything they owe"
"White Manz World"
An anthem that feels as urgent in late 2016 as it did in 1996. What does it feel like to be black in a world where white is right? When half the voting public wants to be led by racists?

"Eatin' Jack-Mack, Starin' at the walls of silence
Inside this cage where they captured all my rage and violence
In time I learned a few lessons, never fall for riches
Apologizes to my true sisters, far from b--ches
Help me raise my Black nation, reparations are due
It's true, caught up in this world I took advantage of you
So tell the babies how I love them, precious boys and girls
Born black in this white man's world"
"Ghetto Gospel"
It's hard to say what Pac would have thought of this posthumous Elton John collaboration, but despite the relatively cheesy production values, his verses are as thoughtful and carefully considered as ever. Verses of wizened reflection like these, released after his death, are part of why so many were so reluctant to accept that he was gone.

"If I could recollect before my hood days
I sit and reminisce, thinking of bliss and the good days
I stop and stare at the younger
My heart goes to 'em, they tested with stress that they under
And nowadays things change
Everyone's ashamed of the youth
'cause the truth look strange
And for me it's reversed
We left 'em a world that's cursed and it hurts
'Cause any day they'll push the button, and all good men like Malcolm X or Bobby Hutton died for nothin'
Don't it make you get teary? The world looks dreary
When you wipe your eyes see it clearly
There's no need for you to fear me
If you take your time and hear me
Maybe you can learn to cheer me
It ain't about black or white, 'cause we human
I hope we see the light before it's ruined; my ghetto gospel"
"Changes"
Nothin' more gangsta than a Bruce Hornsby sample, eh? The lead single from his posthumous Greatest Hits collection, chances are this was the first time your grandma heard Pac's bars, when the DJ threw it on at your homeboy's bar mitzvah. Post-Obama, people loved to quote and sample "We ain't ready to see a Black President," but Post-Trump, 'Pac's words appear more prescient than ever.

"I see no changes, all I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under, I wonder what it takes to make this
One better place, let's erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people, they'll be acting right
'Cause both Black and White are smoking crack tonight
And the only time we chill is when we kill each other
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And although it seems heaven-sent
We ain't ready to see a black president
It ain't a secret, don't conceal the fact:
The penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
But some things will never change
Try to show another way, but you staying in the dope game
Now tell me, what's a mother to do?
Being real don't appeal to the brother in you
You gotta operate the easy way
"I made a G today," but you made it in a sleazy way
Selling crack to the kids
"I gotta get paid!", well hey, but that's the way it is""
"Can U C the Pride in the Panther"
The voice may be Yasiin Bey's (fka Mos Def), but the words are all Mr. Shakur's. Taken from a collection of his poems that contemporary artists reinterpreted ("The Rose That Grew from Concrete"), this first part of a two part interpretation of Pac's Panther metaphor is given some old-school spelling flair on Mos' interpretation. The original poem, below, quite directly evokes the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, of which his mother, Afeni Shakur, who was a member.

"Can You See the Pride In the Panther
As he grows in splendor and grace
Toppling obstacles placed in the way,
of the progression of his race.

Can You See the Pride In the Panther
as she nurtures her young all alone
The seed must grow regardless
of the fact that it is planted in stone.

Can You See the Pride In the Panthers
as they unify as one.
The flower blooms with brilliance,
and outshines the rays of the sun."

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Tupac Shakur's Most Socially Conscious Lyrics: 10 Times He Was at His Most Woke

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Tupac Shakur contained multitudes. He was a brilliant poet, a highly trained and skilled actor, advocate and free-thinker. He's also the man who championed THUG LIFE (later explained as the backcronym The Hate U Give Little Infants F---s Everybody"), wrote songs about the disposability of women, and openly wished violence upon his enemies.

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"Extending this idea, the most authentic political commentary in
music lyrics should originate in the organic everyday experiences of people of African descent. In The Souls of Black Folk Du Bois maintained that the 'sorrow songs' provided one of the most useful documentations of the long history of oppression and struggle against that oppression."

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Tupac Shakur: More Than A Rapper, A Versatile Legend

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Tupac Shakur: More Than A Rapper, A Versatile Legend

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"And if you only got two kids, can you just keep it to two rooms? I mean, why have 52 rooms when you know there's somebody with no room? It just don't make sense to me. And then these people celebrate Christmas — they got big trees, huge trees, all the little trimmings. Everybody got gifts, and there's somebody starving. And they're having a white Christmas. They're having a great Christmas, eggnog and the whole nine. That's not fair to me.

I had the feeling that I was handicapped. Instead of surviving to my future, I had to get a future. And it's an ordeal when you 21 and have no references. It's an ordeal to build an empire for your family, mostly when you know that some many others have it all from the moment they are born, they have a car by the time they're 16, they have money to go to college..."

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Tupac has always been and always will be an iconic character, a legend who marked, inspired and guided many generations. On top of being one of the best rappers in history, he was an artist of many talents and a committed man. Besides being an MC, he was also an actor, a poet, a philosopher, a lyricist and a political activist. All of this before leaving us prematurely at the age of 25, on the 13th of September 1996 in Las Vegas.

He was born under the name of Lesane Parish Crooks on the June 16 of 1971, in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was a member of the Black Panthers, an African-American revolutionary movement. Some time after the birth of her child, she renamed him Tupac Amaru Shakur, after the South American leader Tupac Amaru.

Tupac spent his childhood with his mother and his two half-siblings, always seeking shelter, in extreme poverty, as he tells in the following video. As he puts it:

"I had the feeling that I was handicapped. If I wanted to have any success in the future, I had to get myself one."

He goes on to say:

"And if you only got two kids, can you just keep it to two rooms? I mean, why have 52 rooms when you know there's somebody with no room? It just don't make sense to me. And then these people celebrate Christmas - they got big trees, huge trees, all the little trimmings. Everybody got gifts, and there's somebody starving. And they're having a white Christmas. They're having a great Christmas, eggnog and the whole nine. That's not fair to me.

I had the feeling that I was handicapped. Instead of surviving to my future, I had to get a future. And it's an ordeal when you 21 and have no references. It's an ordeal to build an empire for your family, mostly when you know that some many others have it all from the moment they are born, they have a car by the time they're 16, they have money to go to college..."

And Pac got himself a future by fighting hard to become the bestselling artist in hip-hop history, with 75 million albums sold (of which dozens of millions of copies were sold after his death in the form of posthumous albums). A solid empire built from the West Coast, after leaving New York with his mother.

Tupac is an institution where music was only one of the features. He spoke on behalf of a whole community, becoming an activist for social equality. Tupac was also committed to women's rights, and the rights of mothers, disabled people, and the ill.

There's no need for words to understand this legend; his work says it all.

Tupac, the poet

Tupac wrote numerous poems, alongside his lyrics. Amongst the most popular ones we find In The Depths Of Solitude :

Tupac and his mother

Tupac paid the most beautiful homage ever to a mother with the amazing track "Dear Mama", addressed to Afeni Shakur. He had a special relationship with Shakur: she protected him throughout his life, despite being surrounded by poverty, drugs and in the absence of a father figure. A mother who brought him up with morals and manners, a mother to whom he said he owed everything to.

Beyond this song, Tupac always showed an enormous respect towards the mother figures in general.

Tupac and women

Tupac and women? A great love story, based and most of all, deep respect. This short video illustrates it. We see a Tupac with a very mature perspective on women, given he's all of 19 years old:

Tupac, the actor

Besides his primary artistic occupation, music, Tupac was also involved in cinema. After attending drama classes in his early youth, Tupac appeared in about ten films, such as Poetic Justice and the famous Juice:

Tupac, the committed activist

He said it himself: if he'd lived longer, he would have become a politician. But in any case, he wrote very meaningful texts which bring up the issue of poverty, racism, gang wars... Issues that he condemned until his death.

In "Changes" he talks about a society that never changes, and which is not ready to change, with so much poverty, murders and racism. The song shows that Tupac was some sort of a visionary, since the situation he described remains pretty much the same two decades later.

Tupac, the spiritual guide

My spirit guide; yours, maybe. And the guide of so many people, plenty of artists who found inspiration in his work, who found their motivation in him and who were moved by his values.

That is the case for R&B princess Jhené Aiko who paid homage to him on what would have been his 44th birthday. A beautiful deference to the man she has admired since she was young. With the help of photographer Danny Williams, she's recreated three cult pictures of the rapper for MTV. The one below evokes Tupac's album All Eyes On Me cover:

Jhené used the occasion to share her own version of " Keep Ya Head Up", one of Tupac's classics. Here's the favorite bit of the singer:

Kendrick Lamar versus Tupac

He's probably one of closest modern artists that compares to Tupac. He describes him as his "spiritual father". He also represents the West Coast, shares the same principles and approaches the same issues. On a deeper level, he has a strong relationship with Tupac, to the point where he saw the rapper in his dreams when he was 21, telling him to do music. He renamed the initial title of his album To Pimp A Butterfly, to make the initials coincide with Tupac's, and as a result he got " Tu Pimp A Caterpillar".

K-Dot has grown up and matured within his music thanks to Tupac, and now he talks about the same issues as his mentor. I thought I should immortalize their bond by putting them face to face.

For the first time, we can see both men together, sharing their views on issues such as respect, diversity within ghettos, women, the responsibility that comes along with the lyrics they write, or even the change. In this scenario, 2Pac asks Lamar about all those things that are still so important today, 19 years after his death:

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Tupac Shakur: more than a rapper, a versatile legend

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Tupac has always been and always will be an iconic character, a legend who marked, inspired and guided many generations. On top of being one of the best rappers in history, he was an artist of many talents and a committed man.

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Tupac Shakur on Life and Death | Blank on Blank

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Editor's Note: The following guest editorial was written by Terrence "Punch" Henderson, the president of Top Dawg Entertainment. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect DJBooth or any member of its editorial staff.
Over the weekend, I ruffled a few feathers when I tweeted that "Cardi B is 2Pac."

I understand why. First, I provided no context-which I don't apologize for, it's my Twitter account and I don't have to provide context. I can tweet a random thought whenever I want. I get the soreness, but everyone will be fine. I promise.

Secondly, because 2Pac touched people on such a deep level emotionally, many of us feel it's our personal responsibility to make sure he isn't presented as anything less than perfect. This is often why any type of comparison to 2Pac is regarded as complete and utter blasphemy.

2Pac is one of the greatest poets/lyricists/songwriters of my generation. Perhaps one of the greatest of all time. He was revolutionary and controversial yet kindhearted and well-spoken.

Just like all of us, Pac was also a walking contradiction. He displayed the full spectrum of emotion from song to song with a passion that didn't exist in rap music before him. Without blinking, he jumped from "I Get Around" to "Keep Ya Head Up," using raw honesty to stitch together those contradictory feelings. But you believed every word that came out his mouth-even when he was telling a fable.

" Now, ain't nobody tell us it was fair / No love from my daddy, 'cause the coward wasn't there / He passed away and I didn't cry, 'cause my anger / Wouldn't let me feel for a stranger" -2Pac, "Dear Mama"

At the time Pac released "Dear Mama," his biological father, William Jefferson "Billy" Garland, was very much alive. [ Editor's Note: In a lost interview with VIBE, Pac revealed that, as a child, he thought his father was dead.] In fact, a year later, he stood by his son's hospital bedside before his untimely passing. But in NO WAY did that take away from the song. It still gives me chills and goosebumps every time I hear it. In fact, the record wasn't even about his mother-at least, not entirely. "Dear Mama" was about a collection of powerful women he encountered in his life up until that point, including his late mother, Afeni Shakur.

If you browse 2Pac's catalog of music, you'll likely come across plenty of lyrics that today's star artist would be lynched for. I'd like to believe that most of the material he wrote was true, but what wasn't true we simply credit as poetic license. This ability speaks to the power of 2pac's voice. He could tell a complete falsehood* with such conviction that it would change someone's life.

Pac wasn't as skilled technically as some of his iconic counterparts, like a JAY-Z or Nas or B.I.G., and yet, he's still viewed by many as the greatest rapper of all time. Why is that?

The answer: a combination of passion, content, delivery, and HONESTY.

Which brings me to Cardi B.

I won't pretend to know as much about Cardi as I do about 2Pac, but from what I do know, she embodies some of those same qualities. She's a straight shooter right from the hip. Her interviews are as raw as her music. She's politically incorrect, yet, her charisma means you cannot stop watching and listening, whether you agree or disagree. She says exactly what she's feeling at the time the question is delivered.

And I believe her!

Pac represented the Have Nots as a whole. Cardi reps a particular section of the Have Nots, which will only continue to grow if she keeps going.

Cardi also has a cadence and flow that's similar to Pac's. She emphasizes and elongates words to stress points for impact, like " I make money movesss" and " Don't get comfortableeee. " For a sonic reference, listen to the similarities between her No. 1 single "Bodak Yellow" and Pac's legendary "Ambitionz Az a Ridah." Please take into consideration that Pac passed over 20 years ago and that music has changed quite a bit since then.

The biggest reason why Cardi is in the driver's seat is that she employs the same winning honesty and self-deprecating attitude that Pac displayed throughout his career. Just like he rapped on " I'm Gettin Money," " Learn to throw them thangs, get my skinny little a** kicked," Cardi raps, " Got a bag and fixed my teeth, hope you hoes know it ain't cheap " on "Bodak Yellow." She put her insecurities right out in front for the whole world to hear. She controlled the narrative. Both expressed the same sentiment: THIS use to hurt me, but now it doesn't.

One of Pac's most famous quotes was, "The reason I'm so harsh is because I'm so sensitive." In a nutshell, that sums up why, I believe, Cardi B is 2Pac. She fully embodies this idea of being brutally honest so she can't be hurt. She tells you her teeth needed to be fixed, she reminds you she was a stripper, she opens up about her relationship with Offset. We hear about all the good times and the bad times in equal measure. If she's the one who puts it out there, YOU can't hurt her with it. She owns it ALL.

Obviously, "Cardi B is 2Pac" is a metaphor. Cardi is one album into her career. Of course she can't compare with his body of work. Pac came from a revolutionary background. Of course there's no comparison when it comes to his social impact. I'm not saying she's the heir apparent to Tupac Shakur or that she's the second coming, but Cardi B does embody a lot of Pac's best qualities and his DNA** is in her blood (as it is countless artists who grew up listening to his music and watching his interviews).

So, yes, Cardi B IS 2Pac. Or should I say, Tupac?

* We have to stop viewing this practice as "he's lying" or "he's fake" or "he's not keeping it real." Rappers are artists and artists bend and stretch reality with their imagination.

**You can find his DNA in the blood of every rapper, tracing back several generations. For example, Chuck D and N.W.A's DNA was in 2Pac. Even the DNA of Nas, who was a peer, can be found in Pac. See " Me and My Girlfriend" and " I Gave You Power."
Correction: 2Pac's father, Bill Garland is alive. It was previously reported that he passed away in 1999, but that report was erroneous.

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Cardi B Is 2Pac: A Guest Editorial From TDE's Punch

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Editor's Note: The following guest editorial was written by Terrence "Punch" Henderson, the president of Top Dawg Entertainment. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect DJBooth or any member of its editorial staff.

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Tupac Talks Donald Trump & Greed in America

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Tupac Talks Donald Trump & Greed in America

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Tupac Talks Donald Trump & Greed in America in 1992 Interview | MTV News

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Tupac - Keep Ya Head Up (Official Video)

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Why We Should Study Tupac as a Political Figure

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Why We Should Study Tupac as a Political Figure

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While Tupac is basically synonymous with rap, his legacy is much greater than music. When I was finally able to grasp the significance of his work it struck me that we had never even begun to discuss the work of one of the most important social commentators and historical figures in American history in any classroom that I had ever sat in. Okay, so he started a song with the lyrics, "that's why I fucked your bitch you fat motherfucker," had "thug life" tattooed across his stomach and became the first artist to have an album at number one on the Billboard 200 while serving a prison sentence. While all of these things are true, they don't define who he was as a person and his untimely death did not assist in diffusing the many misperceptions people had about his character. Sadly, Tupac may never get the credit for being the true visionary and political figure for his generation. However, I can say unequivocally that we would have benefited a lot more from studying his work than trying to figure out what the hell was going on in Hamlet.

This is not to undermine other important political figures in our nations history or to make some erroneous statement that Tupac is more important in the context of American History than John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan. Nonetheless, the political ideology and philosophy of Tupac were at the very least unique and worth examining. While the relevance of Tupac's doctrine well after his death was the subject of a 2006 Chappelle's Show comedy sketch, it is actually shocking how much his music and messages pertain to American society today.

The media portrayed Tupac as a violent criminal rapper and he was continually overshadowed by his legal and personal entanglements that came with being such a high profile person. It is unbelievably ironic to me that prior to having a successful rap career, Tupac had no criminal record. He didn't get a record until he made a record if you will. Furthermore, while he was one of the first hip-hop artists in the history of the genre to be labeled as a "gangster" rapper none of his songs endorsed gang activity or promoted gang culture in any way. The massive "thug life" tattoo across his stomach wasn't meant to be a symbol to use to glorify a life of crime ( "I ain't never do a crime that I didn't have to do"), instead it represented a very powerful ideology. To Tupac "thug life" meant the opposite of someone having all he needs to succeed and doing whatever they had to survive. It was also a powerful political statement about how the people that America viewed as thugs were simply the manifestation of a people being pushed through a system that existed to reinforce economic inequality. As he stated in an interview in The Lost Prison Tapes released in 2010,"I have not brought violence to you. I have not brought 'thug life' to America. I didn't create 'thug life;' I diagnosed it."On the Tupac Resurrection DVD he elaborated on "thug life" as a political stance,

"I don't understand why America doesn't understand thug Life. America is thug life. What makes Tupac saying 'I don't give a fuck' different than Patrick Henry saying 'Give me liberty or give me death'? What makes his freedom less worth fighting for than Bosnians or whoever they want to fight for this year?"

At the time these positions made perfect sense, yet in 2015 the United States spent almost 600 billion on the military while over 40 million people live in poverty.

While Tupac obviously had some very strong sentiments about the racial and socioeconomic oppression that plagued black people one of the things that made him truly unique was that he was willing to forgive and pleaded for greater understanding between the races. "I got love for my brother/but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other/we gotta start making changes/learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers," are lyrics from one of his most famous songs "Changes". "There is no need for you to fear me/maybe if you take the time to hear me/you can learn to cheer me," from "Ghetto Gospel" is another prime example of this thought pattern. Furthermore, I find his analysis of police brutality to be absolutely brilliant. In a 1994 interview with BET he stated,

"The main thing for us to remember is that, the same crime element that white people are scared of, black people are scared of. The same crime element that white people fear, black people fear. So we defend ourself from the same crime element that they are scared of, you know what I'm saying? While they are waiting for legislation to pass and everything, we're next door to the killer, we're next door to him you know. Because we up in the projects where it's 80 n*ggas in the building. All them killers that they letting out, they're right there in that building! Just because we're black we get along with the killers or something? We get along with rapist's because we're black and from the same hood? What is that? We need protection too!"

This is a sentiment that simply can not be restated enough. His message was special because, while he advocated on behalf of oppressed African-American communities he understood that the key to our nations success and for that matter humanities success was bridging the culture gap. The evidence in his lyrics strongly suggests that he believed that, just because a person was black, didn't make them good and just because someone was white didn't mean they were evil.

Tupac's introduction to social justice and politics undoubtedly had to have come from his mother, Afeni Shakur. His mother and aunt were both active members of the Black Panthers. It's quite possible that if he had not been gunned down at age 25 he would have become a politician. If Martin Luther King Jr. had been killed at 25 he would have been nothing more than a preacher. That is why it's chilling to hear the sample of Tupac saying, "Although it seems heaven-sent we ain't ready, to have a black president," used by fellow hip-hop icon Nas in his 2008 record commemorating the election of Barack Obama. Tupac was certainly more parts Malcom X than Martin Luther King Jr. but the raw unfiltered voice that he brought to mainstream America was a jolt of reality that the nation needed. He was about as politically correct as Donald Trump. He didn't care if people didn't like what he portrayed, because in fact he wasn't portraying anything he 100% true to himself. He represented an ugly side of racial oppression that so many people would rather pretend doesn't exist. One of my favorite quotes from him comes from an interview outside of a court house in 1994 where he states harshly, "Yes I'm going to sit here and say that I'm a thug that's because I came from the gutter and I'm still here! I'm not saying I'm a thug because I want to rob you and rape you and things, I'm a business man!" His music platform gave him a unique platform that revolutionaries of the past did not have. While he never hesitated to give political commentary in any of his interviews, but his songs were artfully crafted and were the equivalent of well articulated speeches given by a politician.

Tupac even touched on women's rights in his music, as social issue that hardly any rappers in the last twenty years have mentioned. Tupac was certainly no Susan B. Anthony however, at the time no male rappers anywhere were talking about problems that women in the ghetto were plagued with Tupac's recorded "Brenda's Got A Baby", about a twelve-year-old girl who became impregnated by her cousin and threw her newborn in the Garbage. It also talked about child molestation, it talked about families taking advantages of families, it talked about the effects of poverty, it talked about how one person's problems can affect a whole community of people. It talked about how the innocent are the ones that get hurt. In 2005 The Game revisited this classic on one of his most famous records of his career, "Hate It or Love It" writing, "Thinking how they spent 30 million dollars on airplanes when there's kids starvin'/ 'Pac gone and Brenda still throwing babies in the garbage." In 1995 Tupac also wrote "Keep Your Head Up," a feminist anthem which voices empathy towards women who rely on welfare to support themselves and their children (often because the children's father abandoned them) pro-choice politics and criticism of African-American men that treated women poorly.

Religion was among the other topics he chose to discuss.His family was not particularly religious and didn't subscribe to any official doctrine or denomination, many of Tupac's lyrics point towards Christianity. However, like many of the other topics that Tupac touched on he did not shy away from voicing controversial opinions stating in a 1996 interview with VIBE Magazine,

"I think some cool motherfuckers sat down a long time ago and said, 'let's figure out a way to control motherfuckers. That's what they came up with: the Bible.' Because if God wrote the Bible, I'm sure there would have been a revised copy by now."

He spoke many times about his belief that god had cursed him to see what life should be like and why he didn't fear death. According to him if God wanted him to be happy he wouldn't let him feel so disenfranchised. He flat out said on numerous occasions that he did not fear death because, he believed that the light he was shining on social issues was God's work and that the causes he was fighting for were bigger than his own desire to live a peaceful, wealthy and happy life. Religion can be a beautiful thing, but not when it divides. Our society as it stands today, just as it stood in Tupac's day, caters to division.

Income inequality and the effect it had on education did not escape the list of issues he cared about. While living in Baltimore as a teenager, Shakur joined the Baltimore Young Communist League and was apparently dating the daughter of the head of the Baltimore chapter of the Communist Party at one point. While I certainly would not characterize Tupac as a strict communist the influence that this experience had on his beliefs are evident in a rant he made on MTVabout wealth redistribution. "Everybody needs a little help on their way to be self-reliant...there's no way [someone] should have a million-thousand-truple-billion dollars...these people have planes and there are people with no houses, apartments, shacks, drawers, pants...It's not right," he stated. If we had listened to him maybe we could have learned not to feed our children lessons of a world that places greater value on property and material than it does on human life. Socioeconomic inequality leads to educational inequality as he pointed out in a 1994 interview with BET,

"I went to school the whole way and was ready to go to college the only thing that stopped me was money. The time that all the kids in my school was writing applications to go to college I didn't have no lights or no electricity and that's not my momma's fault."

I mean come on, those aren't the words of a gangster. He wanted all of the basic things that every civil rights leader before him did.

Tupac didn't believe that he could single handedly change the world but he firmly believed that he would be able to spark the brain of a person that would change the world. That is one of the primary reasons I think we are doing a great injustice if we do not examine his legacy more closely. Tupac was a man truly concerned with the plight of the poor and underprivileged. If he had lived, I could easily see him being a prominent activist (just like Killer Mike was) alongside Bernie Sanders against vested interests in America. Sadly, today's rap stars barely involve themselves or are even conscious of what political and social movements are critical in this day and age. You have Lil Wayne failing to endorse Black Lives Matter on his ABC Nightline interview and Kanye West saying that he would have voted for the controversial president-elect(internet troll) of our country (Russia?). If they can offer and elective course at Cal-Berkley only a matter of months after his death I think it is paramount to years later when we can see the impact or tragic lack of impact of his work to make him a part of history and political science curriculums. While I'm sure Tomi Lahren would rejected this notion (the same way Bill O'Reily did in the 90's) that we should study an artists who's lyrics were laced with profanity, violent rhetoric against his rap nemeses and accusations of police brutality (which we know isn't real right?). I would ague that you can say that Tupac was a criminal and thug all you want (as you ignore the fact that current President-Elect had to settle a 25 million dollar fraud case before he takes office) but that his legacy of arrests and legal battles should not be the barometer used to measure whether his life is worth exploring (it's not like Martin Luther King Jr. was never arrested). The fact of the matter is that Tupac is an ideal study for students of history and political science and is as important as any of the great writers and social commentators of any time period. What made him controversial? what truths were there in what he was saying? What contradictions did he represent? What role did the media play in the construction of his image? What level of intellect was he able to display without a formal education? What were his motivations behind his actions? His legacy created more than enough food for thought to ponder. Tupac said, "I see no changes" in 1996 referring to what he perceived as a society had never changed, and which was not ready to embrace change. We have made some great strides since then but, somethings sadly still have not changed.

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Why We Should Study Tupac Shakur as a Political Figure in School

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While Tupac is basically synonymous with rap, his legacy is much greater than music. When I was finally able to grasp the significance of his work it struck me that we had never even begun to discuss the work of one of the most important social commentators and historical figures in American history in any classroom that I had ever sat in.

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Writing First: Rap as Poetry, Poetry as Rap

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Writing First: Rap as Poetry, Poetry as Rap

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Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack
in the concrete
Proving nature's laws wrong it learned 2 walk
without having feet
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams
it learned 2 breathe fresh air
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else even cared!

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