Thursday, March 28, 2024

EUR Insight/Tupac Shakur: Fatally Ahead of His Time

Tupac - bandana

*Tupac Shakur’s fans will celebrate what would have been his 47 birthday next month in June – a fact which illustrates how unfair it was to lose him so young. He was only 25 years old when he succumbed to an attack on his life at Las Vegas in 1996. How do we describe Tupac to a generation that isn’t familiar with his contribution to the culture? Let’s take a look at the many aspects of his life that can help us put together a complete picture of the legend.

Industrious Lyricist

Tupac’s pen game was like no other and that was no fluke. Collaborators attest to the fact that Tupac made hits like a “racehorse”. His methodology was simple – he would listen to the beat, freestyle on it to figure out the verses and then immediately record the vocals. He would then move to the next beat and repeat the process. This is reason why ‘new’ Tupac material keeps appearing decades after his death. Watch how his collaborators describe working with him in the recording studio.

Woke Prophet

Tupac’s music has been described as timeless, in part due to the observations about life he put into his music still hold true today. In his memorable track “Me Against the World”, Tupac spoke about the importance of using one’s platform to shed light on important issues and not to forget where one came from. When seen in light of his body of work, this seems to be Tupac’s personal manifesto. His music often touched on topics of inner city life, racism and systemic oppression.

He spoke countless times about the issues facing the ghettos in his interviews and brought nuance when all armed black people were being painted with broad strokes.

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Tracks like “Brenda’s Got A Baby” and “I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto” are brutal in their honesty about hardship for black people and continues to provide solace to those in pain.

Style Iconoclast

Tupac knew that the importance of style in exuding the confidence that his music represented. He broke away from the convention and created a style that was equal parts comfortable and masculine. His effortless style contained eclectic elements – tattoos, bandanas, nose piercings, denim overalls and Henleys – but the way he brought them together made the look work. His love for all things Versace made him part of its 1996 menswear show in Milan. That legendary moment is notable for setting the precedent for future collaboration between rappers and fashion designers.

Uncompromised Revolutionary

Tupac’s name usually conjures the image of a revolutionary poet but his revolutionary quality wasn’t just limited to his lyrics. He was a true individual marching to his own beat. He joined Young Communist League USA while playing Mouse King in a production of The Nutcracker. He even dated the daughter of a Communist Party USA director. He never hesitated to call out those in power in his songs. He once famously said “They got money for wars, but can’t feed the poor” in his hit track “Keep Ya Head Up”. It’s no surprise that revolution was in his blood – both his parents were members of the Black Panther party and his music reflected those ideals.

Tupac’s work stands the test of time in its beauty and the urgency of its message. In this current climate of political uncertainty and continued violence on black lives, his music still continues to resonate and bring comfort to many. No longer with us, we can only revisit his music and wonder what wisdom Makaveli would have imparted today.

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