Our eighth prompt comes from MMK. He asks:
Is Tupac alive?
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MMK,
I laughed until I was short of breath when I saw this question – it’s right up there with “Can Kantai tie a tie?” when it comes to questions I thought I’d never have to answer. But I’m a good sport, so why not. 😀
One, I really admire the way Tupac has captured the minds of people; that over 20 years after his death, this question is still a topic of debate. That is greatness. On the 7th of September in 1996, Tupac Shakur was the victim of a drive-by shooting as he rode with Suge Knight (I shudder whenever I type that name). He was standing through the sun-roof of the car and was hit four times – twice in the chest, once in the thigh, and once in the arm. He died in hospital six days later as a result of this shooting.
Now, I believe that story, so no – I do not think Tupac is alive. I am, however, intrigued with people’s continued asking of this question.
I think the fact that he was only 25 when he died has something to do with it. He was at the top of the game, defining the direction of Gangsta Rap, beefing with the Notorious BIG, giving people great jams like California Love – everything seemed fine. And then he was gone, just like that. I think when people are great we start to believe they are invincible.
There’s also the fact that we don’t know who killed him. Last year, Suge Knight’s lawyer (shudder) wrote in a signed affidavit that Knight had known for many years that “Reggie Wright Jr. (then head of security at Knight’s Death Row Records) and Knight’s ex-wife Sharitha were behind the murder of Tupac and attempted murder of Knight.” In fact, Suge Knight (shudder) believes that he was the target of the shooting, because Wright Jr. and Sharitha wanted to gain control of Death Row Records. How tragic. I hope, however, that this brings us closer to putting this whole thing to bed.
I guess the same way people see their exes and wonder what would have been is the same way people listen to his music and wonder how it would have been had he not died. I know that whenever I listen to Snoop, Dre, Ice Cube, Ice T, Bone Thugs, Nate Dogg and of course Biggie, I think about this too.
But we don’t know if he would have continued to be great. Who knows, maybe his career would have crashed and burned, and he would be on Love and Hip Hop with Stevie J. Maybe he’d be making un-funny movies like Ice Cube. Maybe he would be assaulting women like Dre. Maybe he’d be strung out on drugs and broke as hell, like so many celebrities we know. What’s that they say on Twitter? Your faves will disappoint you.
Which is why I usually say that death is the greatest career move one can make. If you were great, it makes you greater. Your album sales go up and stay up – I tell you, nothing guarantees a surge in popularity and profits like dying does for a musician. See the estates of Pac, Biggie, Michael Jackson, Prince, Elvis, Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Aaliyah…
People spend days mourning you and reminiscing about “the good old days.” If you are like Pac and Biggie, you are deified. It doesn’t matter that you may have done shitty things (not accusing Pac of anything), all that is forgiven because we do not talk ill of the dead. Not a bad deal – so I understand why folks think he may be hiding in Cuba, or wherever else conspiracy theorists have decided he is at the moment.
For me, I gain great comfort and insight from the lyrics of my favourite Tupac song, Until the End of Time:
Perhaps I was addicted to the dark side
Somewhere inside my childhood witnessed my heart die
And even though we both came from the same places
The money and the fame made us all change places
How could it be? Through the misery that came to pass
The hard times make a true friend afraid to ask
For currency, but you could run to me when you need
And I’ll never leave, honestly
Someone to believe in, as you can see
It’s a small thing to a true, what could I do?
Real homies help you get through
And come to knew he’d do the same thing if he could
‘Cause in the hood, true homies make you feel good
And half the times we be actin’ up, call the cops
Bringin’ a cease to the peace that was on my block
It never stops, when my mama ask me will I change
I tell her “Yeah”
But it’s clear I’ll always be the same
Until the end of time
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This post is part of a daily writing experiment that I’m running for a year. I’d love it if you took part! ?