Tupac Shakur: A Legacy Interrupted

On September 13, 1996, Tupac Amaru Shakur died from gunshot wounds he suffered from a shooting in Las Vegas six days earlier. That was exactly 20 years ago today. Since his death, Shakur's legacy has reached almost prophet-like levels. He is probably the most iconic rapper of all-time. Tupac has had six very successful posthumous albums released, and every year, numerous Pac fans refusing to accept his death report sightings of him around the globe. He has been resurrected in movies, music, and even holograms. He's basically hip-hop's version of Elvis Presley.

Today, on the 20th anniversary of his death, the Internet and social media will be overrun with various Tupac memorial messages, photos, and stories. We will read stretched spins on the meaning of his music and quotes that he may or may not have said. Most of the world will rejoice in his memory and legacy...except for me. Twenty years after his death, I say fuck Tupac's legacy.

Ok, let me repeat. Fuck Tupac's LEGACY...not fuck Tupac. I love Tupac. I cherish the memories of his career. From his debut as a back-up dancer for Digital Underground in their Humpty Dance video to his portrayal of the crazed sociopath Bishop in the 1992 motion picture Juice, Shakur could not do anything wrong, artistically, in my eyes. The message he was starting to formulate was powerful, but it's incompleteness left it terribly flawed and that's were my problem lie.

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? On Valentine's Day in 1995, Tupac began serving a jail sentence for sexual assault. A couple of months later, while in prison, he released what was in my mind his most prophetic album, Me Against the World. The stories he told on that album gave me hope for the future. I couldn't wait to see how he was going to build upon this positivity once he was released in 1996. Instead, I was shocked, surprised, and disappointed by his mindset upon his exit.

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? The decisions Tupac made when he walked out of the gates of Clinton Correctional Facility very likely altered the course of hip-hop history and blemished what should have been a musical legacy that should have been on par with Marvin Gaye (minus the cocaine shit). He set off what ultimately became a tragic chain of events.

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? Instead of continuing to build on his message of unity within the hip-hop culture, he signed with Suge Knight's Death Row Records, who were polarizing music fans and continuously adding fuel to the East Coast vs. West Coast fire. Not only did Tupac jump head first into this beef, he decided to lead this hateful charge. An artist with as much power as Tupac wielded at the time, could have easily shed light on the idiocy of this bi-coastal beef and it could have ended sooner than later, instead he helped further it.

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? He released the double album All Eyez on Me, which was critically acclaimed, but really only had one album's worth of good material. It was a misogynistic journey through hatefulness and gangsterisms. It had very little of the uplifting notions that Me Against the World.

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? Tupac's "T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E." movement was greatly misinterpreted. Shakur's original definition of a "thug" was someone who came from an oppressive or poor environment with little to no opportunities, but still made a life for themselves that they can be proud of. Once the anger and venom was released from Pac's music and actions, his fans twisted the definition of a thug into something like a "do what you gotta do" gangsta. Criminals embraced the thug life and turned it into a code of ethics for their activities. 

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? Before his untimely death, Tupac did nothing to correct this misinterpretation, leading astray a generation of young people into believing this lifestyle was productive. Even his last known action before his untimely death was representing that newly redefined "thug life" by participating in a gang beating of a man in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel/casino. 

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, an album of final recorded material, which was released two months after his death, was twelve tracks of bi-polar venom that was directed at numerous individuals. Since he was not around to explain his words, the motivation for the content of the album was left up to interpretation and accepted as gospel. The most common interpretation was "fuck the world and everyone in it" and "bring hell to your enemies." 

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? While his words were still able to influence uplifting rhymesayers like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Eminem, they can also be the blame for the rise of shit spitters like Trick Daddy, Young Thug, and Soulja Boy. The double-edged sword.

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? He succumbed to his gunshot wounds before he was able to solidify and clarify it. Every great artist or public figure goes through many periods of transition before the world really knows what their legacy is or will be. If Michael Jordan died at 25 like Tupac, his legacy would have been that of a high-scoring dunker that couldn't win a championship instead of the greatest of all-time. 

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? Tupac never got the chance to correct the design flaws in his product and redirect his following. When his fans twisted his message, he couldn't deny the record sales so he had to run with it for a while. How did we go from Keep Ya Head Up to "That's why I fucked your bitch, you fat mother fucker!"? Society was robbed of witnessing the growth of not only a great artist, but a great mind.

Why am I mad at Tupac's legacy? It's incomplete, and the legacy that seems to be shared most commonly lacks the beauty and intellectuality that exists in my memory of him. I hate that. I guess I'm selfish. Fuck you, Tupac, fuck you. You're welcome.