By Zak Thompson
Tupac Amaru Shakur: hip-hop artist, actor, poet, visionary and polarizing icon. He was looked down on by many for his run-ins with the law and, sometimes, vulgar and violent lyrics. He grew up in a house with a mother addicted to crack cocaine in the streets of Harlem, NY. Though he did have his troubles and issues, he was a great man who inspired millions. Here are some reasons why Tupac was the shit.
Tupac in universities? -- How many recording artists have classes taught about them in universities? Well, Tupac did. UC-Berkley, the University of Washington and Harvard, yes the Ivy League Harvard, taught classes about the textual appeal to Tupac. The lyrical content that he put out was on another level. If you actively listen to his songs you can feel that he tried to inspire and motivate the youth. Sure, there’s some anger and vulgarity in his music, but he was passionate about his craft and spoke his mind.
Published poetry --The Rose That Grew From Concrete is a compilation of 72 poems that were hand-written by Tupac from 1989-1991. It was published in 1999, three years after his death. It is awesome (in the most real sense of the word) to see poetry written by Tupac in his own handwriting. He wrote about a variety of things: race and gender issues, Vincent Van Gogh, dedications to Marilyn Monroe, his childhood and much more.
Personal life -- Tupac hung out with some cool ass people. He fit in with all kinds of different crowds. These pictures say it all -- except for the fact that he may have had sexual relations with that woman, and by that woman I mean Madonna. That definitely needs to be said.
Basically, Tupac was the shit. He lived a life that gave hope to others and did it on his terms. He came from the bottom and went out on top. He really was the rose that grew from concrete. R.I.P. Tupac (that’s if you think he’s really dead, but that’s for another article).
Basically, Tupac was the shit. He lived a life that gave hope to others and did it on his terms. He came from the bottom and went out on top. He really was the rose that grew from concrete. R.I.P. Tupac (that’s if you think he’s really dead, but that’s for another article).