R.I.P. Tupac Amaru Shakur

slight threadjack, but some here might find this an interesting read (it's long, but worth it if you have the time)...

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8898338/the_unsolved_mystery_of_the_notorious_big

as for the discussion at hand, i think tupac was an artist, and a writer, and a damn good one at that. i say this not having ever listened to him closely, but having read the posted lyrics here. and it's true some people will never be able to get past his image, no matter what the message is.

but here's the thing: he was an artist...not everyone agrees on what art is, and that is greatly influenced by who we are, where we're from and the lives we've lived. surely race plays a role in defining those lives, whether one realizes it or not, but the word bigot and accusations/suggestions of racism, i think, are a bit extreme here. just my take.

if you have the chance, read the article linked above. it's about the murder of notorious b.i.g., the alleged retribution for tupac's slaying, and the lapd coverup. solid reporting.

 

So some of you people are saying that you judge the man based on his character rather than his entertainment value and that his entertainment value is ruined by his character.

Yet here we are on SportsJournalists.com.

You wouldn't be here unless you were a fan of some type of sport.

You get where I'm going with this, right?

 

Being an old fart isn't necessarily about age, sometimes it's about mindset.

 

Unreleased stuff:

When We Ride On Our Enemies (dissing lots of people)
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=75FCC63B412EC0FB

Troublesome 96
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=ED1C843E4F790075

Hit Em Up Pt. 2
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=42FB2DB556E630B8

 

My Block
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=1C0F9FB83EF555C5

 

Thanks, Club.

 

No doubt.

 

Tupac's lyrics from keep your head up:
You know it makes me unhappy (what's that)
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up?
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

 

If you downloaded and burned the Bay Area tribute Clubber posted, be advised: when I played it in my car's system today, my $1400, top-of-the-line sub started clipping. The amplifier couldn't handle it. The amp was so hot it almost caught the sub on fire (that's what happened to my last one). That is the first song I've ever encountered, including specifically designed bass tests, that created that kind of clipping.

 

Sorry to hear that man.

Traxxamillion got them slappers, I guess.

 

"I don't rap if the beat don't knock,
I need bass, make it fast,
Every girl in the place shakin' ass"

I must say, Traxx CD is all-around one of the best bay albums I've heard this year.

 

Yeah, he's pretty dope.
He actually is pretty dope on the mic. Better than I expected, at least.