Pray to the heavens 357s to the sky
And I hope I’m forgiven for Thug Livin’ when I die?
-Tupac, from ‘If I Die 2Nite’
Over seven years have passed since Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas. During the 25 years he walked among us, there were few people who were capable of polarizing fans more than he. Interestingly enough, even in death, opinions of the man and his body of work haven’t dulled.
Many of Tupac’s fans have chosen to turn a blind eye to the controversy and criminal history that followed him into the grave. While, his detractors steadfastly refuse to acknowledge the man’s sharp intellect and the more-than-occasional positive message in his lyrics.
How can those interested in music, pop culture?hell, how can society not have an opinion in regards to a convicted rapist?a prolific artist?a belligerent thug?a published poet?a gangsta rapper?a son?a monster?a man?
Over the next few weeks, Inside Pulse Music will present a 10-part series that promises to be the most comprehensive examination of the impact and influence of Tupac Shakur. However, unlike nearly all of the Tupac stories that have been (commercially) told since his death in 1996, this one will be different.
We’re not looking to push DVDs or posthumous CDs. We’re not going to try or convict him and we will certainly not attempt to deify him as something he was most certainly not. This series will be unbiased and it will be thorough. At the end of it, your opinion of Tupac Shakur will not have changed. It’s far too late for that. What I will promise is that you’ll have a better understanding of the man, the society that shaped him and the industry that gave him a voice. Far too many people on either end of the “love him or hate him” spectrum have gone blind from their respective admiration or animosity. You need to see the other side.
Here is the tentative schedule of articles:
Discography
An analysis of Tupac’s musical body of work, as well as historical essays that reflect on the significant societal events that influenced each album.
1.)2Pacalypse Now – His debut album, released at the height of the so-called new Black renaissance.
2.)Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. – On the heels of a very public feud with the Vice President of the United States, Tupac released his second album.
3.)Me Against the World – His third album reached number one on the Billboard charts and spawned a slew of hit singles?while Tupac sat in a jail cell.
4.)All Eyez On Me – One of the most influential albums of all time was released during the height of the infamous East Coast/West Coast feud.
5.)Makaveli – Released just seven weeks after his death, Tupac adopts a new name and appears to be preparing for life after Death Row.
6.)Posthumous Releases – A summary of Tupac’s post-Makaveli albums and the friends, fans and enemies he left behind.
Original Articles
An opportunity for free flowing opinions and commentary that cover the entirety of his career and the memories that remain.
7.)The Seven Myths of Tupac Shakur – The most commonly misconstrued Tupac “facts” are finally explored and explained.
8.)Tupac Shakur: Inside Pulse Roundtable – The Inside Pulse Community of fans, detractors, readers and writers provide their opinions on Tupac’s life and lyrics.
The Resurrection
We’ll be among the first online entertainment sites to have a critique of Resurrection, the soundtrack and the documentary that will be released in November.
9.)Resurrection, The Soundtrack
10.)Resurrection, The Movie
This series will be incomplete without the input of you, the reader. Whether you?re a fan or not, I want to hear from you, as your comments, positive or negative, will help shape the direction of this project. Again, I want to do everything I can to present both sides of the story. Send your thoughts, memories and opinions to me at: bootleg_ajc@yahoo.com.
While there are no boundaries or limits to what I’d like to see from you guys?I do want to filter through the numerous authorized and unauthorized Tupac material out there and craft a list of his All-Time Greatest Songs. The size of the list will depend entirely on the amount of feedback I get on the subject, so please send me your top five favorite Pac tracks. I’ll assign five points to your favorite, four points to your second favorite and so on.
I hope you’ll enjoy the ride over the next few weeks. This is one of the first of many new and exciting special report features that we’ll be bringing you as Inside Pulse Music moves into 2004. We’ve got a phenomenal stable of writers in our section and I’m certain that what you’ll read will be worthy of the material you can find right here each and every day.
