This is the tenth & final part of 411 Music’s groundbreaking 10-part series on the impact and influence of Tupac Shakur.
Writer’s Note: My apologies for the extended delay in putting out this final part of our series. Many of my regular readers know that my life has absorbed a series of dramatic changes in the last few months, including buying a home and the birth of our first child. Thanks to all for your patience. – ajc
And with that in mind, it might not be a bad idea for some of you review the first nine parts of this series. After all, it has been nearly six months since the last part was posted.
I had fully intended for the last chapter of this modestly described Tupac epic to be a piece called The 7 Myths of Tupac Shakur. Truth be told, I had been working on it for almost six months, as I originally pitched it to our esteemed 411 editorial staff around early summer 2003. Fortunately, the November 2003 release of the Tupac: Resurrection movie allowed me to broaden my scope and present the conflicted rapper in a way that was befitting of his legacy.
Since then, you’ve read my opinions of his music. I’ve given you my thoughts on the personal environments, triumphs and tragedies that shaped nearly every song on all of his albums. I reviewed the documentary and accompanying soundtrack and, quite frankly, I’m guessing y’all are a little tired of hearing what Aaron thinks.
So, I’ve decided to turn over this final segment to you…the fans. To be perfectly honest, many of the things I had hoped to address in my “7 Myths” column were already covered during the 411 Roundtable on Tupac Shakur. And if you haven’t read that, you should really give it a look.
For now, I’m turning this over to y’all…with a little bit of my previously posted commentary, here and there.
Top 5 Tupac Songs of All-Time: As Chosen By His Fans
Fans were asked to list their five favorite Pac tracks. I assigned five points to your number one choice, four to your number two choice and on down the line. In all, I received 169 responses from Pac fans and the results are presented below, starting with the number five selection…
#5 – Changes (from 2Pac’s Greatest Hits)
Wow. I gotta think that this is a mild upset, at the very least. Like many of the Pac singles from his posthumous work, this one leans heavily on the sample of a more recognizable cut. The Bruce Hornsby assist didn’t sit well with a few hardcore fans, but enough of them must’ve liked this uplifting wake-up call to the streets to include it here.
#4 – Life Goes On (from All Eyez On Me)
This one didn’t get the rotation or airplay of other singles from Tupac’s AEOM album, but it’s easily one of the best cuts on there.
The hopelessness of each word Pac spits is laced with a hint of a silver lining. It’s one of the few times (post-Me Against the World) where he takes an entire track to look at the mortality of himself and his peers. Stacy Smallie is excellent on background vocals, as well.
#3 – Hail Mary (from Makaveli…The 7 Day Theory)
A reader made a great point about this cut, in that it sounds a million times more haunting when it’s heard in the context of the Makaveli album. It comes right after the Bomb First track and sets the tone for the entire record.
One of Tupac’s most fascinating cuts, this is a haunting depiction of how far a man can fall into the “thug” lifestyle. The message is layered over lyrics that invoke the church, along with the inherent conflict between the two worlds. The beat is laced with the ominous clang of tower bells and, again, the Outlawz and the late Prince Ital Joe provide solid additional work.
#2 – Hit ‘Em Up (from How Do U Want It, The B Side)
The absolute Godfather of diss tracks…it’s managed to maintain its edge and its venom even eight years after its original release. I’ll admit that I thought it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that this would find its way to the top of this fan’s poll as it’s a favorite of both casual Pac fans and hardcore rap fans, alike.
…and the fan’s choice for their all-time favorite Tupac song:
#1 – I Ain’t Mad At Cha (from All Eyez On Me)
One point is all that separated Number One from Number Two in our poll. And I can’t lie…this is my personal favorite Pac track, too. An all-too-rare Death Row cut where Pac is concurrently coherent, passionate and relevant.
Pac flows over a forlorn piano-laced beat and speaks on staying true to your hood, to your friends and to yourself. This is also pretty much the song that made Danny Boy’s brief career as Death Row’s next big thing.
Fan’s Poll: By The Numbers
70 – The number of different Tupac songs that received at least one vote from the readers.
0 – The number of votes received for Toss It Up and Temptations…probably the two biggest tracks that didn’t score a single point.
1 – The number of votes received for such lesser known Pac tracks like If My Homies Call, Can U Get Away and Papa’z Song.
4 – The number of tracks from All Eyez On Me (including the B-Side Hit ‘Em Up) to make the top 10.
The rest of the Top 10 is listed below:
6.) Pour Out A Little Liquor
7.) Dear Mama
8.) Keep Ya Head Up
9.) Me Against The World
10.) Ambitionz Az A Ridah
Readers Respond
As I’ve stated numerous times over the last few months, I was completely blown away by the feedback that this “Countdown” series produced. I’ve been unforgivably lax in responding to everyone who felt strongly enough to respond, so I hope I can make up for it by sharing some of the correspondence that I’ve received since this series began back in November.
Stick around to the end, as I’ve got a personal postscript of my own.
I am one of the biggest Tupac fans I know, and I am a 20 year old white male. Honestly, I was not old enough to really listen and know what Tupac was talking about when he was alive. It was my freshman year in high school that I first started listening to him, my first album being Greatest Hits. I am greatly looking forward to the Resurrection movie. I cannot wait to see new footage of him and to hear him tell his life story in his own words. I am upset that we lost him so early in his life, and that I did not get to witness his life, trials, and tribulations while they occurred. But his music, movies, books, and poetry are plenty to get me to understand and appreciate his life. His music, to
me, is so influential. There is a song for any mood or emotion that you are having, which I think is great. No matter what race or gender you are, you can find some relevance in his words. – Drew C.
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First off, 2Pac is PAINFULLY overrated as a lyricist. In my own humble opinion, 2Pac should not be seen as one of the greatest lyricists of all time. Word for word, 2Pac wasn’t on the level of Craig G, MC Shan or Masta Ace, let alone Kool G Rap or Big Daddy Kane. But let it be known, that I think that Pac as a prolific and an incredible songwriter. Just because his lyrics weren’t the best, doesn’t mean he didn’t have the gift to craft a good song. Pac’s memory, I think has been tainted by the release of Makaveli and the posthumous greatest hits records. Makaveli was a record that showed Pac was going in a direction towards being crowned one of the greatest. Songs like “Krazy,” “Blasphemy,” and “Against All Odds” were testimony that counters the point I made earlier, but he never got the chance to prove me wrong. – Frigid Air Ent
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The stuff he says in his songs is sometimes things that I was actually feeling. Especially his song Me Against the World, that’s hits it right where my mind is. Plus his music touches people everywhere. – EazyV662
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Dear Mama is a wonderful, wonderful song. It’s a masterpiece. It’s his #1 starter, it’s Randy Johnson, it’s Roger Clemens, it’s Greg Maddux. I’ll put Dear Mama up against anything. – Vader 1284
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2Pac’s critics should be more forgiving, because a lot of rappers have had run-in’s, but 2Pac’s arrests added to his legend and also made his James Dean like aura even greater. So I think his critics should
forgive 2Pac’s crimes. – SharksM
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I can say flat out that I am a fan of the artist, but not of his character. He could have accomplished so much if he had not let his hatred and inner demons pretty much set the course to his own demise. Among rappers, especially all the 2Pac wannabes of today, he was intelligent and actually wanted to reach the young black youth of America. His lyrics weren’t only about lewd sex, weed, money, hoes and clothes. He spoke about real issues going on in society (though he did that more before he signed on with Deathrow).– Charles E.
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Now, history sure seems to look at Pac through rose-colored glasses. Don’t any of these fools remember how HATED 2pac was!?!? Now cats can go on and on about how the whole East Coast/West coast thing was a buncha hype. And I know it’s SORTA true…(meaning the media started the whole frenzy, just like the Jay-Z v. Nas thing). But the effects were VERY real and VERY scary. During those days (I was in high school) shit was hectic. Real hectic. You could be “sentenced” to the death penalty for admitting you listened to ANYTHING west coast related. At the time, it was STRICTLY Wu-Tang for the hardcore east coast cats. Sunz of Man, Killarmy, Killah Priest, all that shit. The hardcore, east coast, mathematical sciences. Any west coast music was STRICTLY out of the question (ESPECIALLY Pac).
At the time, Biggie and Bad Boy weren’t getting much lover either, cuz of the whole “baller, baller, glitz and glamour” image. But of course, somebody has to be the martyr and in this case it was Bad Boy. They helped usher in the CURRENT rap scene, but at the time everybody hated them for it and resisted as much as they could (but it didn’t last long). I’m just trying to say 2Pac was East Coast Public Enemy #1. I was NOT sad when he died. Not cuz I bought the east coast/west coast shit (I was one of the only ones to admit I listened to west coast shit), but because I didn’t see how it was possible for one man to talk SO MUCH SHIT and NOT get popped for it (I STILL get chills thinking about the first time I heard Hit ’em Up: so exciting!) – Jason G.
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I have read many of your reviews, and just after coming across this project on Tupac Shakur, I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this. Just the fact of the documentary coming out has me pumped. Simply viewing footage of him alive at 25 is incredible. The talent he possessed is way too often flat out taken for granted. He will always be the greatest rapper ever, and I hate even calling him a rapper because he is very much more then that. I hate labeling him musically because he was so good.
Tupac Amaru Shakur IS THE VOICE OF THE 90s! Yes many will point to Kurt Cobain, but in a number of ways, culturally included, Tupac touches more levels and hits more people. We all can’t thank you enough 411 on doing this piece. – Dredz69
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I don’t really get how this (series) is showing his impact and influence. It makes it seem like a shitty influence. I haven’t heard anything yet that makes him seem like he’s anything special, let alone a legend. It’s all too critical. – HAWpdt
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This has been an overall great and informative 2-Pac series. I’d just like to chime in with my thoughts on 2-Pac even though I’m not familiar with a lot of his work. First off 2-Pac kept me around the rap scene. For whatever reason I started listening to other music and just not digging the hip hop scene as much during the early to mid 90’s. I still checked in from time to time but outside of Naughty by Nature nothing new was really doing it for me.
When I heard “I get around” I was immediately hooked on the infectious groove and party time lyrics. It didn’t hurt that Digital Underground appeared in the song as well since I really dug their work from sex packets to sons of the p. I began to take a casual interest in 2-Pac at that point.
I had heard of him and some of his songs but nothing had hooked me quite like that. So whenever a new Pac jam hit I always tried to tune in. Never actually bought an album but Pac kept me in tune with rap music and for that I’m eternally grateful. What brought me fully back into the rap world was the song released shortly after his death with the video of him in heaven with the cool ass piano groove (I Ain’t Mad At’Cha). I loved that song. So if it wasn’t for Pac I wouldn’t be sitting here writing you at all and I probably wouldn’t give a shit about rap music. So just for that Pac will always have a place in my heart.
Just a few comments here on your roundtable discussion of Pac. I’m sure you are going to get a lot of feedback on how stupid that Evocator cat is. Here is what I got to say about it. For him to make some sort of stupid assumption that rappers don’t endure to their fan base is clearly a man who doesn’t know shit about older rap fans. I remember the Last Poets along with a shitload of other rappers who have about no visibility today.
Why do I remember these guys? Because I love rap music. I can name a couple of rappers that have endured for me. LL Cool J and Run DMC. People laugh at LL these days since he is a pop rapper and all but he was one of the hardest cats back when he sported the Kangol, chains and drank kool-aid while doing an interview with Fab Five Freddy on the weekend edition of Yo MTV raps.
Some people need to go out and buy themselves the Bigger and Deffer album and listen to Bristol Hotel, I’m Bad, and Go Cut Creator Go and tell me if they don’t move their feet and rap along. Or try to check out the unplugged Yo MTV raps show where LL tore the house down with a live version of “Momma Said”. Really do I even need to discuss the impact Run DMC had on music in general?
We haven’t even talked about Big Daddy Kane, Kool Moe D, Slick Rick, Boogie Down Productions, Digital Underground, Afrika Bambata and the Zulu Nation, EPMD, Erik B and Rakim, Fat Boys, Ghetto Boys, Scarface, Grand Master Flash, Sugar Hill Gang, Monie Love, Queen Latifah, GangStarr and countless others that mean a hell of a lot more to me, the rap fan, than either Elvis Presley or whatever other chump was talked about.
These artists are more important than just another group with a guitar, bass and drummer. They helped to pioneer a fledgling music scene and keep it alive and viable. This is for Evocator and other “music” lovers. Don’t shit on rap when you clearly have no f*cking clue what you are talking about. – Gregg M.
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Nice shit, that EM guy is an ass though. Even though it helped the conversation to have a negative influence, most of the shit he said was just stupid. Ice Cube and Ice T the most known? My ass, Pac and Big. It’s obvious he doesn’t like him and that’s why he’s saying the shit, he isn’t bein’ unbiased. Talkin about how the fans don’t always know as much as they think, well neither does he, we know more about him then he does. – Petie T.
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I’m just writing to tell toy that I’m digging the Tupac series, it’s really different from any Tupac piece I’ve seen or read. You were right about one thing in the intro and that is our opinions won’t change about 2Pac, and mine opinion hasn’t changed about Pac I will always be a fan of his, but I’m more enlightened on him. – DSB
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Once again, I’d like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who took the time to send in a few words. This was one of the more ambitious projects to be ‘green lit’ here at 411, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t also thank Jonathan Widro and Ashish Pabari for letting me present this to you.
I’d also like to thank the handful of mainstream media representatives and music industry professionals who extended their compliments and encouragement (and, yes, criticism). It was great to know that people who make their living in this field were moved to respond to this series.
It’s funny…for the last two months of 2003, I listened almost exclusively to Tupac’s work, so that I could craft this 10-part series. I wanted his songs to be fresh in my mind. I wanted to see if, years later, whatever message he was trying to share actually sounded relevant today.
Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that everything the man dropped wasn’t a gem and that his much ballyhooed Death Row Years (or months, actually) were equal parts scintillating and self-parody.
With that said, whether you loved him or hated him, Tupac Shakur’s impact and influence were undeniable. It hasn’t even been 10 years since his untimely death, so perhaps it’s not really fair to measure any long-term effects he’s had at this time. Who’s to say how he’ll be remembered a generation from now?
I mean…I’ve never subscribed to the whole martyr/visionary image…that’s more of a marketing tool than an actual measure of the man. He was a Black man who had something to say, put it on wax and died too young. If you remove the whole music career from his résumé, his story reads like that of too many children and young adults in our society today.
And, in that context, he was no different than you or me. Every life is precious…every voice is relevant and all of us are capable of making an impact.
Staring at the world through my rearview
Just looking back at the world, from another level, ya know what I mean?
– Tupac
