“Has anyone ever told you how important you are!?”

-Maya Angelou to Tupac on the set of Poetic Justice after a scuffle with an extra.

Patent leather Jordans, Sony Playstation and girls I had crushes on (but was too timid to approach).

1996 was a turning point in my life. I was 12.

96 was also was a HUGE year for hip hop, and I was all in. Reasonable Doubt, It Was Written, The Score, ATLiens. So many incredible albums dropped that year. So many superstars had emerged and the genre was rapidly becoming the biggest in the world. BIG, Jay-Z, Nas, OutKast, The Fugees etc. They were the voices of my generation. But the biggest voice, was that of Tupac Amaru Shakur.

Outspoken. Fearless. Revolutionary.

We know his incredible body of work. We know his incomparable life. We know how influential he was and continues to be….

But do we REALLY know why he was so important? I didn’t. At least not until September 16, 1996.

The day Pac died was the first “where were you” moment I can ever remember. I felt the gravity of it at a young age. It’s definitely a void that will never be filled. He was only 25 when he died. Quincy Jones once wrote in regards to Tupac’s death; "If we had lost Oprah Winfrey at 25, we would have lost a relatively unknown, local market TV anchorwoman. If we had lost Malcolm X at 25, we would have lost a hustler nicknamed Detroit Red, And if I had left the world at 25, we would have lost a big-band trumpet player and aspiring composer — just a sliver of my eventual life potential." But Tupac’s stardom and influence was in full bloom during his life.

7 months before his death he dropped what is widely considered his magnum opus, All Eyez On Me. He was making plans to do a joint album with various East Coast artists to quell the coastal war that was being waged. He also planned to open a community center with Mike Tyson. He wrote a screenplay while serving 18 months in prison called “Live 2 Tell” and was waiting to get it made into a movie. But it didn’t happen. None of it happened. Something else happened instead. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes in Greek folklore, upon his untimely demise, Tupac Shakur became an immortal symbol of perseverance, resistance and activism against inequality.

The posthumous release of The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1997) under the new moniker Makaveli sparked a slew of conspiracy theories that he somehow faked his death and would return like Jesus. You can find some low res videos on YouTube and pics of “proof” that Pac is alive and protesting right now. But that’s just scratching the surface. There have been at least 7 posthumous albums, 2 movies and countless bootlegs, books & documentaries including one of my favorite docs of all time, Tupac Resurrection (2003). But the very essence of who he was reached far beyond rap music. Tupac at his core was a revolutionary. Straight up. His lyrics laden with battle cries of the oppressed about police brutality, single Black mothers and coping with economic depravity and strife within the Black community. In an unearthed, un-aired MTV interview that has recently gone viral, he talked passionately about the greed in this country and exposed the mentality of our current “so-called” president Donald Trump. Prophetic much? This was in his DNA.

His roots in the struggle start with his mother, Afeni Shakur, who was a top ranking member of the New York chapter of the Black Panthers.

Tupac and his beloved mother Mrs. Afeni Shakur

Mrs. Shakur famously chose to represent herself in court, after being charged with conspiring to carry out bombings in New York City, in what became known as the “Panther 21” case. She was pregnant with Tupac while on trial and facing a 300-year prison sentence . With no law degree and two years of time served she eventually beat the charges and was set free. Shortly thereafter she gave birth to young Pac who was born on June 16, 1971. He was named Lesane Parish Crooks but soon renamed after a Peruvian revolutionary named Tupac Amaru II. His last name was given to him by his stepfather Mutulu Shakur, who remains a political prisoner til this day. In many ways a precedent was set for Tupac’s life even before he was born. It was almost as if it was his destiny to become a prophet.

Over the course of his life and career, activism was a central idea and motivating force behind much of his work. Through his music he was able to reach a much broader audience which yielded global influence.

UC San Diego professor Jeremy Prestholdt described in a 2009 article for the Journal of African Cultural Studies, how Shakur became a widely used symbol during the civil war in Sierra Leone, which began before his death and went on until 2002. The Revolutionary United Front used Tupac T-shirts as uniforms. The rapper was also a symbol in other places including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Libya. RUF members became recognized as the “Tupac Army” by only wearing T-shirts with Tupac’s name and image emblazoned on them.

And I knew very little of this while he was alive…

Granted, I was only 8 when I first heard I Get Around and then saw him play Bishop in Juice, but I immediately knew Pac was DOPE. And even tho I took Biggie’s side during the East/West thing, there was no denying Pac’s brilliance. He was a dope actor, he could survive near death experiences and the passion in his music was undeniable.

Since his death however, I’ve become a Tupac historian of sorts. But I’m not unique. Pac touched the world. And those who admired him during his life and immortalized him in death have by and large come to a similar conclusion. Rap music was only a stepping stone for what he would’ve become if he was still alive.

“We might fight amongst each other, but I promise you this, we’ll burn this bitch down (if you) get us pissed” - To Live and Die In LA

Tupac was raised to challenge police brutality. It was a constant in his music and in his life. Growing up he was constantly harassed by police because of who his parents were. In October of 1991, before he was a superstar, he was charged with jaywalking and brutally beaten by Oakland PD. Like many, he witnessed the near murder of Rodney King on tape and was compelled to join in the LA Riots while filming Poetic Justice. Today, in 20-motherfuckin-20, the lyrics in I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto and Changes respectively still resonate in a very ominous way. The song “Changes” has become an anthem in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other unarmed black men and women at the hands of racist, lawless Police.

So why now, on what would have been his 49th birthday, do we reflect on the luminary figure who made T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. a staple in the American lexicon. Because his legend continues to grow by leaps and bounds as time goes on. Especially now, when we’re at a crossroads in American society. People are outraged at the system and have taken to the streets to make their voices heard. In doing so we evoke the spirit of Tupac. It’s nothing more than a testament to the unparalleled life he lived. A life cut entirely too short. He was mythical in life. And in death, has taken on a God-like symbolism. A walking urban legend and in my opinion the first singular rap ICON. In 4 short years he released 4 critically acclaimed albums and starred in 4 major feature films. He was a superhuman who shot 2 drunk, off-duty cops and got off. Then, he himself was shot 5 times at point blank range….and lived. Obviously, we all know it sparked the deadly East Coast West Coast war but it cemented Pac as a living legend. Yet he was so much more. A student of the arts, an avid reader, writer, poet. A multifaceted savant who was a culmination of righteousness and rock star.

Snoop Dogg recently stated that he spoke to Biggie after Pac died and his was visibly hurt by the death of his friend, even after the beef. I’m not surprised. So why was he so important? Because Tupac was the best of all of us. Even if he was wrong, or obnoxious or abrasive at times. He was growing. But still well-intentioned and pure. We know that because of the many stories that have surfaced in the wake of his death. The amount of people he touched and dedicated his time and energy to. The indelible mark he left on all of us. He once said “I may not change the world, but I will spark the brain that will change the world" I respectfully disagree. Tupac did change the world. He’s STILL changing the world. He lives through us. Now and Forever. Things are ugly in this country right now but they will get better. Until then we must keep fighting but we must also SMILE like he would want us to.

Happy Birthday Pac. We love you Forever.

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