Tupac Shakur was the type of guy that seemed to have two different personalities. On one hand he was a talented young rapper whose career was heading upwards at the time of his death. On the other he had a very negative reputation for being violent and very abusive. Some of the latter was earned but overall he was a brilliant young mind that was gone too soon. Raised in Harlem by a mother that belonged to the Black Panthers Tupac was raised into a world where violence was fairly regular. He took that however and made it a part of his music and eventually created an outstanding career that dominated the music and movie industries.
Here are just a few examples of that.
5. CHIPS – California Love
California Love is one of the biggest hits that Tupac ever released and also features Dr. Dre. The two collaborated on the song and it’s been heard in movies, TV, and even on video games occasionally. It’s been one of the most played songs in an untold number of clubs and is still a favorite of many.
4. Creed – Hail Mary
For such an entrance only an epic song would do. Some might think the Rocky story line has all but ended, but there’s nothing saying that the son of Apollo Creed can’t take up the reins and start making some noise. Unfortunately he’s just as arrogant as his father ever was and in many ways reminds people of a young Apollo, all brash, arrogant brawn and very little in the way of actual strategy. Luckily Rocky eventually says yes to helping him out.
3. All Eyez On Me – All Eyez On Me
I’m kind of surprised to see that it took this long to get a film about Tupac’s life. One would have thought that such thing might have occurred years ago after the rapper had been killed. But it could have needed a more neutral situation to work out the right way, meaning if anyone would have made this film earlier it wouldn’t have been received as well.
2. Saturday Night Live – I Ain’t Mad Atcha
SNL has had a long, long list of guest performers on their show and most of them have done a great job. Tupac wasn’t any different, he put on a decent show but putting him as a guest star might have been a mistake. Something tells me he was considered an awesome guest singer to have but might not have been the kind of guy that would follow the skits that are such a big part of SNL.
1. Above the Rim – So Much Pain
This is the story of a man looking for redemption and finding it in the future of a young man on his way to bigger and better things. The only roadblock to that is the fact that his hoodlum brother, played by Tupac, is standing in the way of the young man’s future. With that in mind the guy does what he can after it’s obvious he can’t fully ignore the problem any longer.
Tupac Shakur might have been a controversial figure but was still a noteworthy rapper.
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