Shakur a credible artist, despite violence

Jeff Hilger is a second-year law student.

On the eve of Tupac Shakur’s death, a friend of mine who knows
next to nothing about rap music or hip-hop culture remarked, "If
anybody deserved to die, it was probably Tupac." By this point,
anybody who pays even scant attention to the newspapers, TV or
radio knows that a "gangsta rapper" who lived a life true to his
often violent and confrontational lyrics was shot and killed in Las
Vegas. Most people have heard that Shakur was a convicted felon,
had spent time in jail and was continually in some sort of trouble
with the law. Many people assume that he was a gangster who
capitalized on the "thug life" and made a fortune doing it. There’s
some truth to all of those popular assumptions. However, there is
something much deeper that casual listeners and headline readers
haven’t understood. The people who listened to and appreciated
Shakur’s music did so in part because he was true to the life he
rapped about. Shakur was an incredibly talented lyricist who was
able to write songs from his heart that directly spoke to his
audience. Fans were strongly attracted to his honesty, urgency and
willingness to say whatever was on his mind, no matter who would be
offended or turned off. Like most great artists, Shakur had a
multi-faceted personality that he was able to share with his
audience. From the reckless abandon of his debut album’s "I Don’t
Give a Fuck" to this year’s softly tender "Life Goes On," he was
able to express emotions that people could both understand and
relate to. Very few artists write songs that can make people dance
and laugh and think and cry. Shakur did just that. All of his songs
weren’t remorseful, although in a strongly prophetic way, a large
number of them spoke of an early death: "Bury me smiling, with Gs
in my pocket, have a party at my funeral let every rapper rock it.
Let the ‘hoes that I used to know, from way before, kiss me from my
head to my toes. Give me a paper and a pen so I can write about my
life of sin, a couple of bottles of gin in case I don’t get in.
Tell all my people I’m a rider. No one cries when we die. We’re
outlaws let me ride." All of his songs weren’t hard-edged either.
His most successful song, the grammy-nominated "Dear Mama,"
explored his feelings of appreciation for his mother who raised him
on her own: "When I was sick as a little kid, to keep me happy
there’s no limit to the things you did. Coming home after work
late, you’re in the kitchen tryin’ to fix us a hot plate. And
though it’s hard working with the scraps you was givin’, momma made
miracles every Thanksgiving." Shakur never apologized for the way
he chose to live his life, but he didn’t spend time blaming anyone
for his problems either. The title track of his most completely
absorbing album, "Me Against the World," dealt with the struggles
he had gone through in his youth. He had come from an inner-city
childhood and had finally made it into the big time, but he knew
that everything he had worked for could be lost in the blink of an
eye. He told his audience that in order to make it, they have to
stay strong, trust in themselves and remain true to where they came
from. In the third single from his current album, "I Ain’t Mad at
‘Cha," Shakur speaks to a friend of his who had made it but failed
to stay true to his old self. Although he jokingly disparages this
friend, he repeats throughout the chorus that he "ain’t mad at
him." He accepts his friend for who he is and the choices he had
made. Even people who can’t stand the whole rap genre cannot help
but feel moved when they hear songs like "Dear Mama," "Keep Ya Head
Up," or "Life Goes On." I strongly believe that Shakur will go down
in our collective memory as one of the most talented and honest
lyricists of the decade. People who think he was little more than a
thug gangster who got lucky with a rap career almost assuredly
haven’t listened to his words to find out what he was all about. If
people accept the invitation to do so, they will find themselves
rewarded by a direct line of insight into what a lot of people
Shakur’s age are going through day in and day out.