Rethinking 2Pac...14 Years Later

CLEVELAND - If someone were to study media reports about Tupac Shakur in 1995, they would have found a consistent pattern of negativity. Whether brought on by his own reckless and menacing ways, or just biased and unfair opinions, the man was as repudiated in the press for his behavior as he was revered in hip-hop for his artistry.

And now, in 2010, the man continues to ascend the ladder of legend.

Today marks the 14th anniversary of his game changing death. Yes it is unreal that it took place that long ago. Back in the days of dial-up, ultra basic Internet. During the Clinton administration but before Monica and her stained dress. Way back when LeBron was a poverty stricken 11-year old unknown. Back when no one had ever heard of  DVDs and cell phones were as rare as a bad game by Michael Jordan and as big as a VHS tape.

His death was THAT long ago.

It's interesting that 2Pac's career started off the way it did. In 1990, he seemed as family friendly and non-threatening as Will Smith. That is when he was nothing more than a roadie for the hip-hop group Digital Underground. But in the three years between 1992 and 1995, 2Pac evolved from a young, militant musician to a notoriously brash criminal who often spoke of and epitomized a "thug lifestyle" of deviant and even felonious behavior. Television images of him often depicted him in handcuffs, in courtrooms or speaking in an animated and ruthless fashion about violence and what he felt was his persecution.

He came off as a peerless troublemaker with no intention of slowing down.

His music became more eerie, violent and contradictory. It also became more polished and popular and by the time he was released from a months long prison stint in the fall of 1995, he was one of the top two superstars in hip-hop along with bitter rival The Notorious B.I.G. He spent the first eight months of 1996 atop the world of rap music thanks largely to the February release of his seminal LP, All Eyez On Me. Now a high-profile member of Death Row Records (and a de facto protege of the villainous Suge Knight), 2Pac decided to tamp up his own hubris and cockiness as he openly and shamelessly basked in the glow of his modified image and Death Row allegiance.

When he was murdered in that now infamous September drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, there was a huge feeling of anger and sadness for both a life lost at just 25, and for a brilliant artist who was too caught up in crafting an invincible street image instead of using his obvious intelligence, ideals and talent to ascend to an ever higher, more significant place in the world. 2Pac could have changed the world in amazing ways that had nothing to do with music. The man was an intellect and a visionary, two terms that never would have been used to describe him during his lifetime.

He's celebrated as an important icon nowadays, but in truth...he was bigger than that. It's a shame he tried so hard to hide that from us while he was alive.

2Pac Shooting Was Our JFK Assassination

CLEVELAND - Tupac Shakur was an incendiary star in the world of rap and hip-hop music in the 1990's and, through his timeless music has remained so in the 21st century. He was also a brilliant intellect blessed with the wisdom of a visionary and cursed with a follower's flaw to fit in.

In short, he was hopelessly complicated.

Today is the 13th anniversary of Shakur's shooting on the Las Vegas strip. Though it was the second time he'd been shot in two years, it was far more serious. He died from his injuries six days later, forever changing music history and the landscape of hip-hop.

2Pac's shooting was a huge event. Since it resulted in his death at age 25, it became a flash point for urban America akin to President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. I'm not suggesting that a musician's death was as important or historic as the president of the United States, I'm simply saying that 2Pac had become a major symbol to black youth who emulated his aggressive and emotional lyrics and lifestyle -- for better and worse. Just like JFK's assassination, 2Pac was gunned down without the presence of the news media filming the event. Another JFK parallel is the multitude of conspiracy claims that have swirled around the murder. The Warren Commission concluded that Kennedy was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald, though many people have never accepted such a simplistic hypothesis. With Shakur, no one has ever been officially named and with the cryptic nature of his first posthumous album (Makaveli: The Don Killuminati), many have suspected that the rap star faked his death just as Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli did.

Shakur has been deified in the 13 years since his demise. He is hip-hop's foremost icon and continues to inspire a new generation of MCs who marvel at his brazen lifestyle and legendary bouts with the law, not to mention his signature lyrical style and subject matter.

In the final estimation, Shakur was a legitimate legend and inspirational force in spite of his flaws and erstwhile belligerence. It is a shame that he apparently felt compelled to kow tow to a "thuggish" image rather than expose the true genius that resided inside him.

He was greater than perhaps even he knew himself.