RED DAVE

Tupac was an extrordinarily gifted writer. Like many young writers in the Western tradition, like Francois Villon or Rimbaud, he was atrracted to a life of violence. Ultimately it killed him.

Condemning him as a "vicious thug" is a pure act of racism.

RED DAVE

cjack

How does race enter into it? Tupac himself claimed to be a thug, if you'll recall.

BTW, my view of Tupac is probably a bit different than yours. While I never met him personally, I had a pretty good relationship with the people at his record label (Interscope at the time) and knew people who had worked with him as far back as his days with Digital Underground.

Within hip-hop, an artist's street cred is always being questioned. There was no question about Tupac. Everyone I ever talked to that had interacted with him would tell you that it wasn't an act. Tupac really was a thug.

This was, of course, before his death and the subsequent campaign to make him into some sort of saint.


I fail to see how calling him a thug is in any way racist.

-FPY-

That's so fucking stupid it's ridiculous. He described HIMSELF as a thug.

He's a fine role model for the blacks ruining (or is it running?) my neighbourhood, though. And I'm not even being racist. All the black petty criminals idolise this man.

Spleen

Tupac was a thug, but in many cases a highly intelligent one, I listened to most of what he had to say, in detail, and I can relate to him in much of it. He was just telling the truth.

Disclaimer: I am neither a thug nor a saint, and I'm also white.

xorbie

Tupac was part of a life of violence and found a way of both making money out of it and expressing himself. He was not a writer up in the mountains that thought to himself "Oh gee, that life of violence sure looks enticing and exquisite. Don't mind if I do." He was a gangster and a thug before rap.

Joel

Vinnie

I like Hail Mary myself:

I ain't a killer but don't push me
Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin pussy
Picture paragraphs unloaded,
wise words bein quoted
Peeped the weakness int he rap game and sewed it


Dear Mama was good. I used to rock that song alot--especially when I was selling drugs and had a mother on crack. Not days I want to remember though.

DMX has a lot of positive songs too.

The song about his grandma was really good with Faith Evans.

Some of his songs--the ones not about killing people-- may be a little to "Christian for some of the audience hear though.

His new Album Grand Champ was hot!

Vinnie

donaldkilroy

How is stating an obvious fact racist?

As others have already commented he (Tupac) himself said he was a thug. Moreover, he enjoyed being a 'thug.' Stating the obvious (by observation and/or by an admission on the part of the one being commented about), regardless of one's race, is not an 'act of racism.'

dk

Space Chef

Have you ever read THE REDNECK MANIFESTO by Jim Goad? I recommend it.