Tupac's Gospel

First of all, this is not an article memorializing Tupac but instead how he helped me through the toughest times of my life and hopefully you all could learn a thing or two. To begin, I was never really into rap and the hip-hop culture. I never had any taste or passion for music, lyrics or even playing the instruments. Back then, when I was in elementary school, I was that fat kid who had envisioned absolutely nothing in life. After classes, I would go home by 3:30 P.M. through the school bus. Then I'd just eat, watch the telly, do my home works and then finish up the day (Times back then were simpler and how I'd wish it were to be like before than what we are currently facing). Up until I graduated primary graduation is where I never knew that things would take a turn for me, where life would introduce me to many things I've never experienced, or even have never though about. Everything stayed the same for me up until 8th grade where my life changed. Puberty hit me and through science, I went from a fat knock to a little bit fit guy. One day my classmates introduced me to Eminem (Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady, B Rabbit, or whatever you call him), and at that point is I think where it all started. The first ever song I heard from Eminem was Rap God and for me it was despicable in a good way. You see, I was never the type of guy that was able to express himself properly through words back then and had trouble conveying my emotions to others. My classmate, Jason, and I jammed through Eminem's music even though vulgar as he spits, the way he had confidence in rhyming and speaking out the words were amazing. Exploring the culture of hip-hop, I stumbled upon many artists with different schemes and artistry until I found Tupac. It was already the year 2013 at that time and I know I was late to learn or even hear about Tupac but when I first heard his music, something clicked within me, like a switch connected to an old light bulb that's flickering. It is something one could not understand through explanation but through feelings alone. I found out his name through the use of alliteration in many artists' lyrics and searched about him. From that point on, I was inspired at life and how I perceived things in a different way.

Tupac was unlike the artists of his time. He was different, unique, poetic, had his own style, had an image, and a message. Yes, he had all of those characteristics. So, if that were the case, how can he be different from the many artists during his time? He was fighting for a cause. Back then, I'd only listen to rap for the beats, melody and slang but as I grew older, I realized that there were more to his words than those. He fought about drugs, women, and most especially police brutality. I was naive that at a later stage in life I'd only realize then how important his songs were to the cause especially to what is happening now in America. His hit songs "Better Dayz" was what I liked most of all his songs. It spoke in a manner of boom-bap genre that delivered a message so powerful it still resonates to this generation. If you'd study his lyrics, one of the verses would say this:

Time to question our lifestyle, look how we live
Smokin' weed like it ain't no thang, so even kids
Wanna try now, they lie down and get ran through
Nobody watches 'em clockin' the evil man do
Faced with the demons, addicted to hearin' victims screamin'
Guess we was evil since birth, product of cursed semens
'Cause even our birthdays is cursed days
A born thug in the first place, the worst ways
I'd love to see the block in peace
With no more dealers and crooked cops, the only way to stop the beast
And only we can change
It's up to us to clean up the streets, it ain't the same
Too many murders, too many funerals and too many tears
Just seen another brother buried plus I knew him for years
Passed by his family, but what could I say?
Keep yo' head up and try to keep the faith
And pray for better days

Reading the verse above, I'll let you all have your own thoughts about it, may it be negative or positive, but the message is clear as water, that he fought for the people through his songs alone and can be done through the pen. I've recently watched Tupac's late interviews with many TV shows and it goes to show how much he knew. From what I could quote on one of his interviews, he said "We are killing each other because we are killing ourselves". From what I could see from it, the world is too greedy and will never be satisfied. People want "their" share only but never thought about how the other side would feel or be left with. Today, nobody thinks anymore for the others. Its me or you, not us anymore. This philosophy is what I think is the true killer responsible for all the murders out there in the world, where one no longer feels the need to oblige to the law to gain satisfaction and happiness but to resort to the use of violence disregarding the norms, the law, the moral standard and ethics.