Black Entertainment : Why is Tupac seen as a Revolutionary?

[abstract219]

Come on.....

I never saw Tupac as a revolutionary. I just saw him as a entertainer. A very contradictory one at that.

A good lyricist, but not a great one. I can name 5 far better in terms of content, metaphor, sense of rhythm and space.

Amazing how people wanna follow a trend, or a media manipulated image of some one (Tupac) who, with all his money, never put up a school, (his mother did, but Pac never did), never developed breakfast programs for poor children, never brought the issue of racism, blatant or instituionalized to any hearings, never bought or owned black industries..never traveled to Africa to help those less than him, or let alone, even invested in his own record company.....never marched on nothing..........im my book, these are the things a true revolutionary does.

Pac was a entertainer. In the entertainment business. Nothing more, nothing less. I have no hate towards him. I have some of his cd's. But to put him up as a revolutionary, in my opinion, is to disrepect those who died and those who are dying in the present, fighting oppression in real-life situations.....not in a studio, with back-up singers and bodyguards....

Perhaps in the absence of true revolutionaries, like those of the 50's and 60's...the youth of today need some sort of symbol of revolutionary thought. Trust me, Pac was not it.

Entertainer, yes. Revolutionary, absolutely not. A simple media creation, yes. A actual hands-on agent for change. No.

And it seems like when the fans and admirers of Tupac want to play him up as a revolutionary, they seem to quote his more positive lyrics. Consistently overlooking the other more grimy lyrics. Like revisionist history, it seems they only want to play up this "after death" image his mother is trying to put out there. A vision of Tupac going up against the government on real issues, not just writing songs about it. Death Row and Sugg would not allow Tupac to be a true revolutionary. They had a vested interest, and didn't need Tupac getting killed.

" Little bad mothafucka with a pocket full of rocks.
And I'm totin' these thangs, get my skinny little *** kicked.
And ****** laugh, til' tha first mothafucka got blasted."

This is not revloutionary.
I have a lot of respect for Tupac and his art. But that is what it was, Art.
Im sorry.

 

[oldiesman]

tupac

tupac was a rapper who became an actor,nothing revolutionary about that,the man did what he set out to do...get paid!

 

[Kassa]

who do u believe in

Heavenly Father
Hear a ***** down here
Before I go to sleep
Who do you believe in?
Who do you believe in?

[Tupac]

I see mothers in black crying
Brothers in packs dying
Plus everybody's high
Too doped up to ask why
Watching our on downfall, witness the end
It's like we don't believe in God cause we living in sin
I asked my homie on the block why he strapped
He laughed
Pointed his pistol as the cop car passed and blast
It's just another murder
Nobody mourns no more
My teardrops getting bigger
But can't figure what I'm crying for
Is it the miniature caskets?
Little babies
Victims of a stray, from drug dealers gone crazy
Maybe its just the drugs
Visions of how the block was
Crack came and it was strange how it rocked us
Perhaps the underlying facts they hide
Explain genocide
It's when we ride on our own kind
What is it we all fear?
Reflections in the mirror
We can't escape fate
The end is getting nearer

[Chorus] 2x

Who do you believe in?
I put my faith in God
Blessed and still breathing
And even though it's hard
That's who I believe in
Before I'm leaving
I'm asking the grieving
Who do you believe in?

[Tupac]

Can't close my eyes cause all I see is terror
I hate the man in the mirror
Cause his reflection makes the pain turn realer
Times of Armageddon
Murder in mass amounts
In this society where only getting the cash counts
I started out as a beginner
Entered the criminal lifestyle became a sinner
I make my money and vacate, evade prison
Went from the chosen one to outcast, unforgiven
And all the Hennessey and weed can't hide
The pain I feel inside
You know
It's like I'm living just to die
I fall on my knees and beg for mercy
Not knowing if I'm worthy
Living life thinking no man can hurt me
So I'm asking
Before I lay me down to sleep
Before you judge me, look at all the **** you did to me
My misery
I rose up from the slums
Made it out the flames
In my search for fame
Will I change?
And I'm asking

[Chorus] x2

[Kadafi]

Faith in Allah, believe in me, and it's plastic
Cause so far I done witnessed to many dead ****** in caskets
With they chest plates stretched like elastic
And what's worse I'm on front line
Holding down camp still mashing
Heard my cousin
One of the old heads from the block
Just came home October of 95
Back in Yardville stuck with a three to five
If he don't act up
Now he realize
If you don't stay wise
Then in this game you ******
Talk to my baby girl
Give me the word on what she heard
One of the grimmies is snitching
Diamond a stool pigeon
I talked to him
He said he didn't
My man said he did, in fact he sure
Cause he just came home off a bid

[Chorus] x2

Who do you believe in?
Is it Buddah, Jehova
Or Jah? Or Allah?
Is it Jesus? Is it God?
Or is just yourself?
Definitely, not to be imposed
Even a demon
Cause this is the joy of the movement
Men, to believe in yourselves
But for sure, the higher power
Resides only to ride through the heart of the true
From the soul, of the man
For truth never has an alibi
In the poetry or in this round
That's what pulls our words together
Just to understand
That every man is his own man
And only man can satisfy the man
Only the soul of the man
The feelings of the man
The for realness of the man
You can't shake the man when you feel the man
You know the man
And you gotta call yourself because you are that man

Tupac over Female Singing

Who do you believe in? (I put my faith in God)
Put my faith in God, and
Blessed and still breathing
Even though it's hard (who do you believe in?)
That's who I believe in (even though it's hard)
Before I'm leaving
I'm asking the grieving (who do you believe in?)
Who do you believe in?
Who do you? (blessed and still breathing)
Oh, blessed (before I'm leaving, I'm asking the grieving)
Oh, blessed (who do you believe in?)

 

[Kassa]

im also feelin this real deep.


they dont give a **** about us

Y'all ain't never just tripped and pictured
And just looked at the whole situation
Cause once u look at it
You know
(really do)

They don't give a f**k about us
They don't give a f**k about us
They don't give a f**kabout us

Thuggin' till the day I die
They don't give a f**kabout us
And when I start to rise
A hero in their children's eyes
Now they give a f**k about us

[Tupac]

Some say n*ggas is hard headed cause we love to trick
Equipped with game so we bang wit this thuggish sh*t
I see you trying to hide
Hoping that nobody don't notice
You must always remember you still a member of the hopeless
See ya black like me
So you snap like me
When these devils try to plot
Trap our young black seeds
Look it
Cops are just as crooked as the n*ggas they chasin'
Lookin' for role models
Our father figures is bases
Some say they expect Illuminati take my body to sleep
n*ggas at the party with they shotties
Just as rowdy as me
Before I flee computer chips
I gotta deal wit brothas flippin
I don't see no devils bleedin'
Only black blood drippin
We can change
Whatcha now say?
I'm watchin n*ggas work their lives out without pay (huh)
Whatever it takes to switch places wit the bustas on top
I'm bustin' shots make the world stop
They don't give a f**k about us

[Chorus]

And if I choose to ride
Thuggin' till the day I die
(Nobody)
Cause they don't give a f**k about us
But when I start to rise
A hero in they children's eyes
Now they give a about us
And if I choose to ride
Thuggin' till the day I die
Nobody gives a f**k about us
But when I start to rise
A hero in they children's eyes
Now they give a ***** about us

[EDI]

It's the morning after and now all the laughter is gone
Time to reflect on what you did cause they saying you wrong
I'm sure you had your reasons dawg
I don't doubt you
See the simple fact of the matter is they don't give a f**k about you
Or them five mouths you forced to feed (uh-huh)
No including yourself
All you want is what they perceiving as greed
So as you loaded up that mack and continue to buck em
I was on paper
Thinking they don't give a f**k about us

[Tupac]

I'm seeing it clearer
Hating the picture in the mirror
They claim we inferior
So why the f**k these devils fear ya?
I'm watching my nation die genocide the cause
Expect a blood bath
The aftermath is y'alls
I told ya last album, we need help cause we dying
Give us a chance, help us advance cause we trying
Ignore my whole plea, watching us in disgust
And then they beg when my guns bust
They don't give a f**kabout us

[Chorus] x2

And if I choose to ride
Thuggin' till the day I die
Nobody gives a f**k about us
But when I start to rise
A hero in they children's eyes
Now they give a f**k about us

[Kastro]

Now all my homies got love for me
Down to catch a slug for me
Guaranteed to bleed deeply
Now that's love
n*gga
Nobody else could give a *****
If I'm tore down, from the floor down
Six-feet deep in the cut
What the f**k done went wrong
How long will I be mourned?
When I'm gone, same song
Ain't gave a f**k all along
And who am I to blame em?
Just do or die through the rainin'
Since they don't give a f**k
I don't
Feel what I'm saying?

[Kadafi]

Now thug n*ggas die but multiply in doubles
Wrapped in plastic
Or closed casket for our troubles
Pressed in times
We busted like bubbles
With the police
This nation's peace sent here to run you
Now look at what this crooked world has come to
I grew up on the other side of perfect, a life of hurtin'
Man I still hustle, so I'm dyin certain
So I spent your time in poor and working
I see no reason
So I stay ballin' season to season
Why you stuck thinking that they give a f**k?

[Napolean]

You tell me my world is in peace, but n*gga your lying
Cause half of my n*ggas, long gone, buried in the dirt just for trying
Sometimes I think my block is dying
And that it's awful
To wake up to another day, s**t ain't change that all fool
I wake up sweatin, dreamin, coughin
Seein' me upside down backwards head twisted
While I'm layin in the coffin
The s**t comes around so often
So tell me something
Before I take it out on the world, and get to dumpin'
n*gga I been so through pain go through the struggle
Doin the same thing you did at my age and that's hustlin
On the edge of straight bustin'
Well since you don't give a f**k
I be frontin
And I'ma drink my Hennessey like it ain't nothin

[Outro] x2

Now if I choose to ride, thuggin' till the day I die
They don't give a f**k about us
While I'm kickin rhymes, getting to their children's minds
Now they give a f**k about us

They wanna see us die, they kick us every time we try
They don't give a f**k about us
So while I'm getting high, I'm watching as the world goes by
Cause they don't give a f**k about us

 

[Omowale Jabali]

I understand the man had charisma and was very talented.

I still bump his music in my ride sometimes, but what did he do and say that so many people of our generation (35 and under) hail him as such a revolutionary in the Black struggle?

www.myspace.com/tupaclegacy