2Pac 2 Me
Micheal- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11-16-08
I’ve heard that there is always at least one person in your life
that will always be there for you. That person for me died a long
time ago. I actually watched that person’s death on TV before I
knew what was happening and who the news story was about. I
was only 4 years old when I first heard of Tupac Amaru Shakur at
the time of his death. Though, for the next 9 years after those 15
seconds in front of that news story, I wouldn’t pay much
attention to Tupac.
It was when I was 13 that I realized that I really enjoyed listening
to rap. It was around this time that I remember being really into
this song was actually by 2Pac and his rival The Notorious B.I.G.
(the song created posthumously of course). But still, I didn’t
notice Tupac for who he was. It was until I decided I would stray
from my boundaries set by my parents and set out to find music
that had interested me in my earlier years, yet was forbidden to
listen to. It was at this point when I realized the power Tupac
had/has. I realized how his constant lyrical focus taught and kept
me focused as well. It was Tupac who taught me how to truly
look at situations from polar spectrums. It was Tupac who taught
me how you can feel absolutely hateful and angry, but still show
peace and love.
The one next important aspect about Tupac after his display of
passion was his belief that everybody is equal and that everybody
deserves to be treated that way. This is something that I have
always believed and was always angry at society for. I didn’t
think anybody would have been able to describe how I felt about
social inequalities until I heard Tupac. I have always hated how
people so stupidly hate others and discriminate based on
ethnicities, skin color, race, orientation, etc. and here was a
person who I was banned from listening to, somebody who was
jailed unjustly, was present in a time of extreme tension, and just
a heavily burdened. The only person who could keep me
motivated and to keep me from falling down under the stresses of
life, Tupac Shakur.
Tupac may be dead, but 12 years later, he still remains my
number one role model. The voice of advice that is always there
when I need him. I’ve learned that no matter how hard things got
for Tupac, he always pulled through and made the best out of his
situation. So knowing that he could do it, I know I will too. That is
the real message in his voice and songs, deep behind the crude
language and controversy. But he had to be in order for me to
understand how he truly understood. So unquestionably, Tupac
Shakur is “the rose that grew from the concrete”.