Posted by ChasinDatPaper on September 13, 2016 at 8:00am
Videos After The Jump
Tupac Shakur wasn't just a rapper. He was also an actor, poet and a powerful speaker who did everything with an unmatched sense of passion.
Perhaps that's why today, as we remember him on the 20th anniversary of his death at the age of 25, he still remains one of the most influential artists the world has ever known.
Shakur died on September 13, 1996, from injuries suffered in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting as he sat in the passenger seat of of a car driven by Suge Knight, the CEO of his recording home Death Row Records.
His murder remains unsolved, despite investigations and theories put forth by detectives who worked on the case.
Shakur is considered by many to be best rapper ever.
He released four solo studio albums from 1991 to 1996. Because of his incredible work ethic, Shakur, left behind enough material for six posthumous albums to be released.
His hit records include "Brenda's Got a Baby," "Dear Mama,"Changes," "California Love," "I Get Around," "Keep Ya Head Up," "So Many Tears," "How Do u Want It," "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted," "Hail Mary," "I Ain't Mad at Cha," "To Live and Die In L.A.," "Toss It Up," "Hit 'Em Up," Do for Love," "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto," "Until the End of Time," "Letter 2 My Unborn," "Ghetto Gospel," "Thugs Get Lonely Too" and "Pac's Life."
You can't mention 2Pac's music without talking about his group the Outlawz. Members E.D.I. Mean, Young Noble, Yaki Kadafi, Hussein Fatal, Napoleon, Moozaliny and Kastro were prominent on many of his recordings.
Shakur's acting career began to take off in 1992 with his role as Bishop in the movie "Juice."
He would go on to star in the feature films "Poetic Justice," "Above the Rim," "Bullet," "Gridlock'd" and "Gang Related."
Rest in peace Tupac Shakur. You will forever be remembered.
Check out some of his best music video and listen to some of those who knew him best speaking about working with him below.
Podcaster Taxstone stirred up a hornet's nest Wednesday, May 25, during a Vlad TV interview where he called Tupac Shakur a snitch for what he believes was the late rapper's implication that The Notorious B.I.G. was involved in his 1994 shooting at Quad Studios in New York City.
Tax also included Cam'Ron in the same category.
In 2005 Cam'Ron was shot while driving his blue Lamborghini in Washington, D. C. At the time he and Jay Z weren't on good terms.
The following year Killa released a Hov diss song titled "You Gotta Love It."
"O.K. First off, you a bitch nigga / Only reason I'm doing this / I'mma just name 5 reasons real quick, got a hundred fifty / First - you stole Rocafella from Dame / Second - you stole Kanye from Dame / Third - you stole Rocawear from Dame / Fourth - I seen the nigga throw that diamond up before them shots was fired," Cam rapped.
Tax told Vlad that the reference toRoc-A-Fella Records'diamond logo would make police assume Cam was talking about someone from the label, which would make the Harlem rapper a snitch as well.
Cam soon hopped on Instagram and posted a response video.
"I just woke up and some nigga talking about I'm snitching," Cam says. "Let me explain something to y'all motherfuckers. Snitching is when you have paperwork that you tried to send somebody to jail or you sent somebody to jail. Not what you hear in a rap song. Not what you hear in an interview ... interrogation room. Not on the streets, jail bars. I actually went to jail for not snitching, nigga," Killa continued, "I violated my probation for being in D.C. and didn't tell. So I went to jail on Rikers Island for violating my probation."
Cam's video had the following caption.
"#FactsAndFabric I'm not even gonna say a nigga name.. But I'm wit the shits my nigga.. Get off my dick.. Lol.. And get to da money.. #UfinishOrYouDone and stop try and dis Tupac"
Troy Averesponds to fellow fellow Brooklyn, New York rapperJoey Bada$$dissing him on his new single "Ready" by firing back with this scathing response titled"Bad A$$."The track was produced byYankee.
Fabolousreleases his second freestyle in as many weeks. He showed the West Coast love on his"B.A.S."joint. This week he brings it back to the East Coast by dropping verses overJay Z's"You, Me, Him and Her."
Sounds like he's taking shots at 50 Cent and Tatted Up Holly.
106 & Park host Bow Wow hops on the instrumental to TeeFlii's buzzing DJ Mustard-produced single entitled "24 Hours." Listen up top and download it here http://linkmixes.com/2omzjtdrab28.
DJ Whoo Kid, Coach PR and DJ Ceasar will release their Wake & Bake Volume 1 mixtape on April 20. One of the tracks featured on the project is "Hydroponic" with Kurupt, B-Real, Wiz Khalifa, Malley Mall and Knotch. Download here http://www.audiomack.com/song/paperchaserdotcom/hydroponic.
Follow Kurupt, B-Real, Wiz Khalifa, Malley Mall, Coach PR, DJ Ceasar and DJ Whoo Kid on Twitter.
Los Angeles (CNN) -- A task force made up of local and federal law enforcement agencies is actively pursuing leads into the 1997 slaying of hip hop artist Christopher Wallace, better known as Biggie Smalls or Notorious B.I.G., according to two sources familiar with the investigation.
According to one law enforcement source, the investigation into the 13-year-old unsolved case was "reinvigorated" months ago as a result of new information, but the source would not elaborate further because of the ongoing investigation that includes the Los Angeles Police Department, L.A. County District Attorney's Office and the FBI.
On March 9, 1997, Wallace, 24, was shot and killed while riding in a Suburban that was driving away from a music industry party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles police said a lone gunman in a Chevy Impala pulled alongside the Suburban and opened fire on Wallace, who was in the passenger seat. Witnesses described the suspect as being an African-American man wearing a suit and bow tie.
The main theory behind shooting was payback in a so-called rap war between East and West Coast hip hop artists and their record companies -- Bad Boy Entertainment in New York, which represented Wallace, and Death Row Records, headed by Marion "Suge" Knight, in Los Angeles.
Six months earlier in Las Vegas, a gunman opened fire on a car driven by Knight, killing one of his top artists Tupac Shakur. That murder remains unsolved also.
"East Coast was Biggie, West Coast was Tupac," Wallace's mother Voletta Wallace told a filmmaker in the 2002 documentary "Biggie and Tupac."
"Come on now, you're messing with lives here and that's exactly what happened. Two lives were lost as a result of what? Stupidity?" Voletta Wallace told the filmmaker.
Retired Los Angeles Police Detective Russell Poole, who worked on the Wallace case, told CNN that he believes Knight was behind the murder, even though the Death Row Records' boss was serving time on a probation violation at the time.
Russell Poole
"Suge Knight ordered the hit," Poole said, adding that he believes it was arranged by Reggie Wright Jr., who headed security for Death Row Records.
Reggie Wright Jr. told CNN he had nothing to do with the murder, and Knight has repeatedly said he had nothing to do with the crime. Poole said he retired early from the LAPD, in part, because he was thwarted in following leads in the Wallace case involving police officers, some of whom worked off-duty for Death Row Records.
"I think I was getting too close to the truth," Poole said. "I think they feared that the truth would be a scandal."
One of the officers Poole said was involved is David Mack, a rogue policeman tied to the LAPD Rampart Scandal, who was sent to prison for robbing a bank in 1997, the same year Wallace was killed.
David Mack
Poole said Mack owned the same type of car driven by the gunman who shot Wallace, and Poole said a friend of Mack's resembles a police sketch of the shooter.
CNN was unable to reach Mack for comment, but when allegations of his involvement in Wallace' slaying originally surfaced more than a decade ago, his criminal defense attorney Donald Re called the claims ridiculous.
Poole also assisted Wallace's family in their wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department alleging a cover-up in the investigation.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks was the chief of police when Poole was investigating, and he told CNN the accusations about a police cover-up are "absurd."
"We would have never ignored a lead that could have helped us solve that murder," Parks said.
Perry Sanders, Voletta Wallace's attorney, told CNN the family's lawsuit, which was originally filed in 2002, was put on hold in April after Los Angeles police said turning over evidence from the case would interfere with a beefed up investigation.
It’s easy to pick a great Dr. Dre beat. Picking 50 of them isn’t too difficult either. Where the task gets hard is in sorting them out.
There are still some people in the XXL offices who are disagreeing with each other over where certain beats fell in the pecking order, and we are sure our faithful readers will do the same. As a matter of fact, we can’t wait to hear what from our readers what we got wrong, why number five should have been number 20, and why some beat we didn’t put on the list should have been included.
So without further ado, let’s get right into the 50 Greatest Dr. Dre beats of all time.
50. “Fight Music” – D12 (2001) Album: Devil’s Night A hard-charging, hyper rap-rock cut samples Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” showcased Dre’s versatility on the boards.
49. “Natural Born Killaz” — Dr. Dre & Ice Cube (1995) Album: Murder Was The Case (The Soundtrack) The first Dr. Dre and Ice Cube recording since their N.W.A days was an audio massacre. A sinister beat fuels Cube and Dre to spit some of their most brutal verses.
48. “Remember Me” — Eminem (2000) Album: The Marshall Mathers LP A brooding and eerie concoction served to be the perfect backdrop for Em, Stick Fingaz, and RBX to spit gruesome bars over.
47. “Boss’ Life” — Snoop Dogg (2007) Album: Tha Blue Carpet Treatment The Snoop D-O-Double G bosses up over a menacing bass line and delicate keys for smoothed-out G-ride.
46. “Family Affair” — Mary J. Blige (2001) Album: No More Drama The rolling bass line and rich keys made for a ubiquitous club banger that everyone could enjoy.
45.“B*tches Ain’t Sh*t” — Dr. Dre (1992) Album: The Chronic The raucous posse cut built from Funkadelic’s “Adolescent Funk,” and MC Shan’s “The Bridge” was a rambunctious example of the Doc’s patented gangster sound.
44. “Fast Lane” — Bilal (2001) Album: 1st Born Second Neo-soul meets G-funk for a soul-stirring knock that was street but sweet.
43.“Been There Done That” — Dr. Dre (1996) Album: Dr. Dre Presents…The Aftermath Dre’s emancipation from Death Row spawned the cooler-than-thou cinematic cut.
42. “Satisfaction” — Eve (2003) Album: Eve-Olution The blond bombshell was such a f-ing lady over Dr. Dre’s stripped down funky one-two groove
41.“Express Yourself” — N.W.A (1989) Album: Straight Outta Compton Co-produced with DJ Yella, the good doctor infused the 70’s soul/funk classic “Express Yourself” (Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band) with some of that gangster s**t to express himself.
40. “My Name Is” — Eminem (1999) Album: The Slim Shady LP The genius of Em’s debut single lays behind Dre’s decision to keep his presence as minimal as possible, so as this then fairly unknown MC could show and prove on his own.
39.”Ask Yourself A Question” — Kurupt (1998) Album: Kuruption! The West Coast icon blessed Kurupt with a sparse bouncy backdrop to perfectly showcase the underrated MC’s talent on mic.
38. “F*ck You” — Dre (1999) Album: 2001 Dre proved that along with the street, the club and the whip, he can also make tracks that knock in the sheets.
37. “Poppin’ Them Thangs” — G-Unit (2003) Album: Beg For Mercy Dre gathered muted guitars, dark backdrops and rolling piano stabs to create a timeless head nodder.
36. “Next Episode” — Dr. Dre (1999) Album: 2001 The West Coast legend took David McCallum’s “The Edge” and turned it on it’s head, creating one of the most gangsta, cinematic instrumentals of all time.
35. “Lil’ Ghetto Boy” — Dr. Dre (1992) Album: The Chronic While he borrowed both the song title and the sample from Donny Hathaway, Dre proved to fans that he also had enough soul to compose tunes that would one day put his name amongst the greats.
34. "Westside Story” — The Lame (2004) Album: The Documentary Dre laced the Compton MC with a menacing backdrop for this standout joint from 2005’s The Documentary, with a deep organ sounds and high pitch keys.
33. “Outta Control” Remix — 50 Cent (2006) Album: The Massacre The Mighty D-R-E slimmed down his G-Funk sound for the clubs, with this 2006 cut that you could easily dance to or play the wall and bop your head with the rest of the thugs
32. “Afro Puffs” — The Lady Of Rage (1994) Album: Above The Rim (The Soundtrack Lifting two grooves from Johnny Guitar Watson (“Superman Lover” and “Love That Will Never Die”), the good Doc concocted an evil sounding, trunk rattling banger for the West Coast rapstress that still rocks rough and stuff 16 years later
31. “Ain’t No Fun” — Snoop Dogg (1993) Album: Doggystyle This classic track from Snoop’s heralded 1993 debut album, Doggystyle, showcases Dre’s signature laid-back G-Funk sound. Incorporating samples from Issac Hayes (“A Few More Kisses”) and Lynn Collins (“Think [About It]“), gang bangin’ never sounded so smooth.
30. “Keep Their Heads Ringin’ — Dr. Dre (1995) Album: Friday (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) The spacey, funky production on this cut from the Friday soundtrack is still living up to its title 15 years later.
29. “Hello” — Ice Cube (2000) Album:War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc) Dre and MC Ren hopping on this track from War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)created an N.W.A. reunion and Dre provided an updated sound to go along with it.
28. “Heat” — 50 Cent (2003) Album: Get Rich or Die Tryin’ 50 Cent luh dem gun sounds, and the Doctor laced him with plenty, as a gun being cocked provided the percussion on this Get Rich or Die Tryin’ banger.
27. “Forgot About Dre” — Dr. Dre (1999) Album: 2001 To this day, this stringy 2001 standout remains one of the best collaborations between Dr. Dre and Slim Shady.
26. “F*ck Tha Police”— N.W.A (1988) Album: Straight Outta Compton One of the most controversial songs in hip-hop history wouldn’t have been the same without Dre’s aggressive, drum-heavy production.
25. “Imagine” — Snoop Dogg (2006) Album: Tha Blue Carpet Treatment Thanks to orchestral keys and D’Angelo’s soothing voice, this is one of the best Dre tracks to simply kick back and light up to.
24. “How We Do” — 50 Cent (2005) Album: The Documentary 50 Cent's hook and verses propelled this song up the charts thanks to Dre’s claps and keys.
23. “Lay Low” — Snoop Dogg (2000) Album: Tha Last Meal Snoop Dogg’s Tha Last Meal was a slept on album, especially when one considers there were singles like this collaborative effort with Dr. Dre.
22. “Nas Is Coming” — Nas (1996) Album: It Was Written This track from Nas’ It Was Written—recorded during a time of heightened tension between the East and West Coasts—also marked the beginnings of Nas and Dre’s collaborative efforts, which soon resulted in The Firm, as well.
21.”Bad Intentions” — Knoc-turnal (2001) Album: The Wash (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Dre lent his touch on the mic and the boards to this up-tempo Knoc Turn’al track which is marked by it’s constant flute sounds.
20. “X” — Xzibit (2000) Album: Restless He calls the good doctor. Dre comes with a bone-shattering beat that sounds like a great leftover from the 2001 sessions for Xzibit’s first single off the Restless album, which Dr. Dre also executive produced.
19. “Let Me Ride” — Dr. Dre (1992) Album: The Chronic What do you get when you mix James Brown drums, with a bit of Bill Withers’ percussion, then throw in some Parliament for good measure? 1992’s “Let Me Ride,” one of Dre’s most memorable tracks.
18. “Phone Tap” — The Firm (1997) Album: The Album In the wake of the dreaded East Coast/West Coast beef and the deaths of both 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G., Dre hooked up with Nas’ The Firm and helped bridge the coastal divide. A testament to the union was “Phone Tap”, Dre’s take on New York’s then-Mafia inspired sound. Ironic how a flip of Chris Barber’s 1959 diddy “Petite Fleur,” (translation: little flower) turned out to be one of rap’s hardest beats ever.
17. “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” — Eve (2002) Album: Scorpion Always known for hip-hop hits, Dre once again proved his pop prowess in 2001 when he laced Eve and guest Gwen Stefani with the instrumental for “Let Me Blow Yar Mind.” Hard enough for E-V-E’s aggressive raps, by bright enough for Gwen’s crossover-styled vocals, Dre conjured up the best of both worlds and gained a Grammy for the track.
16. “Guilty Conscience” — Eminem (1999) Album: The Slim Shady LP Sure haters poked fun at Eminem, writing him off as a one-hit wonder with his quirky first single “My Name Is”, but by the time he dropped “Guilty Conscience” that same year, even the saltiest of rap heads had to give it up. Dre’s flip of Ronald Stein’s 1970 song “Go Home Pigs,” with it’s prodding bass gave Em the perfect lane to spit some of his best bars and he has Mr. Dre, Mr. N.W.A. to thank for it.
15. “Tha Shiznit” — Snoop Dogg (1993) Album: Doggystyle Most artists go to Dre to secure a single, but some times a low-key album cut can be just as potent. Such was the case with “Tha Shiznit” off of Snoop’s Doggystyle album. Who would’ve thought that a sampling of Billy Joel’s 1977 cut “The Stranger” would make for one of the albums best beats? Well, Dre of course.
14. “B*tch Please” — Snoop Dogg (1999) Album: No Limit Top Dogg Back when Snoop was riding with Master P’s No Limit label, fans longed for a reunion with the Cali funk doctor and on “b**ch Please”, Dre didn’t disappoint. The formula was familiar, pulsating bass, bright keys and swirling flutes. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
13. “Doggy Dogg World” — Snoop Dogg (1993) Album: Doggystyle By the time Snoop Dogg’s debut Doggystyle dropped, the LBC MC was the epitome of gangster; that was until Dre smoothed things out on the album’s third single “Doggy Dogg World.” The deep rolling bassline, calming keys and the overlaying sleigh bells all combined to form one of hip-hop’s most two-steppingiest tracks of all-time.
12. “Ho’s a Housewife” — Kurupt (1999) Album: Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha Kurupt’s Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha album was filled with Left Coast goodness, but none sonically better than the Dre-produced “Ho’s a Housewife.” The mid-tempo, bottom heavy track oozed pimpery and was so good that it also appeared on 2001, which dropped two weeks after ’Rupt’s CD.
11. “California Love” — 2Pac (1995) Album: All Eyez On Me Out on bail, fresh out of jail, who did 2Pac call to map out his return to rap? Well the good Doctor of course. With his bouncy synths and thumping bass, Dre’s flip of Zapp And Roger’s “Dance Floor” proved to be the perfect backdrop for ’Pac’s West coast ode.
10. “Straight Outta Compton” — N.W.A (1988) Album: Straight Outta Compton If N.W.A’s “don’t-give-a-damn” attitude wasn’t obvious in the rhymes of Ice Cube and the group’s other MCs, the message was written all over this beat. Dre may have always had the ability to craft a beat for the dance floor, but in his early years, he was trying to do anything but make people move their feet. “Straight Outta Compton” is a stylized mess of diesel truck horns, shrieking record scratches, and aggressive percussion.
9. “The Watcher” — Dr. Dre (1999) Album: 2001 It’s here, the very first song on 2001 where Dre proves his comeback was going to live up to all the hype his absence had created. The quiet whisper of the song’s chorus is a perfect compliment to all the instrumentals subtleties — tinkling keys, staccato horn blasts, and bass designed to put necks and bodies in motion.
8. “Still D.R.E.” — Dr. Dre (1999) Album: 2001 In many ways, “Still D.R.E.” was a comeback record for Dr. Dre. After having taken a hit on his credibility for his lackluster work on the 1996 Dr. Dre Presents…The Aftermath, Dre returned to the form that made him famous with this song, the first single from 2001.
7. “F*ck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’)” — Dr. Dre (1992) Album: The Chronic The lyrics to Dr. Dre’s second single from The Chronic were meant to sting Eazy-E, but what probably hurt more was the beat’s trunk-rattling bass line. It’s obvious from the moment “f**k Wit Dre Day” begins, the most talented artist on the West Coast was a man named Andre Young.
6. “Gin and Juice” — Snoop Dogg (1993) Album: Doggystyle By the time Doc went to work on Snoop Dogg’s debut album, Doggstyle, the producer’s G-Funk sound was a familiar presence on urban radio. In turn, “Gin and Juice” became a timeless hit record, sounding more like the street and party anthem it was than today’s jingly odes to a rapper’s drink of choice.
5. “In Da Club” — 50 Cent (2003) Album: Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ It could be argued that without 50 Cent’s catchy hook and rhyme patterns over this fairly simple beat, “In Da Club” would not have been the hit that it was. There’s not much to “In Da Club”; the in-the-face smack of Dre’s drums, simple syncopated string patterns, and a drifting one-note guitar lick, but therein lays the innovation.
4. “It’s Funky Enough” — The D.O.C. (1989) Album: No One Can Do It Better Even now, it’s hard to believe Dr. Dre made this beat nearly 20 years ago. The way he pieces together samples of The Sylvers’ “Misdemeanor” and James Brown’s “Funky President” was an audio marvel and a big reason why many consider this record to be one of D.O.C.’s shining moments in his brief career.
3.”Xxplosive” — Dr. Dre (1999) Album: 2001 This album cut from Dr. Dre’s Chronic 2001 was never released as an official single, but it surely felt like one. With its sampling of Soul Mann & The Brothers’ 1971 song, “Bumpy’s Lament”, “Xxplosive” was a proper update of the G-Funk sound Dre ushered in; a funky, soulful sound bed for Kurupt’s ferocious first verse, and Nate Dogg’s bluesy 16.
2. “Deep Cover” — Dr. Dre (1992) Album: Deep Cover (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Most noted for being the song on which a young rapper named Snoop Dogg was introduced to the world (then named Snoop Doggy Dogg), “Deep Cover” was a haunting cut with hardcore lyrics to match the beat’s gritty mood.
1. “Nuthin But A “G” Thang” — Dr. Dre (1993) Album: The Chronic Dr. Dre and Los Angeles hip-hop were already on the map before the release of this 1992 single from his solo debut, The Chronic, but “Nuthin But A “G” Thang” made the whole country take seriously the contributions of G-Funk. The beat’s sneaky flutes and subtle guitar notes combined with the pavement pounding force of the thumping four-note bass line, woke people up to the idea that melody can indeed sound gangsta.
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on September 19, 2010 at 9:00am
Eccentric singer, Kelis has reached a point in her career where she doesn't want to be a typical pop star. The need to make music that has mass appeal is not something she is interested in anymore.
In a recent interview with UK's Guardian, Nas' baby mama talked about her career and trends she sees in the industry that she doesn't like.
"Everyone is trying so hard to be different that it's contrived and unnatural. I find it hard to appreciate," she says. "Everyone's attention span is getting shorter. As a result, everything – films, music, art – gets watered down and dumber. Every now and again, you get something great, but not often."
Fed up with industry trends, the 31 year old singer is now focused on making music she enjoys. Even if that means fans might not get it sometimes.
"There's a difference between a pop star and an artist. Pop stars have to be perfect all the time; an artist is allowed, on occasion, to suck. And I put myself in that category because I sometimes suck. I'm not trying to please the masses. It's not going to happen, so I don't try," she admits.
"I think I brought an honesty to music. There are prettier chicks, better dancers, and lots of people out there could probably sing better than me. I'm just the only me there is. And that's what makes it worth something. I don't think I'm the best at anything. It's just there's no one else like me, and somehow it works."
Read more…
Video After The JumpOn the evening of Sept. 7, 1996, Mike Tyson, the WBC heavyweight champion, attempted to take Bruce Seldon’s WBA title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. At this point in his career, Tyson’s fights had become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, where the ever present hype of the professional boxing scene would come face to face with the worlds of big business, Hollywood, and hip hop. Sitting ringside was controversial rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur and Tyson were friends, a feeling of kinship linked them as each rose to stardom from poverty only to be thrown in prison. Following Tyson’s victory, Shakur and “Iron Mike” were to celebrate at an after party, but the rap star never arrived. Shakur was brutally gunned down later that night, and the scene in Las Vegas quickly turned from would-be celebratory revelry to ill fated and inopportune tragedy. Director Reggie Bythewood, with the full cooperation of Mike Tyson, will tell not only the story of that infamous night but of the remarkable friendship between Tyson and TupacRead more…
While the police have seemingly given up on solving the murder of rapper/actor/poet, Tupac Shakur, fans and certain members of the media continue to look for clues.
Tupac died September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas at the age of 25 from gunshot wounds sustained six days earlier. That is pretty much the only thing everyone can agree on.
A new movie coming out about the man who has had more albums released since his death (8), than when he was alive (6) will focus on his last day of life, with flashbacks to the final four years leading up to it. Trying to shed light on why he was killed.
Stephen J. Rivele is one of two screenwriters hired to write the film. He spoke to Vulture about the direction the project would be taking.
"This is the story of an artist whose character is at odds with his medium. He was a really sensitive, very romantic, talented young poet who also could sing, dance, and act. But the realities [of the hip-hop record business] were that he had to create this persona of the gangster," Rivele says.
"He was obviously very angry, and had been subjected to a great deal of violence at home, in the streets and in prison. But he was just beginning to shed that anger and look for a purer voice...He was in the process of changing himself, and entering a new phase of his life — essentially a Romantic vision — and had set up a new label, and a new production company to create it. He saw the contradiction between the musical persona of 'Thug Life,' and his essential nature as a gentle, sensitive person. And that was partly responsible for his murder: He was not a gangster, but the people around him were. They saw he was going to leave, that they were going to lose him, and so I think they decided to kill him."
The movie is expected to begin production in November, and will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, who also directed 'Training Day.'
Read more…
We brought you deep into the mind of Freekey Zeekey In Part One of his interview with Major Moves DVD Here. Now we're going in for part two. You never know what you might here come out of Zeke's mouth so hold on.
The Former 1st Lady of Dipset, Jha Jha had a few not so nice things to say about Jim Jones recently, claimiming he's blackballed.her from the business.
"I'm not here to talk about her, I guess she felt that type of way, but that aint gonna make her no money. You gotta look at it, if they see me, Cam, Jim standing over here and Jha Jha over there. Which deal you think you gon go with?"
In situations like that, I always look at my man Dr Dre. The n*gga Suge took everything, Suge Debo'd this n*gga. He had like over $100 million or whatever Death Row had made. Dre aint make sh*t, Dre just dropped everything and bounced. No money, no nothing they aint even do sh*t, went back in the lab, picked Eminem up."
Money Joe Asked if Zeke had reached out to Max-B since he got knocked.
"I mean the years he got that's crazy, I mean I don't wish that on no man. But personally haven't [reached out] but I'm not gonna sit there and keep kicking the n*gga in the nuts. He said some sh*t and did some sh*t that I could never forgive him for cause Jim is my family. But it's things I wouldn't wanna see happen to the n*gga anyway because I know he wouldn't really do none of the sh*t he sayin, he was just talking out of anger."
Zeekey went on to call the beef with French Montana internet drama said and it aint making him any money so he's not interested in it.
There's a lot more to the interview so check it out below.
HipHopWired Reports
A poster of President Obama in make-up resembling the Joker, a character from the film "The Dark Knight," went viral immediately in the streets of Los Angeles, under the image is the word "socialism." The "artist" remains silent.
As if the picture isn't discourteous enough, the implication of Obama reforming the government into a socialist society completely undermines the mission and agenda of Obama's presidency.
The phantom "artist" created the poster from the October 2006 issue of Time Magazine featuring Obama on the cover and added the "Joker" face to the shot, according to the Associated Press.
According to various reports, the poster have been circulated and spotted throughout different parts of L.A. and Hollywood since Monday (August 3), particularly on highway ramps and underpasses. There have been reports of the poster sightings in Atlanta as well.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, L.A. activist and columnist has beckoned the creator(s) to come forward, announce themselves and explain the motivation behind the poster.
"Depicting the president as demonic and a socialist goes beyond political spoofery," says Hutchinson, "it is mean-spirited and dangerous.
"We have issued a public challenge to the person or group that put up the poster to come forth and publicly tell why they have used this offensive depiction to ridicule President Obama."
On behalf of the staff here at HipHopWired.com, we join Hutchinson and encourage the mastermind behind the poster to make themselves known, exercise their freedom of speech and explain his/her intention. Such a statement deserves expounding, otherwise the move could be rendered just as cowardly as white sheets and burning crosses.
Read more…
}