Tupac's Friends & Enemies React
to his Death
Shock
G/Money-B (Digital Underground)
If you want to mourn, do it for your own personal loss.
Dont mourn for 'Pac, remember him for his art and dont be sad
for his death. 'Pac lived a short, fast, concentrated, an intense
life. He lived a 70 year life in 25 years. He went out he way
he wanted: in the glitter of the fast life, hit record on the
charts, new movie in the can, and money in the pocket. All 'Pac
wanted was to hear himself on the radio and see himself on the
movie screen. He did all that --- and more.
Janet Jackson (Poetic
Justice)
I feel very fortunate to have seen another side of Tupac, someone
who was very caring and loving, a contrast to his public image.
He will be missed by many 'Pac was just the truth. He always brought
it from the heart. Sometimes the truth hurts or the truth can
set you free. In his case, it did both. Some said he was the rappin'
Nostradamus, like he could prophesy. But he was just saying that
ill shit that niggas be thinking and no one wanted to say. The
thing was, he lived his life in a way that the lyrics had to come
true. He just went all out. Everyday was his first and last .
E-40
'Pac was hated by a few but loved by many, and those who hated
him didnt even know him, I truly believe that there will never
be another rapper who can uplift spirits and explain the ups an
downs
of everyday life through rap music like 'Pac.
Sean "Puffy"
Combs
The tragic death of Tupac Shakur is a tremendous loss to his family,
his friends, his millions of fans, and the entire music industry.
On behalf of the Bad Boy Entertainment Family. I want to offer
my deepest Condolences.
Snoop Doggy Dogg
I feel we need to come up with some soft of Tupac Black on Black
Crime fund. And some sort of ceasefire. If it was an East Coast/West
Coast or not, we need to put a stop to this before it gets out
of hand.
Rev. Jesse Jackson
Sometimes the lure of violent culture is so magnetic that even
when one overcomes it with material success, it continues to
call. Tupac just couldn't break the cycle.
Havoc (Mobb Deep)
I loved him before the confrontation; I loved him, and I loved
his music. We was planning to see him be we didn't even get
the chance. It's sad, man. I think the streets killed him. It
wasn't no East Coast/West Coast thing, it was the streets. I
think it was his mouth that killed him.
Prodigy (Mobb Deep)
Between my crew and people over there on the West Coast, it's
sad to see where it's going. I don't know how this started, but
we need to get together. Once everybody can calm down, relax and
put our troubles
behind us, we can strive for a better tomorrow.
Treach (Naughty by Nature)
My man 'Pac, he didn't have a criminal record until he made
a record. Once you get into the light, a lot of stuff comes
on to you. One thing I can say, he was one of the realest niggas
that lived. He said whatever
was on his mind; he never bit his tongue for nuthin'.
Minister Conrad Muhammad
To lose a young man like Tupac Shakur will brilliance and talent,
at 25 years old, is indicative of what black males in this society
are facing. We are not living long enough to realize our full
potential. Malcolm X,
in his young years, was a gangbanger, a drug dealer. Tupac would
have evolved naturally, but black men are dying before they get
their chance to grow.
John Singleton
When i saw Juice, Tupac's performance jumped out at me like a
tigar. Here was an actor who could portray the ultimate crazy
nigga. A brother who could embody the freedom that an "I
dont give a fuck" mentality
gives a black man. I thought this was some serious acting. Maybe
I was wrong. During the filming of Poetic Justice, 'Pac both rebelled
and accepted my attitude towards him as a director/advisor. This
was our dance in life and work. We'd argue, then make up. Tupac
spoke from a position that cannot be totally appreciated unless
you understood the pathos of being a nigga, a displaced African
soul, full of power, pain, and passion, with no focus or direction
for all that energy except his art.
Chuck D
To me he's like the James Dean of our times. Basically, a rebel
without a cause. And the industry and the media are partially
responsible for whatever goes down: in accenting the negative
aspects of a black celebrity. It's the soup-up, gas-up treatment.
They soup him up, they're not there on the downside. People
thing that this man's life was entertainment. One of our best
talents is gone over some bullshit. I'm fuckin' pissed. I ain't
putting up tears. Tears ain't gonna do a damn thing. Interscope
will go on to sell 10 million copies of this album. Make a scholarship
fund out of their share of the money. That's what I call making
things happen.
Marlon Wayans
Me and 'Pac, we laughed a lot during Above the Rim. It's not like
being with this ill gangsta that everyone portrayed him as. We
used to go in the trailer and just crack jokes. We used to tease
him and say he should cross out the T on his chest and change
his image to HUG LIFE
Gerard (High School Friend)
First time I ever saw Tupac, he was in eighth grade. I seen this
kid that had this shirt with the old school iron-on letters, MC
NEW YORK. And he was rhyming. All these people was around him
-- even back then.
We was adversaries at first, but we formed a crew. Born Busy and
shit, MC New York, DJ Plain Terror, Ace Rocker, and my man D on
the beat box. Taking mad peoples out--the invincibles. Then we
started writing little rhymes for Jada (Pinkett). Jada was rhyming
a little bit too. Dont Sleep.
Coolio
I know for a fact that it's not an East Coast/West Coast thang.
What happened was, you know, it was a street thang. Sometimes
when you put yourself in a situation, you get caught up in another
situation.
Tupac had a knack for doing that.
