From back up dancer to lead actor to street gang organizer, there are very few Hip Hop artists that have been as influential to popular culture as Tupac Amaru Shakur. Even 23 years after his untimely death in Las Vegas following the now infamous Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight at the MGM, ‘Pac’s musical and socio-political impact, especially during the era of Black Lives Matter, is felt more than ever.
On what would have been Tupac’s 49th birthday, The Source Magazine/The Northstar Group will be facilitating “Tupac Remembrance Day” on all of its platforms, including several IG Live conversations with the rap icon’s family members, friends and industry insiders who have their own personal stories about the immortal “Thug Life” general. His older brother Mopreme Shakur, his nephew Malik Shakur, West Coast legend Yo Yo, Steele of Boot Camp Clik’s Smif N Wessun, Bay Area favorite Mistah F.A.B. and legendary urban designer April Walker.
The conversations and interviews will be conducted throughout the day beginning at 12:30 PM EST, with topics including everything from personal stories, virtually unknown Tupac album collaborations and releases and his impact on both coasts as well as around the globe. Come join the conversation at @thesource on IG!
Taraji P. Henson is a known advocate for mental health. Her foundation, The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF), partnered with the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to provide mental health support to first responders and essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic. TASF was founded by the late rapper’s mother, Afeni Shakur.
The organizations launched the Matching Gift campaign to provide free access to mental health therapy. Patients will be directly linked with trained therapists to help them cope with this stressful, unprecedented time as a result of COVID-19.
TASF raised $25,000 and will match and donate it to BLHF to financially support the campaign.
The organizations factored in the cost of therapy, which can sometimes be a burden for the Black community. So BLHF launched the COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Support Campaign to raise funds to provide mental health services in low-income networks.
No one should suffer in silence,” said Henson. “Our vision is to change the perception of mental health in the black community. Together, we will make a difference. This is our legacy.”
“It is my belief that in order to honor our ancestors and ourselves, we must look inwards; identify and interrogate the root causes of our traumas. What we as an organization wish to offer are observable steps to reach these goals and we are happy to partner with the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation to make a difference within the mental health community. I believe we are worth the effort,” said Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, the head of TASF.
Hype Beasts are going to paint the town red as soon as winter makes an exit. SUPREME’s upcoming drop is filled to the brim with bulky logos and collaborations.
For streetwear enthusiasts the end of February is poised to be a feeding frenzy. The world’s most prominent brand in the sub-culture is prepping what seems to be one of the biggest releases. SUPREME’s spring summer 2020 collection sticks to the script with staples including hooded sweatshirts, t-shirts and some pieces that seemingly comes out of left field.
Included in the mix is a top with the Tupac Hologram from the three-dimensional image’s memorable debut at the 2012 Coachella concert. This design finds Pac sporting his signature sagging jeans while SUPREME is found on the trim of his boxers. The official reveal on Instagram naturally caused a frenzy with fans.
As expected SUPREME has partnered with other lifestyle brands to give their gear a point of difference. Their take on the New Era baseball jacket finds all the MLB team logos spread out on the left side of the garment. Additionally the classic Vanson leather biker coat gets a modern update with a perforated shell.
Source: SUPREME / Supreme
Lastly SUPREME hits us with some random selections in an effort to keep the hype going. This means you too can eat branded Oreo cookies while you catch a vibe on an all red lawn chair. The SUPREME spring summer 2020 collection will be available starting February 20 in their NY, LA, SF, London and Paris stores and February 22nd in Japan. You can see some of the clothing pieces below.
Source: ANGIE MARTINEZ Hot 97fm presents the 3rd annual Hip-Hop Fashion Show Performances Hammerstein Ballroom Featuring: ANGIE MARTINEZ Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 03 Feb 2006 Credit: PNP / WENN
Even before the billions Jay-Z proved that he always thought two steps ahead. Thankfully he also put the talk of New York on to some game in the name of the culture.
As spotted HipHopDX Angie Martinez recently conducted an interview with Page Six. In it she discussed how her initial meeting with Roc Nation not only helped advance her career but also preserve her precious content. When asked about her infamous but never released Q&A with Tupac Shakur she said Jigga might be the reason it is still accessible.
“The tapes are in a safe, secure place now. But they weren’t for many years. Before that, they were in my laundry room and it was actually Jay-Z that told me to put it in a safe place” she admitted. “I was in a meeting at Roc Nation and we were talking about my archives because I have all my old interviews on tape. They were literally in boxes in my laundry room and Jay said: ‘Get them out of the room now. Somebody help her get them out of that room now because if there is a flood or a fire it will be destroyed.’”
Naturally she took his advice and took steps to protect her audio. “So people at work helped me digitize the tapes so I can make sure I have them forever.” Back in 1996 she sat down with the slain legend while in Los Angeles. While the two talked for two hours only 12 minutes of the meeting was ever released. Currently the tapes are in “a safe in an actual vault where you would need specific access to get to them” she explained.
You can hear a snippet from Angie’s interview below.
The Source has been profiling Black History Icons for the entire month of February, ranging from heavy-hitters in sports like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali, to the beautiful and wise Maya Angelou who blessed us with her activism as much as she did with her poetry. Today, we look at one that holds a special place for us as a Hip-Hop publication: rapper, actor and all-around visionary Tupac Amaru Shakur.
“It seems the rain’ll never let up /
I try to keep my head up…and still keep from gettin’ wet up /
You know it’s funny when it rains it pours /
They got money for wars, but can’t feed the poor /
Said it ain’t no hope for the youth and the truth is…
…It ain’t no hope for the future.”
— 2Pac, “Keep Ya Head Up” (1993)
Known simply by his stage name 2Pac — a moniker that lead to others such as “Pac,” “Makaveli” and often, yet arguably, “The Greatest Rapper of All Time” — the multifaceted entertainer lived for 25 years on this Earth before being taken down in his prime due to gun violence spearheaded by the “East Coast vs. West Coast” rap war that also claimed the life of his adversary, The Notorious B.I.G. In his lifetime, Tupac would release four critically-acclaimed solo rap albums, including the debut LP 2Pacalypse Now in 1991 that featured a classic cut called “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” 1993’s Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… that included his signature song “Keep Ya Head Up” that gave us the featured quote seen above, Me Against the World in 1995 that gave him his first Billboard 200 chart-topper and is considered the best work of his life and finally All Eyez on Me, the first double-disc album in the history of Hip-Hop which was released exactly seven months prior to his murder in 1996. Each of these projects individually helped mold Pac into the revered legend that we recognize him as today, and his memory has only grown in the 23 years since he died by continuing to influence a countless number of rappers after him and individuals from all walks of life.
He wasn’t just an ill MC, either; Tupac starred in hit ’90s films like Juice in 1992 with Omar Epps (seen above), Poetic Justice a year later in 1993 alongside pop queen Janet Jackson, Above the Rim in 1994 with Duane Martin and even on television in 1993 alongside lifelong friend Jada Pinkett Smith in her co-starring series A Different World. After his death, three posthumously-released films arrived in theaters, starting with Bullet just one month after his demise in 1996, plus the 1997 releases of both Gridlock’d and Gang Related, respectively. It’s also widely-known that John Singleton wrote the 2001 film Baby Boy with Tupac as the first choice to play the main character Jody (later replaced by Tyrese), and it’s been said that he even read for Samuel L. Jackson’s role as Master Mace Windu in the 1999 sci-fi hit film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In addition to his strong stance on politics, both in the lyrics of his biggest songs and in reaction to his many real-life run-ins with the law, there’s really no telling what the future could’ve held for such an astounding figure in Black History. Dare we say, President Pac?
His full life was immortalized in the 2017 biopic All Eyez on Me, with budding actor Demetrius Shipp Jr. playing the title role, and most recently in last year’s 10-episode anthology series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. that aired on USA Network and starred Marcc Rose as the bandana-bearing rap legend. With as many as three unreleased albums currently in the works from his official estate, we have yet to see or hear the last from our dearly-missed brother. While his memory is eternal, we’ll always miss the even greater man that he would’ve become in the physical.
Source: Tupac Shakur 1996 MTV Music Awards Featuring: Tupac Shakur Where: New York City, Nevada, United States When: 04 Sep 1996 Credit: Chris Connor / WENN
The story behind 2Pac’s infamous night at New York City’s Quad Studios has gotten even more interesting. Makaveli’s friend is now accused of setting him up.
As spotted on HipHopDX (Riker’s Island isn’t a state prison by the way) Dexter Isaac alleges that Pac’s one time ally orchestrated the hit which left “I Get Around” rapper shot five times. In a recent interview with Gully TV he reveals Live Squad member Randy “Stretch” Walker was paid by Jimmy Henchmen for his participation.
“Stretch set the whole thing up. He was in cahoots and was giving us the play-by-play” he asserted in the audio clip. “He was in communication with Jimmy [Henchman] who had promised him a quarter brick of cocaine.” Later in the interview he also says he approached Walter “King Tut” Johnson for lying that he took part in the robbery. “We sat down and talked and he couldn’t answer. What jewelry was taken m*****f*****, describe the jewelry, what was taken? How did it go down? And this m*****f***** couldn’t say s***.”
On November 30, 1994 while entering the lobby of the facility Tupac was robbed and shot by three men. It should be noted that Stretch was with Tupac but was not armed and therefore could not intervene. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The next day he checked himself out of the hospital against doctor’s orders. He then showed up court in a wheelchair to receive his sentencing for the sexual assault case.
In an interview with Vibe Shakur would later point blame at Notorious B.I.G. and Diddy for letting him walk into certain doom since they were recording there that night too. Later he would hint at Jimmy Henchman’s involvement on “Against All Odds”. Additionally it is widely believed Stretch was addressed on “Holla At Me” for his betrayal. “How could you do me like that? / I took your family in / I put some cash in your pocket / Made you a man again / And now you let the fear put your ass in a place / Complicated to escape, it’s a fools fate / Without your word, you’re a shell of a man /I lost respect for you ni*** / We can never be friends.”
Ironically Stretch was killed in a drive by shooting a year to the date of the Quad Studios incident fueling rumors that the slaying was payback for being conspirator in the sneak attack. In 2011 Dexter Isaac confessed to the robbery claiming Jimmy Henchmen paid him $2,500 dollars for the hit.
You can listen to the interview below where he also describes the jewelry taken from Tupac.
