Eternal Pac

Tupac – Shakur feat. Nas – Thugz Mansion

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Today is World Tupac Day. No, it’s not officially listed as an internationally recognized day, but for tens of millions of people, today is about Pac. Tupac’s days were spent running mental marathons in one of the most pensive and creative minds of the last century, and he bears the mark of a true American folk hero. Recognized for his gangsta, it was his spirit and his mind that encouraged 75 million albums to be sold, people related to Pac because he spoke a lot of truth. It’s 2010, and so much has seemed to have changed since that fateful day 14 years ago, imagine what Pac would have thought of Obama citing Ludacris as his favorite rapper. Imagine who Obama would have cited as his favorite rapper.

I remember seeing people cry that day, and I wondered if it was dramatic. Nah, man, it was barely a tribute.

R.I.P Pac

In Boston, you see dead rappers

Time Machine (Hood Politics VI) drops September 22nd.
Produced by The Alchemist, directed by John Colombo.

Since Termanology is on this morbid note, how about the fact that Tupac tracks are still getting released. I was discussing this with Sammy G, the fact that mixtapes get a bad rap considering everyone ends up on them, dead or alive. The most recent Pac mixtape is titled “Immortal” and claims to be 17 unreleased Tupac cuts. Maybe it is, but there’s a good reason why they were unreleased, Pac didn’t like them, period? Perhaps Pac only didn’t like them enough for an LP, and had he been embedded in the NYC scene longer, it’s quite likely many of these tracks would have been released via mixtapes. So all you Pac loyalists out there, don’t hate on the mixtape genre, not if it takes a death of a legend for you to download one.

2Pac – Immortal (2009) (Mixtape)

ZIF Exclusive: Chali 2na Talks His New Album, Dilla, & the J5 Breakup

“Let’s take it back to the concrete streets,/ Original beats with real, live MCs./ Playground tactics, no rabbit-in-a-hat tricks/ Just that classic rap shit from Jurassic.”

The first time I heard “Concrete Schoolyard,” it was on a tape that my brother made for me something like a decade ago.  Even now, that song fills me with memories of toasty New York sidewalks and suffocating subway platforms.  See, Jurassic 5 was always about taking it back to carefree times when Hip-Hop culture was infatuated with artistry rather than gangster swagger.  When J5 was coming up in the context of LA’s The Good Life cafe alongside acts like the Pharcyde and Freestyle Fellowship, they were reacting to the surge in violent subject matter catalyzed by N.W.A.  Then, their eponymous EP first dropped in 1997, and it became a white flag of peace in the wake of the murders of 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G.  Therefore, when their undeniable talents as a group left them on the brink of mainstream success, their efforts to update their sound produced questionable results.

Before Jurassic 5 split up two years ago, Chali 2na always stood out from the other three emcees, both live and on record, due to his stature, natural charisma, baritone vocals, and staccato flow.  Having kept a low profile in the last couple years, 2na proved that his apparent skills weren’t simply a matter of juxtaposition when he took the stage at Harvelle’s in Santa Monica two nights ago.  It was really dope to witness an emcee of his pedigree just having fun jamming with a live band (one that featured key members from LA’s own House of Vibe All-Stars), and it carried over to the fifty or so people packed into the back of the venue.  2na previewed the solo set that he will be performing this summer on the Rock the Bells tour, which is dominated by songs from his forthcoming album, Fish Outta Water.  Both the set and the album ostensibly showcase sides of the “Verbal Herman Munster,” creatively, musically and lyrically, that were suppressed during his stint with J5 and Ozomatli.

Following his performance, 2na was cool enough to talk with us about his new album, his experiences with J Dilla, and the Jurassic 5 break-up.  Peep the interview below.  Chali 2na will be performing on the Rock the Bells tour throughout the summer, and Fish Outta Water drops on July 7th.  Go out and support artists holding it down in the underground.

MPFREE: Chali 2na feat. Talib Kweli – Lock Shit Down (Prod. by Jake One)

BONUS:  Hit the jump to peep the “Climax” video that 2na was talking about in part 1

TMZ makes me smile

TUPAC IS ALIVE?

Leave it to Papparazi giant TMZ to reinvigorate the debate about Tupac’s death. These pictures (Above) show profile shots of someone who resembles Pac more than your average L.A. black guy. But is this overwhelming evidence of Pac’s existence? Hardly not, but it did bring me back to the last time I heard that Pac may be alive. That was when the video dropped for “Smile” featuring Scarface and Pac and featured a few glimpses of yet another Pac lookalike. We’re desperate to find heroes when we seek to dig up the dead. RIP PAC.

MPFREE: Scarface ft. Tupac & Johnny P