June 16th is...

Bet you don't know what today is. Or I guess what today woulda been is more accurate. June 16th is Tupac Shakur's birthday. And IF (yes if, he is no alive) he were alive, he'd be 35 today. See, I've been a fan from day one. Since I heard the first single off of his first solo release, Trapped from 2Pacolypse Now. I know it became popular to like him after his first Death Row cd, All Eyez On Me. And I have that weird pride that comes with liking an artist before they are huge.

Anyway, 35. Hm. What coulda been huh? Not sure if that's just a theme with me and the athletes and musicians I am a fan of, or everyone has that. But Doc Gooden, Tyson, Strawberry, Tupac and Biggie. All of them are these Shakespeare like tragedies. Anyway, not exactly the point I'm going for. My belief is that Tupac is/was the most important artist of the past 15 years. From his impact on society from his lyrics, his troubles, his legacy and the doors he opened. He wasn't the first rapper to get in movies. But those that came before him didn't exactly have his rap sheet, if you will. Eminem, 50 Cent, DMX and countless others have been given the opportunity to get in movies because Tupac came before them. Ice Cube, Ice T and Will Smith were all acting before but none of them really had any baggage. Not exactly an accomplishment worthy of a Nobel Prize but worth noting.

In the mid 90's everyone wanted to talk about Kurt Cobain, and in all fairness the guy was a great song writer and meant a lot to MOST of a generation. But Tupac got through to everyone. You had an opinion of him, and probably still do. He was a thug, or he was a poet. A hoodlum or a revolutionary. White kids kids from rich suburban neighborhoods did, and still do "bump Pac." Where as Cobain is still be played by those in their mid to late 30's when they went to reminisce over the good ol' days of Grunge. Which by the way kinda began to fade away while Nirvana was still around. Rap? Has done nothing but get bigger. Movies, television, and commercials all are heavily influenced by hip-hop. Not that Tupac did that on his own. Nor was he the first, simply the most important with the most impact.

This is a guy who has actually released more music SINCE he passed. How many other artists have that much to say? Seriously, he recorded 200+ songs in a career that lasted less then 6 years. Mean while we're still waiting on Axl Rose to release Chinese Democracy some 15 years later. And lots of artists have taken that work ethic from Pac. I understand that it's some what easier for a rapper to release more music. They don't have to write the music, just lyrics and find a beat that works with it. But not only did he write music. He wrote poetry and actually penned a screen play that is in pre-production now. All the while, getting arrested and shot. Where the hell did he find the time?

I'd even give him some of the credit for making tattoos such a huge part of today's society. They've been around forever, I know this. But the Thug Life tat on his stomach, the tats on his neck, arms that he always had on display sunk into Americas psyche. Before the tattoo was something for bikers and convicts. But soon after Pac came on the scene, you couldn't find a sorority girl without one on her lower back or a stock broker without one on his ankle. I don't think they ran out and got it because he had one. But they did so because they saw it on someone and thought "cool" and I bet that person, or the person they got the idea from, wanted one because Pac had so many.

So what if. What if this guy was still alive at 35? What would his music sound like? What movies would he have starred in? What rappers would still be around, and who wouldn't? Since so many have tried to take his place (50, Ja Rule, Master P, DMX) What would he say about W? Many don't remember he came under fire from Dan Quayle. That's how long he's been around. He talked about Poppa Bush, I'm sure he would have had some words for Dubya. Syracuse University and Washington University have classes on Tupac. Harvard has courses that have his lyrics as part of the curriculum. So Thug? Check. Poet? Check. Hoodlum? Check. Revolutionary? Check. Educator? Check.

Talk about imPACt.