Exemplification Essay: The Legacy Of Tupac

When I was younger I would often hear people talk about Tupac, whether it be other rappers or even adults but at the time I had no idea who he was I knew of him but I didn’t know any of his songs, how he died or even what type of legacy he left behind. I would often watch rap interviews and a common theme that was brought up was they were inspired by Tupac, so in my head I’m thinking “who is this guy if he inspires some of the greatest rappers of my generation, he must be the king of rap.” Then around 8th grade I actually decided to put out an effort and learn something I listened to most of his songs, popular or not I watched some of his documentaries/interviews and I even watched two of the movies he was in. After that I myself grew to love his music and his exciting personally, I especially loved how he kept it real from the jump from the beginning of his career to the end he stayed the same. He eventually became one of my favorite rappers and the closest

thing to my idol besides my parents because in a weird way I saw a little of myself as a mature adult through him.

Son of two former black panthers, a well known rapper, author, actor and poet just add on to the legacy of great rapper who was killed at the age of 25, Tupac Amaru Shakur is an artist whose music still affects people today and lyrics are still relatable in today’s society.

Tupac, although known for his gangster lifestyle and multiple run-ins with the law, is still one of the most influential black males. His music touched many people`s hearts from songs like “Dear Mama” to songs like “Changes” and even songs to lift women`s spirit up like “Keep ya head up.” With a powerful ex-panther and a single mother, Afeni Shakur taught her son many lessons and helped him become the man he was before he died, you would often hear him in interviews bring up his mother a lot and even tell his interviewers about the life lessons his mother taught. Tupac was a great inspiration to many artists and still is although his life was cut short at the age of 25, his legacy still lives on in the hearts of many and even in his

family.

If given the chance to have a conversation with Tupac, I would speak to him about love in addition to the topic of love I would ask about his first love and how did it affect him when he fell in love, how he dealt with his first heartbreak, and most importantly how to love your neighbor. How can you love somebody that has absolute hate for you? Although the saying goes “An eye for an eye makes the world blind,” I would question Tupac “How can turn the other cheek or even find in your heart to love someone that wants nothing to do with you?” In addition, I would want to know how he feels about the police brutality that has been occurring recently. Nowadays walking at night especially African American males have to be cautious about the threat of being robbed or a police officer misusing his power to do as he pleases. I would question how he writes and if he ever gets “brain farts” and if not how does he focus and still be able to continue a song. Lastly I would want to know about his childhood and life as a teen, the personal things that you necessarily don’t tell the media.

Having a conversation with a legend like Tupac would influence anybody and me as a teenager who is coming to adulthood soon having somebody that`s been through it, would help greatly. But at the same time I have to show grit and learn how to transition from high school to college perfectly.