Happy Birthday Tupac Amaru Shakur

Today is rap legend 2pac's birthday. The man would have been 39 years old. There isn't anything I can say about 2pac's importance to music that every documentary hasn't already, however I can say that his music meant a lot to me because it represented a realness that I had never heard in rap before up to that point. I really felt a connection to the man. When I listen to a song like "Death Around the Corner," I feel the same paranoia he feels. When I listen to a song like "Dear Mama," I really understand how he feels about his mother and catch a glimpse into his family. Somehow 'Pac had the gift of being able to connect with his audience that no other rapper was able to do before him. I think this is why he was so special to many, and certainly why he was so special to me. I really don't think a rap icon up to the caliber of 2pac will ever be realized again. R.I.P. Tupac. We miss you. Rap could certainly use you right now.

~M