Pac did die because of a quest for authenticity but not in the sense that he wanted to prove he was real. He wanted others to hold the same standards of keeping it real that he did, which were intuitively principled. The whole 2pac/Bad Boy beef really stems from Pac's speaking out against Black Mafia because he perceived them as being fake in a sense because they tried to extort fellow brothers and had snitches like Haitian Jack running with them. Pac spoke out on it, got shot for it, didn't have the people he was hanging with stick up for him in the matter and consequently spoke up about that.
This led to the beef which was carried over in his music and was the prime reason why he chose to sign with Death Row. Every beef he got into after that, no matter how silly some seemed, can be traced back to him making a judgment on who was keeping it real and who wasn't. Pac wanted everyone to act on the sense of honor and pride that he did. Of course, most people ain't shyt because morals come at a price and so he clashed with a lot of people.
This is also what ultimately led him to beat down Orlando, not because he wanted to belong in a gang or prove that he was real but because he felt he really was objectively right and justified in taking it to those who opposed him because he knew about himself that he wanted what is best for the community. Orlando was affiliated with Puffy's camp, so by default he was on the wrong side morally in Pac's mind. He always felt his heart was in the right place. So if people opposed him, it had to be something wrong with them and their motivation. If you listen to that last major interview, this attitude clearly shows.
Now of course Pac was naive in believing that he could get all people to be real just by trying to live according to certain principles himself in various situations. But at the same time, he was really doing a lot to try to keep that authenticity a part of hip hop. We have seen since his death what happens when people are not held to a certain standard of 'realness'. Hip hop has turned pathetic and is more than ever infested with people living fantasies who ain't about shyt. Hip hop is not about community anymore, it's about money. It's a business vehicle rather than a culture for a community now. Pac's death represents this shift and his beef with Bad Boy was at least partly a symbolic clash between these opposing forces (sense of community and honor versus indifferent, opportunistic money-making) acting on hip hop culture. We all know which force came to dominate unfortunately. We used to love her. Now we just love the memory of Pac.
This led to the beef which was carried over in his music and was the prime reason why he chose to sign with Death Row. Every beef he got into after that, no matter how silly some seemed, can be traced back to him making a judgment on who was keeping it real and who wasn't. Pac wanted everyone to act on the sense of honor and pride that he did. Of course, most people ain't shyt because morals come at a price and so he clashed with a lot of people.
This is also what ultimately led him to beat down Orlando, not because he wanted to belong in a gang or prove that he was real but because he felt he really was objectively right and justified in taking it to those who opposed him because he knew about himself that he wanted what is best for the community. Orlando was affiliated with Puffy's camp, so by default he was on the wrong side morally in Pac's mind. He always felt his heart was in the right place. So if people opposed him, it had to be something wrong with them and their motivation. If you listen to that last major interview, this attitude clearly shows.
Now of course Pac was naive in believing that he could get all people to be real just by trying to live according to certain principles himself in various situations. But at the same time, he was really doing a lot to try to keep that authenticity a part of hip hop. We have seen since his death what happens when people are not held to a certain standard of 'realness'. Hip hop has turned pathetic and is more than ever infested with people living fantasies who ain't about shyt. Hip hop is not about community anymore, it's about money. It's a business vehicle rather than a culture for a community now. Pac's death represents this shift and his beef with Bad Boy was at least partly a symbolic clash between these opposing forces (sense of community and honor versus indifferent, opportunistic money-making) acting on hip hop culture. We all know which force came to dominate unfortunately. We used to love her. Now we just love the memory of Pac.
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