![]() ![]() It is only when the narrative turns to Tupac’s filmic ambitions – White’s speciality is in film and cultural studies – that any sense of empathy shines through. While detailing rape allegations, court proceedings and lyrical content he seems curiously distant from the subject, showing little sign that he finds anything to like or respect about Tupac. While there is some truth to his arguments, in many cases he heaps derision on journalists who may be guilty of cliché or lazy thinking but who demonstrate considerably more affection for his subject than he does. A journalist who describes Tupac as “shockingly handsome” is denounced as racist on the evidence of those two words, and White regularly uses magazine cuttings as examples of what he perceives as a subconsciously racist approach to the entire Rap industry. While White presents a powerful and convincing argument, at times he’s too eager to play the race card. “Rebel For The Hell Of It” attempts to explain the cultural issues that shaped Tupac and his generation, presenting a damning picture of corrupt police, institutionalised racism and the greed of the recording industry. The son of former Black Panther and crack addict Afeni Shakur, Tupac attended drama school and was a gifted musician and actor his death in a drive-by and the resulting tit-for-tat killing of Biggie Smalls (AKA Notorious B.I.G.) were generally believed to be part of the escalating rivalry between East Coast and West Coast gangs. Straddling the line between entertainment and violent reality, the label developed a reputation for gangsterism and intimidation while its artists seemed to lead the same violent and misogynistic lives they rapped about.Īrmond White attempts to tell the story of Tupac Shakur, Death Row’s most famous recording artist, and place him firmly in the context of Black culture and society. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg and many others, the label’s roster read like a “who’s who” of the rap industry and the “gangsta” genre in particular. Under the guidance of its founder Marion “Suge” Knight, Death Row Records became one of the most successful and most talked-about record labels of the 1990s. Unfortunately Pac didn’t get out in time….Suge Knight is to blame for the downfall of death row, and I for one am glad that dude is put away for life.Gary Marshall on the history of gangsta rap as documented in Tupac Shakur: Rebel For The Hell Of It and Have Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise ![]() ![]() 2pac was leaving death row for the same reason everyone else did, Suge Knight was a greedy violent dude and people knew they were being cheated out of their rightfully earned royalties. It’s also known that he had recently fired David Kenner as his lawyer as he was hiring new representation. Word was getting around that 2pac was leaving the label because he found out that he didn’t own anything, his house, his cars, all of it was in the name of death row records. There was this one guy at Interscope/Death Row, I believe his name was Jay Jensen, I remember having a conversation with him about how things were at death row since Dre had left the previous year, and he said that he believed 2pac was also getting ready to leave death row and create his own label similar to what Dre did and that Interscope would be the parent label for distribution. I’ve been in radio for 30 years now, and 20 of those years I was in hip hop radio. ![]()
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