17 entries
Interviews: Tupac in Conversation
From political rapper with Digital Underground to the final interview in 1996: 17 conversations from radio, TV, and print, placed in chronological context.
Tupac talked a lot and loved doing so: with radio hosts in the Bay Area, teen magazines, Vibe, the Los Angeles Times, and MTV. Reading his interviews in chronological order reveals a man who reinvented himself several times across five years: from the political newcomer with Digital Underground to the inmate who renounced “Thug Life,” to the Death Row star who, by the summer of 1996, knew only war.
Because the rights belong to the media outlets, this overview does not print the conversations word for word but offers context: when and where the conversation took place, who asked the questions, what it was about, and what important things Tupac said, supported by a few short original quotes. Several widely circulated dates are wrong; the individual pages give the correct ones.
1991-1993: From the Underground to the Big Screen
| Date | Interview | Outlet |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Davey D Meets the “Rebel of the Underground” | Davey D, Bay Area |
| 1992 | Right On! 1992: Tupac After Juice | Right On! |
| 1993 | Right On! 1993: Between Bishop and Lucky | Right On! |
In late 1991, shortly after the police assault in Oakland, Tupac spoke with radio journalist Davey D about 2Pacalypse Now. In the teen magazines of Right On!, the topics were Juice, Poetic Justice, and his role as a role model.
1995: Rikers Island and the Turning Point After Prison
| Date | Interview | Outlet |
|---|---|---|
| January 1995 (April issue) | “Ready to Live”: Tupac on Rikers Island | Vibe, Kevin Powell |
| 1995 | Sister 2 Sister: Jamie Foster Brown Visits Tupac in Prison | Sister 2 Sister |
| 1995 | Tony Patrick: Panther Heritage and Respect | Tony Patrick |
| October 25, 1995 | “I Am Not a Gangster” | Los Angeles Times, Chuck Philips |
| October 27, 1995 | On Venice Beach with Tabitha Soren | MTV News |
| November 4, 1995 | Street Heat: Tupac in Las Vegas | Street Heat |
The conversation with Kevin Powell on Rikers Island is one of the most important of all: Tupac spoke openly about the shooting at Quad Studios and declared “Thug Life” over. After his release in October 1995, he already sounded different again.
1996: On Death Row to the Last Testament
| Date | Interview | Outlet |
|---|---|---|
| February 1996 | “Live from Death Row” | Vibe, Kevin Powell |
| April 1996 | MTV News on the Video Set with Snoop Dogg | MTV News |
| April 19, 1996 | KMEL with Sway: Tupac Speaks to the Bay Area | KMEL, San Francisco |
| 1996 | Hot 97: “I Am a Soldier” | Hot 97, New York |
| June 1996 | “Inside the Mind of Shakur” | VIBE Online |
| Late August 1996 (November issue) | “Last Testament” | Vibe, Rob Marriott |
| September 4, 1996 | MTV Video Music Awards 1996 | MTV |
Rob Marriott’s “Last Testament” is considered Tupac’s last in-depth interview. Conducted on the set of Gang Related, it took place two weeks before his death. Three days after the MTV Video Music Awards, he was shot in Las Vegas.
An Undated Find
- Tupac on Women and Gender Roles, a short excerpt whose origin could not be clarified.
How the individual milestones and conflicts of these years tie together is traced in the Biography and the Timeline.
Tupac on Women and Gender Roles (Fragment, Source Unknown)
A short interview excerpt with no source: Tupac calls himself old-fashioned and talks about men, women and forgotten roles.
1991
Davey D Meets the "Rebel of the Underground" (1991)
Late 1991, just after his run-in with Oakland police: Tupac talks with Davey D about 2Pacalypse Now, Juice and his plans for young Black men.
1992
Right On! 1992: Tupac After Juice
Early 1992, age 20: Tupac tells teen magazine Right On! about Juice, the doctored movie poster, his youth and his first projects.
1993
Right On! 1993: Between Bishop and Lucky
Ahead of Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and Poetic Justice, Tupac talks to Right On! about censorship, Thug Life, Janet Jackson and his two sides.
1995
Sister 2 Sister: Jamie Foster Brown Visits Tupac in Prison (1995)
In 1995, Tupac talks from prison with Sister 2 Sister publisher Jamie Foster Brown about fan mail, prison life, trouble with guards and an old dispute.
1995
Tony Patrick: Tupac on His Panther Roots and Respect (1995)
Talking to journalist Tony Patrick, Tupac discusses his Panther family, disrespect in hip-hop and why peace needs prosperity first.
1995-04
"Ready to Live": Tupac on Rikers Island in Vibe (April 1995)
January 1995, Rikers Island: Kevin Powell talks to Tupac about getting sober, the Quad Studios shooting, the trial and a life beyond "Thug Life".
Oct 25, 1995
"I Am Not a Gangster": Tupac in the Los Angeles Times (October 1995)
Six days out of prison, Tupac tells Chuck Philips about jail, the media, Shakespeare and the charge that his music glorifies violence.
Oct 27, 1995
On Venice Beach: Tupac with Tabitha Soren (MTV News, October 1995)
Two weeks out of prison, Tupac strolls Venice Beach with MTV's Tabitha Soren and talks childhood, prison, the shooting and starting over.
Nov 4, 1995
Street Heat: Tupac in Las Vegas (November 1995)
Las Vegas, the night of Bowe vs. Holyfield: Tupac tells Street Heat why he moved to Death Row and previews hip-hop's first double album.
1996
Hot 97: "I'm a Soldier" (1996)
A 1996 radio exchange with New York's hip-hop station Hot 97: Tupac defends his stance against Bad Boy, with words, he insists, not guns.
1996-02
"Live from Death Row": Tupac in Vibe (February 1996)
Fresh out of prison, Tupac tells Kevin Powell why he joined Death Row, what he thinks of Biggie and why All Eyez on Me is not for kids.
1996-04
MTV News on Set: Tupac and Snoop Dogg (April 1996)
On the set of "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted," Tupac and Snoop Dogg talk to MTV about friendship, film plans, Tarantino and Dr. Dre's exit.
Apr 19, 1996
KMEL with Sway: Tupac Speaks to the Bay Area (April 19, 1996)
In April 1996 Tupac tells KMEL about his love for the Bay Area, how he joined Death Row and how he sees the feud with Bad Boy.
1996-06
"Inside the Mind of Shakur": Tupac on VIBE Online (June 1996)
In summer 1996 Tupac talks to VIBE Online about his father, youth programs, God and the church, finding a woman and the feud with Biggie.
Sep 4, 1996
MTV Video Music Awards 1996: "Believe in Death Row East"
At the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, three days before the Las Vegas shooting, Tupac pitches Death Row East and takes aim at Bad Boy and Nas.
1996-11
"Last Testament": Tupac's Last Major Vibe Interview (November 1996)
Two weeks before his death, Tupac talks to Rob Marriott in his trailer on the Gang Related set about Makaveli, Dr. Dre, Biggie, politics and "Black Jesus".