News of November 19, 2002
Michael Medved Attacks the Veneration of Tupac in USA Today
In November 2002, film critic Michael Medved criticized in USA Today that Tupac was made a cult figure despite criminal records and violent lyrics.
Six years after his death, the American public is divided over how Tupac should be remembered. In November 2002, film critic and radio host Michael Medved published an op-ed in the newspaper USA Today, which AllHipHop reported on on November 19. Medved was among the paper’s regular guest contributors.
“Glorify violent and self-destructive black thugs”
Medved accused the entertainment industry of glorifying violent and self-destructive Black men. Tupac’s prior convictions and violent lyrics made him unsuitable as a pop culture icon and as the namesake of a peace garden. The fact that Tupac remained so popular after his death reflected the racist notion that criminal violence was an expression of African American authenticity. Yet Tupac came from an educated, intellectual, and radical family background.
As another example, Medved cited Denzel Washington’s Oscar for the role of a corrupt police officer in Training Day. Medved had published the book Hollywood vs. America in 1992. Tupac’s political influences are described on the page Tupac and Politics.