News of January 15, 2015
Unreleased Interview: "We are in the midst of war"
18 days before his death, Tupac spoke at a film shoot about his first name and a declaration of war. In 2015, the recording surfaced on a forum.
On August 27, 1996, Tupac and his co-star Jim Belushi sat together at a press junket for the film Gang Related. According to Rolling Stone, an interview was recorded that day, 18 days before Tupac’s death, an excerpt of which only made the rounds in January 2015. According to the magazine, the previously unreleased material first surfaced on a Tupac forum, and HipHopDX reported on it.
Determined Never to Negotiate Again
Asked about the meaning of his name, which traces back to the Peruvian freedom fighter Túpac Amaru II (Name Tupac Amaru), Tupac offered his own definition. To him, it meant “determined.” He said he was determined never to negotiate again: “We are in the midst of war.” Nobody was willing to grant him the breath to keep living, so he would not grant anyone theirs either.
The recording is among the last known interviews from the final week before the shooting in Las Vegas. The reports do not state who conducted the interview.