Why 2Pac? A Question for Readers

On the bus, on the train, in the classroom: in 2007, you encountered Tupac’s name everywhere. On November 15, 2007, an opinion piece on this site’s blog (then Thuglove.de / United-Tupac.Com) addressed this omnipresence. It concluded with a question for readers: what makes Tupac so special, and how did you find your way to him?

A Peaceful War Instead of Hate

Hardly a rapper back then had not honored him in songs, and even artists who considered themselves the best tipped their hats to him. For the author, Tupac, like the Black Panthers, was a freedom fighter.

Tupac had once described his music as a peaceful war meant to bring not hatred, but unity. He wanted to call on African Americans to become active through creativity. The author knew his fans above all as people who stuck together.

The Connection to the Black Panthers Was Real

This connection was biographically real: Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur was a member of the Black Panther Party, as was his biological father Billy Garland. This heritage shaped Tupac’s political lyrics about racism, police brutality, and poverty.

His well-known motto summed up this ambition: he was not saying he would change the world, but he guaranteed he would spark the brain that would.

How many readers replied back then is not recorded; the comments are not preserved in the archive.

Official Answers from Washington to Hollywood

The question of Tupac’s significance has received many official answers since. In 2010, the Library of Congress added “Dear Mama” to the National Recording Registry. In 2017, Tupac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In 2023, he posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

According to his official website, he has sold over 75 million records worldwide. The 2007 question remains open nonetheless: it is addressed anew to every fan.