THE VOCAL OUTLAW

THE VOCAL OUTLAW

PROFILE

NAME: Tupac Shakur

TYPE OF OUTLAW: The Vocal Outlaw


INTRODUCTION

 

“Every time I speak I want the truth to come out. Every time I speak I want a shiver. I don’t want them to be like they know what I’m gonna say because it’s polite.” - Tupac 


When Tupac spoke everyone listened. Sometimes he spoke words of inspiration. Encouraging people to:- "never stop dreaming during your life, because no one can take away your dreams". Other times he spoke words of ignorant self justification. Declaring "I pay all the bills! I feed my whole family, wrong or right. I do. And I can’t stop. If thuggin is gonna make me a million bucks, cause I just went platinum, then that’s what I’m gonna do. Constantly.” Every time he did speak though, he spoke his truth relentlessly. And this made him one of the most influential & engaging people of our generation.

 
Tupac was a Musician, Actor, Poet, Thug angel, Militant black man, gangsta, activist, symbol of resistance... the list goes on & on when trying to describe one of hip hop's most iconic figures. The list also highlights the human paradox that Tupac was. He rose to fame as a rapper in the west coast hip hop scene. A genre which became mainstream by glorifying a gangsta lifestyle. And also fit Tupac's profile & image perfectly. 
 
Tupac grew up surrounded by poverty, violence & crime as a child. His mother was also a drug addict. This meant he was able to witness first-hand the effects that these vices had on his community. His backstory has all the elements which normally precedes a rap career steeped in criminal activity, drug abuse & misogyny. Tupac had other ideas though. He refused to conform to what the general consensus considered mainstream. For the most part he chose to use his voice & platform to impact change. Doing so by documenting the social issues which plagued his childhood in his songs. 
 
Don't get me wrong, if you trawl through his whole catalogue you will discover some problematic songs. And they will have very ignorant themes, but no one’s perfect & we have to allow people to grow. Tupac understood this more than anyone, once stating: "We’re made to grow. You either evolve or you disappear." It's easy to forget that he recorded all of his songs before he had even reached the age of 26. 

 

“You gotta make a change. It’s time for us as a people to start making some changes, lets change the way we eat, lets change the way we live, and lets change the way we treat each other.” - Tupac

  

We all reach a stage in our lives when we become aware of our environment & take steps to relate to it. How we identify with our environment is a different matter though. Tupac could have went down the path of also becoming a drug addict like his mother. Or a criminal like his neighbours, but he chose to turn his negative experiences into a positive. You can either let your environment define you, or persevere to re-define your environment. Tupac chose the latter. Not only did he strive to change his environment, but every environment that suffered from the same social issues.  

 

THE ART OF BEING A VOCAL OUTLAW

 

In order to effect change, you need people, & to reach people you need a platform. Hip Hop was Tupac’s platform & he used it to fight police brutality, social injustice & financial greed. 

 
In an English class, Tupac wrote a paper called "Conquering All Obstacles" in which he said: "our raps, not the sorry story raps everyone is so tired of. They are about what happens in the real world. Our goal is to have people relate to our raps, making it easier to see what really is happening out there. Even more important, what we may do to better our world"
 
Tupac was a visionary, he saw the world for what it was & had the ability to analyse issues & break down the root causes. He named his crew T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. which seemed like another typical gangster mob, but was in actual fact an acronym for "The Hate U Gave Little Infants Fucks Everybody." His reimagining of a word that the Oxford Dictionary defines as “a violent person, especially a criminal” into a positive attribute resonated with the masses. Tupac’s vision redefined the word “thug” into a man who triumphs over systemic and societal obstacles.

“I didn’t create thug-life, I diagnosed it. What you feed us as seeds grows and blows up in your face” - Tupac 


He made it his mission to expose the contents of that seed. He was very aware of the influence society plays on who we become, & wanted to inspire people to overcome the systemic pitfalls within our society. He embraced every opportunity to use his voice & platform to speak out on these issues.

 

"There’s no way that Michael Jackson or whoever Jackson should have a million thousand droople billion dollars and then there are people starving. There’s no way! There’s no way that these people should own planes and their people don’t have houses. Apartments. Shacks. Drawers. Pants! I know you’re rich. I know you got 40 billion dollars, but can you just keep it to one house? You only need ONE house. And if you only got two kids, can you just keep it to two rooms? I mean why have 52 rooms and you know there’s somebody with no room?! It just doesn’t make sense to me. It don’t" - Tupac 

 

Tupac on greed

 

The quote above originated from an interview he conducted with MTV in 1992. They actually later banned it because his views were deemed too controversial. I've included the link above for those that can spare 4 minutes to listen to Tupac passionately call out the financial greed & lack of empathy rooted within our society. I remember watching this as a young teenager who had aspirations of getting rich & then spending my money on ridiculous things I didn't need. Mainly in the form of shiny gold things. Kind of like the ones Tupac's hypocritically wearing in the interview. Even so, this interview completely changed my perspective on wealth & the responsibility that comes with it. Yes, it is nice to have shiny gold things but what value does that actually add to your life? The words Tupac spoke in this interview had a major impact on my mindset. I began to see money as a tool for effecting positive change rather than just a tool for buying shiny gold things.  

 

WHY YOU SHOULD BE LAWLESS WITH YOUR VOICE


"I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world." - Tupac 


No matter who you are, your voice and the way you use it can be impactful. When you're lawless with your voice & speak out on subject matters that you are passionate about. You can create influence, emotion & inspiration. 

 
Tupac did this & transcended social barriers, colour lines & geographical divides, with his undeniable passion for what he spoke about. He was able to inspire millions with his music & words, planting positive seeds in people’s minds, in the hope that this would one day spark change. Change doesn't happen overnight with one person, true power lies with the masses. You can plant a million seeds & even if only one grows then your job is done. You might only be able to get through to one person but who knows, that person might then go on to inspire millions of others & impact the world greatly. 
 
Tupac was passionate about social issues, financial greed & women. He made countless inspirational songs about all 3 of these subject matters. And in my case also managed to change my outlook on them.    
 
What are you passionate about? What can you trigger people to change their perspective about? Whether its climate change, systematic issues or attempting to end the comeback of flares once & for all... use your voice to make an impact. You never know who might be listening.       

WHAT KIND OF OUTLAW ARE YOU


Don’t leave this world without giving it your all. - Tupac


Tupac accomplished so much in the short time he was alive that it is hard to believe he died at 25 years old. He certainly gave it his all. He was unapologetically human & lived his raps. In the end this was to be his downfall. But a far cry from today’s rappers who rap about fabricated lives & project a manufactured image. Don't get me wrong Tupac wasn't a saint by any means, or a role model & definitely shouldn't be remembered as a martyr. He was just a real human being who had his flaws & mistakes documented for the whole world to see & learn from. This is why he was so special & is so missed in today’s culture where what you see isn't necessarily what you get. People are naturally drawn to authenticity. We can sense when people are being disingenuous & this is why Tupac's words resonated with so many people. 

Tupac once said: "People die, legends live forever." His legend will live on through his music, words & the people he has inspired. He not only inspired me but taught me that- "Nothing can stop me unless I allow it to" He was a vocal outlaw.

What kind of outlaw are you?

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