Hip Hop Icon Tupac and Afeni Shakur Dissed by Bill Cosby Print
Written by Robert ID3361   
Sunday, 25 February 2007 09:03

Recently an article by Damon C. Williams in the Philadelphia Daily News, on the ‘Save Our Children forum’ held in the auditorium of Community College of Philadelphia, Bill Cosby faulted the love shown to the late hip hop icon, rapper Tupac Shakur (2Pac).

Mr. Cosby said it was crazy for the hip hop icon Tupac Shakur (2Pac), who was murdered in Las Vegas in 1996, and his mother, Afeni Shakur, to enjoy the proceeds from Shakur's drug sales.

Now I would like to see if Bill Cosby could back up that claim with evidence. These remarks aimed toward hip hop icon Tupac (2Pac) and towards a civil rights Elder with the status of Afeni Shakur; leaves one to wonder why the name of the hip hop icon was even mentioned by Mr. Cosby.

Does Mr. Cosby know that Tupac Shakur is the best selling hip hop and rap artist of all time? And maybe that means there are ‘royalties’ for that work?

Tupac was assassinated over 10 years ago and to say that his mother, Afeni Shakur, is still living off drug sales is outrageous.

Sure Tupac said that at one time he ‘tried’ to sell drugs but couldn’t get that together. He was young and wanted a life. Tupac was not a drug dealer – he was an activist, hip hop artist, poet and actor. He was and is something that Mr. Cosby is not – and that is respected.

Mr. Cosby apparently is also unaware of the work Afeni Shakur does and if he would visit the only official web site of Tupac Shakur – 2PacLegacy.com he might be able to see that Afeni and the TASF do many things to help direct the youth in the right direction.

Everyone who has knowledge of Tupac (2Pac) knows that he and his mother had ‘rocky’ times but nothing in this world is perfect. Tupac’s tribute to his mother, ‘Dear Mama’, is a hip hop classic. The love shown to his mother in this song was a first for a gangsta rapper to do. Forget street creditability – Pac loved his mama and was not afraid to tell all of us that.

I could attack Mr. Cosby on the numerous accusations that have been made against him, but you can go here and check that if you want.

Most of us understand that Mr. Cosby apparently likes to hear himself speak and I guess he felt compelled to mention hip hop icon Tupac and his civil rights, Elder liberation fighter mother, Afeni Shakur, to add a little ‘spice and notoriety’ to his little speech.

To claim that Afeni lives in a house bought with drug money or that her home should be filled with certain items is ludicrous.

Mr. Cosby, as stated in this article, also brings up crack babies, crack mothers and Cosby said the house Shakur bought his mother should be adorned with the pictures of users who died due to drug use.

"Hang up the pictures of the people's lives you ruined," Cosby declared.

I wonder what ‘pictures’ Mr. Cosby has hanging in his house?

The hip hop community should distance their self from Mr. Cosby. To dis-respect a hip hop icon and his mother with such nonsense is unforgivable.

One thing Pac was known for was keeping it real and there was no realness in anything that Mr. Cosby said so we have to question his creditability and motives. To try to reach the youth thru disrespecting one of the icons of the culture and especially his mother gives the impression of the sincerity of Mr. Cosby’s actions. No one is going to listen to words like this and then take anything else he says seriously.

Please go to the web site of the Philadelphia Daily News and read the article by ‘More tough-love talk from Cosby He joins Save Our Children forum’ By DAMON C. WILLIAMS - http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/16754428.htm

Please visit the only official Tupac web site on the net www.2PacLegacy.com and as it says on that site - "Keep yourself alive, there is nothing more important than that" - Afeni Shakur