Thug Life Army

Rap music started as a way to express social ills and as a way to bring awareness to the many social problems of people who’s voices are not heard or cared about.

Today’s ‘rap’ music is nothing more (in most cases) than cars, hoochies and gym shoes.

Recently there was an article released over teachers in Worcester Mass. Placing Tupac Shakurs book of poetry (The Rose That Grew From The Concrete) on the summer reading list for students.

The article written by Michelle Malkin just proves that many have opinions, but when your opinion is backed by twisted facts and an underlying racist view; your opinion becomes somewhat meaningless.

Every generation has their icons, their voice. Bro.Malcolm X, James Dean, Elvis Presley, Martin L. King all enjoy icon status in their respected generations. Can I find fault with them? Of course if I would approach with a less than informed mind set.

To many Tupac Shakur is a Hip Hop Icon. Not just because of his artistry as a rap musician. Tupac was deeper than that. He was a poet, a musical talent, an actor, a social commentator; a souljah. That along with his personality, his understanding of the everyday struggle of just not inner city residents, but of all who have been used, miss-used and abused by the system.

Born into an activist family, Tupac was born into the struggle. He seen how those that where involved in bringing about change were treated; he lived it.

This upbringing formed the social stance that Tupac had.

If you look at Tupac and see just a ‘gangsta rapper’ you missed the true Tupac.

To call Tupac Shakur “the drug dealing, baseball bat wielding, cop hating, Black Panther worshipping, convicted sexual abuser” only shows that the ‘eyes’ that wrote that article see Tupac with a twisted bias view.

If one sees Tupac and his legacy as only that, then the writer is either misinformed or writing for controversy.

I think school board members and school officials, that actually have contact with our children, know how and what will reach them. A reading program is designed to teach, but also to GET CHILDREN TO READ.

A lot of Tupac’s writings are about the struggle of real people in real life. He talks of the love for his mother and the respect for women is evident.

Unlike a lot of today’s so called hip hop artist who with their total dis respect for women. Songs of hate for their mothers or wives, or demeaning songs that portray women as bitches and hoochies.

Why would colleges like Harvard offer studies on Tupac lyrics if those lyrics were not relevant to today’s real life situations?

It is people in the mainstream press like Michelle Malkin who show that individuals like Tupac Shakur and his writings, songs and legacy is important. Twisted views and a need to cause controversy make mainstream press an unreliable news source.

Without people like NWA, KRS-1, Chuck D and Public Enemy, Tupac and ThugLife, and the Outlawz later on, (and there are many others); the social ills of this America would still be the ‘secret’ that no one wants to admit or speak on.

Tupac was not perfect; he was not God. But he was and is an important part of this generation’s history.

If you see his poetry as meaningless, then that is only one opinion. But icon status is still his. People will be reading and relating to Tupac Shakur a lot longer than they will read or relate to the ramblings of Michelle Malkin.

Knowledge is power and knowledge gained thru reading truth can have an impact on the children – the future leaders.

Maybe Ms. Malkin’s view that children should be asked to read books that are white European based, is hoping that either they won’t read them or that they do and receive the same twisted views that she shares.

I personally have not spent much time reading the writings on “bathroom walls”, so I cannot comment of Ms. Malkin’s thinking there. But as for ‘latent racism’ – Tupac also taught One Nation. The coming together for the common good.

There were many races around Tupac. He did not just hang with black folks or people of color. One of his favorite producers, Johnny J is a Mexican. Many of the studio musicians, Like Ronnie King are white. He hung with Mickey Rourk, John Belushie and others. Pac had love for all who loved him. He even admitted that he had a lot of ‘white’ fans. You don’t sell millions of rap albums just with in the community of color.

Tupac look at a man’s real heart, not skin color.

A white mans world? Yes Tupac wrote that, and yes it is a white mans world; like it or not.

We all know neighborhoods of color are not policed in the same way that ‘white’ neighborhoods are. We can see the governments aiding white European countries while ignoring countries of color. Look at the Sudan. We let those people starve for years because they are of color. If the people in the Sudan were white Europeans, they would have gotten aid long ago. The aids epidemic that is killing the continent of Africa would have been addressed seriously. Yes it is a white mans world.

Did Ms. Malkin mention maybe replacing Tupac’s book with maybe Alex Haley’s writings, or DB De Bois, Bro. Malcolm X, or maybe MLK? No she mentioned white Europeans. Not authors of color. So where is the latent racism?

Race plays no real role in this topic but Ms. Malkin made it a point.

Some are afraid and condemn what they don’t understand. It seems Ms. Malkin’s article was written for word count and a paycheck, instead of knowledge and information.

Tupac wanted us to use our brain and think. To bad Ms. Malkin didn’t get that point out of Tupac’s writings. But maybe that was left off the ‘bathroom wall’.