Thug Life Army

This is a press release from Jay King, spokesperson for Thizz Entertainment:

On April 25th, 2012 a grave error was made by law enforcement and news reporting agencies. I was quite disappointed and alarmed by what I have read and heard reported by many involved in the investigation of an alleged drug ring, which included the name of a company I represent as spokesperson.

Thizz Entertainment was erroneously named as part of a four-year undercover drug investigation and a person arrested was erroneously named as the C.E.O of Thizz entertainment ( see http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_20481644/mac-dres-mother-distances-her-sons-label-thizz ) . These errors have harmed the name, reputation and possible business relationship of our legitimate business enterprise "Thizz Entertainment."

I am asking that from today forward, everyone involved in this investigation and the reporting of this investigation and these arrests do so professionally and responsibly.

Today you have involved a continual grieving family, innocent company and reputation as part of an investigation of criminal, illicit and illegal acts and elements that are untrue and unfounded as it relates to Thizz Entertainment. You have also named Andre Hicks aka Mac Dre as "at the core" of this drug trafficking ring even though it is common knowledge that he has been deceased for eight years now.

His family, friends and loved ones are now made to relive the pain of his death and fight to keep his name from being associated with a negative element once again for something he hasn't done nor is remotely involved in or responsible for and it must stop today.

It is important to know Thizz Nation and Thizz Entertainment are two separate companies ran by two different business entities and have no ties whatsoever.

We in no way want to stand in the way of law enforcement doing its job, but we do not want it to come at the cost of our good business name.

Many media outlets and artists thought Tupac Shakur's virtual resurrection at Coachella on Sunday was pretty much the coolest thing ever. The Los Angeles Times, however, called the stunt "a red herring, unnecessary and ill advised." Whichever side of the fence you're on, the projection of the deceased rapper may not be a onetime deal, given the amount of coverage the event has received. And according to one report, Shakur's comrades Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, who staged the so-called hologram (it was actually a 2-D image, not a 3-D one, which constitutes holograms) during their set, could take virtual Tupac out on tour this year.

An insider has revealed to the Wall Street Journal that representatives for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg plan to discuss logistics for a tour involving the rappers and the virtual Shakur, which was created by San Diego-based company Digital Domain:

"One option would be a tour in stadiums, involving other hip-hop stars, including Eminem, 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa. Alternately, they could stage a more limited tour, featuring only Dre, Snoop Dogg and the virtual Tupac, in smaller arenas."

"To create a completely synthetic human being is the most complicated thing that can be done, Digital Domain's chief creative officer, Ed Ulbrich, said in an interview with WSJ.  This is not found footage. This is not archival footage. This is an illusion. This is just the beginning. Dre has a massive vision for this."

That said, the publication points out the following, via their source:

"A tour with the virtual Tupac is likely but not guaranteed, said the person familiar with the situation. The nascent plans could fall apart for any number of reasons. If the tour were to proceed, it would take many months of creative and technical planning, this person added."

The Coachella performance was definitely a jaw-dropping moment, and one that may well eclipse anything that happens at the fest this coming weekend. (Even Shakur's scheduled return to the festival.) But will taking a projected image of a person who's been dead since 1996 to perform on tour be crossing a line?