The Fall of 2020

 

 

 

Fall 2020 

As we near the fall of 2020, massive changes has arisen in America. 2020 is a year unlike another year in human history. We have seen a global pandemic ruining millions of lives. We have seen an increase of political polarization that hasn't been seen in decades. Racial tensions have grown, and protesters of all colors have  stood up for the human dignity of black lives (after the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other innocent black human beings). Workers like teachers, car developers, and other essential workers have called for fair wages, benefits, compensation pay, and just plain economic justice. The Trump administration continues with their lies, manipulation of people, and overt advocacy of injustice against human beings. There is no question that fascistic policies are being executed by Trump. Steve Bannon was recently arrested for wire fraud and money laundering over his border wall plan. Trump has been impeached for soliciting a foreign power to boost his reelection. Flynn pleaded guilty for lying under oath twice. So, many people in the Trump team are either convicted criminals, filled with scandals, or believe in reactionary views on issues (these people include Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, George Papadapolous, Roget Stone, etc.). Trump is one of the worst Presidents in American history. Donald Trump said that he could postpone the election, he threatened to send the police to polling stations, he tried to sabotage the Post Office in order to suppress the vote, he sent secret federal agents into cities (like Portland), and these are some of the recent bad actions that he has done. This election of 2020 is the most important election of our lifetimes. Our voting rights are constantly under threat. The Supreme Court back in 2013 gutted Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and voter suppression policies have closed 1,688 polling places.  

The average American wage had barely increased in 4 decades. The richest 0.1% has increased their wealth massively. Elon Musk hypocritically complains about struggling Americans getting government assistance, but is silent on him accepting $4.9 billion in government subsidies. Socialism for the rich and ruthless, cutthroat capitalism for the poor plus working class is the unfair reality of modern society. People should be registered to vote and vote without fear. We have to work harder to not only defend democracy and allow people to vote. We have to push for a real, bold progressive agenda. A progressive agenda will help every American not just the one percent or the oligarchy. Not to mention that we should advocate for universal health care. The DNC platform rejecting a Medicare for all plan is highly disappointing. People have every right to demand Biden to be more progressive. It is purely reasonable for student loan debt to be cancelled, workers to be given economic justice, and for society to experience real social change. With these facts alone, we should vote Donald Trump out of office. We have to get rid of authoritarian, anti-democratic policies in the world. 

 

We know that Donald Trump is a racist and a sexist. Here are many examples of how his policies have harmed African Americans and other human beings. Trump's tax cuts benefit  mostly the wealthy. Trump rolled back Obama-era efforts to protect black students from discrimination in school punishment. DeVos delayed implementing regulations that helped identify racial disparities in special needs programs in public schools.   Trump's Education Department rescinded Obama-era guidelines for public schools to consider race in trying to diversify their campuses. Trump rescinded guidance geared toward protection lower income people from being buried in legal fees. The Trump administration has cut support for prisoner halfway houses for those transitioning back to society. The Trump administration sought to make legal aid less accessible and argued that some federal prisoners shouldn't be entitled to challenge their sentences in court. Trump touts the First Step Act in trying to reach out to the black community, but his administration is working behind the scenes to undermine the law and use policies that encourage harsher sentences for drug offenses, including nonviolent ones. Trump's DOJ gave federal prosecutors wider latitude to pursue criminal drug charges and harsher sentences. Trump's DOJ re-instituted the death penalty and advised federal prosecutors to seek death sentences in cases involving large quantities of drugs. Trump has praised the Confederate flag being shown in public arenas, he has defended statures of Confederates and war criminals like Andrew Jackson. He said that there are good people on both sides involving protesters and white racists at Charlottesville. Trump said that removing Confederate monuments was "trying to take away our culture, our history." Confederate culture is not representative of real culture but of bigotry. Trump demonized low income people as wanting to ravish the suburbs. `Therefore, anybody supporting Donald Trump is just plain wrong. I don't care who it is. The hypocrisy of conservative supporters of Trump is that they lecture people on the rule of law and morality, but they support a person (Trump) who makes a mockery of the rule of law by hating subpoenas, wanting birthright citizenship gone, and being allied to convicted criminals. 

 

Some sad news is that Chadwick Boseman passed away recently at the age of 43 years old. His career has been outstanding. As a graduate of a HBCU, actor, activist, and husband, he loved his life. He was one of the greatest young actors of this generation. His role in Black Panther inspired black people globally about their humanity. Tons of people saying Wakanda forever surely make us aware about the strength of black culture. Also, Chadwick Boseman were in movies like 42 (which was about the life of Jackie Robinson. I saw the movie before, and it was a great movie), Marshall, 21 Bridges, The James Brown story, and other films. For many years, he fought colon cancer that many people didn't know about except his family, his wife, and close friends. South Carolina was the place of his birth, and he loved Howard University (his mentor was Phylicia Rashad). Courage was a part of his life, because he never gave up in desiring the best in his life. Spreading the truth about being against police brutality and for social justice, Boseman's social consciousness always existed on an enormous level. He was a legend while he was here, and his legend will continue while he experiences his afterlife.

 Rest in Power Brother Chadwick Boseman.

 

 

The History of Hip Hop (After 50 Years) Part 3: Talent and Conflicts (1994-1997)

Hip Hop from 1994 to 1997 has been very powerful and influential. By 1994, Nas, Biggie, Tupac, Lauryn Hill, Outkast, Scarface, and other artists were on the rise. Magazines like Vibe, and The Source were key instruments of promoting hip hop culture. Ebony and Essence increasingly discussed about hip hop too. That time was a transitional phrase where more artists started to make millions of dollars mixed with the debates over content. Also, the conflicts of hip hop grew with the attempted murder of Tupac Shakur in 1994 by cowardly gunmen at Quad Studios. This propelled the conflict among Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records. Tupac and Biggie were the most powerful hip hop artists at the time. They had the biggest hip hop lyrical battle in history. Their conflict was personal with allegations shown by both sides. They were former best friends. The real truth is that outside influences expanded the tensions, and both men would have reconciled if not for the agitation by corporate funded record labels plus the mainstream media. The corporate media fueled tensions for money basically. Cowards murdered both men unjustly in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Tupac was a poet who talked about a wide ranging amount of issues, while Biggie was a person who mastered the flow of rap in his lyrical wordplay. Tupac Shakur was the son of a Black Panther member, so consciousness was part of his upbringing. Biggie was the son of a very courageous mother from Jamaica who instilled in him the values of courage and resiliency. The hip hop of 1996 included some of the greatest hip hop music of all time.  Also, 1994 to 1997 had an explosion of both mainstream and underground artists. Digiable Planets, Tribe, the Fugees, Coolio, Westside Connection, Busta Rhymes, Jay Z, Outkast, Scarface, Master P, Snoop, and other musicians flourished during this time period. Nothing would the same with hip hop by the time of 1997. The tragedy of 2 legends losing their lives was so great that many wondered if hip hop would survive. Now, we know that hip hop did indeed survive. The stories of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. show us that life is very precious, and we have to make sure to live it filled with determination and righteousness.

  

 

The Legacy of Illmatic

 

The legacy of Illmatic is extensive. It was one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time. It reflected the sound of New York hip hop of boom bap. Large Professor, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier after Illmatic continued to grow their legacies as some of the greatest hip hop producers in history. It inspired hip hop in the West, South, and the Midwest to continue to express their music without apology. Another part of its legacy that hip hop artists started to team up with many famous producers to develop their albums. Nas would later work with Dr. Dre in the album of It was Written by 1996. Rappers searched for producers nationwide in developing their music more thoroughly. The album revived the Queensbridge rap scene. Before, Queens borough pioneers like Marley Marl, MC Shan, and Roxanne Shante established their legendary status. Later, Mobb Deep and Capone-n-Norega established themselves as influential hip hop musicians. The album helped to increase the style of rapper AZ. Illmatic showed us that hip hop can include both the melodies found in West Coast hip hop, the gritty sounds of East Coast hip hop, and the creative sounds of hip hop from the South including the Midwest. The irony is that Tupac Shakur loved the album Illmatic. Tupac blasted it during court cases. Journalist Dream Hampton gave Tupac a cover tape of the album. Hampton implied that Nas' lyricism inspired Tupac's Me Against the World album. Artists from across the country admitted that Illmatic inspired them to step their pen game up. Nas used a poetry in his rhymes that has been studied to this day. Lupe Fiasco, and other artists are inspired by Nas' music.

 

 

Conflicts

 

Hip hop always had rap battles and competition to see who was the better or more wittier MC. That was not unusual. Yet, the 1990's saw a different form of beef that was more intense, more violent, and more personal. The biggest hip hop beef in history was the Bad Boy Records vs. Death Row Records rivalry. The end result of this destructive beef was the death of 2 innocent, young black men unfortunately. While their bodies were gone from this Earth, corporate media interests from Vibe (including the Village Voice. Much of the corporate media have ties to the CIA, the CFR, and other multinational corporate interests) to other news media outlets fueled this tension. The FBI forces including NYPD forces used surveillance against many hip hop artists, and other innocent people were assaulted unjustly on both sides. By the 1980's, many women rappers competed against each other for the crown of the best woman MC. The artists of Antoinette and MC Lyte had lyrical battles over skill level and who was the greater MC in general. Sugga and Spice and JJ Fad had a rap battle too. Roxanne Shante just battle a bunch of women from Sparky D, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Monie Love, Salt-N-Pepa, Yo-Yo, etc. Roxanne lyrically battled men too without fear. Later, Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, Eve, Lil Kim, Queen Pen, and Remy Ma would compete on the hip hop stage. Yet, the good news is that there is more unity among women in the hip hop world today as compared to years ago. During the early 1990's, Ice Cube's song No Vaseline targeted NWA, and it was a battle record. It was personal (describing Ice Cube's frustration with his contract and wanting a lawyer to give him a better deal), but it was no where near the tensions among many artists in the media-driven East Coast vs. West Coast beef. When did this beef start or originate form? To start, you have to look at hip hop history. Hip hop came from the Bronx, NYC. Kool Moe Dee and Star Busy Dee Starksi had a rap battle that caused the rap battle culture to expand into massive levels lyrically. 

 

Back then, battles were mostly between DJs and then lyricists. Many people in the New York rap scene disregarded any hip hop music from any other region in America except for the North. The first hip hop artist that grew East Coast and West Coast tensions was the artist Tim Dogg (who recently died years ago). Tim Dogg was angry in 1991 over record companies' rejecting of East Coast artists and the growing popularity of West Coast hip hop. Tim Dogg was from the Bronx, and many NYC rappers were jealous of the growing strength of West Coast hip hop music. Back then, Run DMC and MC Hammer had a dispute on issues. So, Tim Dogg made a diss track called "F__ Compton." The problem with the song that it disrespected a whole city. There is nothing wrong with opposing violent gangs killing people over colors. Murder is evil. There is nothing wrong with criticizing Dr. Dre for beating up on a woman named Dee Barnes. No one should assault a woman. Yet, not all West Coast people should be scapegoated for such evils. Tim Dogg said that he was cool with Ice T, but he was targeting the West Coast rap scene, especially NWA. Tim Dogg targeted Eazy-E. Many West Coast artists responded like Snoop, Tweedy Bird Loc, and Compton's Most Wanted. There was a time when Tupac saved Tim Dogg's life when Tim Dogg visited California over the diss record. Tim Dogg died in controversy after scamming numerous women financially. A woman MC named MC Choice made a battle record against NWA, Geto Boys, and Too Short. Azie Faison was a rapper in 1991 who made a diss track against Eazy E and NWA. 

 

Later, the Bad Boy vs. Death Row beef developed. The irony was that in 1993, Tupac, P Diddy, Suge Knight, the Notorious B.I.G., Warren G, DPG, and Snoop were great friends. Tupac and Biggie did concerts together all over the East Coast, especially at Howard University. Tupac allowed Biggie to say the words of Thug Life in a concert at Maryland. Everything changed with the November 30, 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur at Quad City studios. Immediately, Tupac Shakur accused the Notorious B.I.G., Andre Harrell, and Sen Combs of involvement and foreknowledge of the shooting and robbery of him and others at the Quad Recording Studios at Manhattan. They, of course, denied any of those allegations. Now, we know one shooter could be named Dexter Isaac, who said that James Rosemond paid him money to rob Tupac Shakur. After the shooting, Biggie released the song "Who Shot Ya?" We know that the song had nothing to do with Tupac's shooting, but releasing so early after the shooting was definitely done in poor taste. Tupac interpreted the song as Biggie's way of taunting him. We know that the Notorious B.I.G. had nothing to do with the 1994 shooting. Biggie came into the hospital to try to see Tupac, and he wrote letters to Tupac saying that he nothing do with the shooting. Tyehimba tried to convince Tupac that Biggie was innocent too. It's not a secret that the intelligence community used agents in the music industry in trying to control people or stir conflict. The book of the Hip Hop Cop documents this historical fact. The drug dealer Micheal (Harry-O) Harris gave Death Row $1.5 million of seed money to help develop Death Row records. Harry-O was affiliated with Freeway Rick Ross, and they were both affiliated with the Crip street gang.  Harry-O was one of the biggest drug dealers of the West Coast. He sold drugs nationwide. 

In fact, many record labels in music were created or funded by drug money or by drug dealers. There are always stories about the Mafia having influence in the mainstream hip hop industry too. One powerful attorney behind the scenes at Death Row was David Kenner. It is no secret that Crips and Bloods worked at Dearth Row where beatings, pistol whippings, and abuse were commonplace at Death Row offices. Suge's first wife was a woman named Sharitha (she was Snoop's manager back in the 1990's). Suge Knight is a wicked man. Simone Green was a woman photographer. She was brutally beaten by Knight and by another woman. The singer Michel'le Denise Toussant (who was born in 1967) was abused by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight. She had a child with Dr. Dre and Suge Knight. Sam Sneed was assaulted by Knight and others. Madelyn Woods was beaten by Suge's women squad, and Madelyn Woods left Death Row. Another woman victim of domestic violence by Suge is Melissa Isaac. Suge Knight's attorney Angela Wallace has recently been out of jail years ago. After 1996, former Death Row member George Williams tried to fight back against Suge Knight (after Suge's friends tortured and beat him). Suge's friends were killed like Heron. Buntry was later murdered at a gas station while he was pumping gas in 2003. Buntry was the brother of Mob James. Buntry was one of Suge's bodyguards and closest friend. Buntry has incredible physical strength. That is why Buntry was one of the few men that Suge Knight never tested. Other members of Death Row were murdered like Poochie and others. After Suge's conflict with Williams, Suge Knight lost a lot of street power. Later, he started to get knocked out by a barber and ordinary citizens. Death Row member Neckbone dated Lady of Rage (who was from Farmville, Virginia as a hip hop artist), and they had a child together.  Jewell of Death Row back then was one of the few artists that didn't back down from Suge Knight. She was not to be played with. 

 

The August 1995 Source Awards had more tensions. This was when Death Row CEO Suge Knight disrespected Bad Boy Records head Sean Combs. Suge said that he didn't like Diddy dancing in the videos of records if they (or artists from Bad Boy) want to come to Death Row, they could. Diddy said that he respected the accomplishments of Death Row and the East/West tensions need to stop. As we shall see, Diddy isn't so innocent in this history either despite his public words. By late 1995, Jermaine Dupri hosted a party in Atlanta for major industry leaders and artists. This was the time of of his birthday. Suge Knight and his friend Jake Robles (who was a Bloods gang member) were there along with Combs. Jermaine Dupri said that Suge and Diddy argued at the party. Later, their argument continued outside, then someone shot and murdered Jake Robles, Suge's friend. People have accused Diddy's former bodyguard Wolf of being involved in the shooting. To this day, Suge Knight blamed Diddy for the death of his friend. 

 

In 1995, Suge Knight bailed out Tupac for $1.4 million bail. This was done for him to sign with Death Row records. Tupac knew of Suge's reputation, but he was desperate to leave prison. John Potash documented that Tupac was threatened so much by inmates and guards in prison that his revolutionary uncles used their influence to stop the threats. The guards in prison put Tupac in solitary confinement and restricted his showers. Suge Knight is known for not only beating up men (like George and Lynwood Stanley. Suge Knight has also been accused of selling drugs), but he beat on women too. He forced one man to drink urine. Simon reaped what he has sown. Bruce Richardson's memory lives on. For those who don't know, Bruce Richardson was a 6ft. 5 tall man who knew martial arts. When Suge refused to pay Richardson, Richardson came to Suge face to face and slap him up in a club (as Bruce knew martial laws). Later, Bruce was murdered. His case was unsolved, but it is suspected that 2 Bloods murdered him. Kelly Jamerson was murdered. Also, undercover police was infiltrating the mainstream hip hop industry. Reggie Wright Jr. was an ex-cop, and his father, Reggie Wright Sr. was a retired police officer. October 1995 was when Tupac left prison. During this time, people in Brooklyn shot at the trailer of Snoop and the Dogg Pound after releasing New York, New York (Snoop destroyed buildings in the video). Biggie said that he can't believe that Snoop and the Dogg Pound were filming in NYC. Tupac continued to make diss tracks against Bggie in songs like Against All Odds, Bomb First (My Second Reply), and Hit Em Up. Tupac and members of the Dogg Pound disrespected Biggie and other artists in the song NY 87. Tupac in the song explicitly said "F__ New York." 

 

By late 1995 and early 1996, the media promoted this coastal rap feud. Many fans of hip hop took sides, some didn't, and others were confused. The movement caused LL Cool J to have a song called I Shot Ya (remix) in 1995 with rising and new artists like Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe, and Foxy Brown. The song is notable for Prodigy to be the first mention of  the Illuminati and secret societies as an hip hop artist. Tupac approached Keith Murray and asked him if the song from LL Cool J was about him. Keith said no. This was at the House of Blues. LL Cool J denied the song being directed at Tupac Shakur, but LL admitted that he made references to Kool Moe Dee, MC Hammer, and Ice T in the realm of hip hop competition. In 1996, Tupac Shakur was the most popular hip hop artist in the world. Tupac dominated the charts especially in 1996. He was everywhere. Biggie never directly responded to Tupac. Instead, the Notorious B.I.G. used subliminal references in songs to diss Tupac in Brooklyn's Finest with Jay Z, The Ugliest (which had Busta Rhymes on it. The song was produced by the legendary DJ J Dilla), and Long Kiss Goodnight (Lil Cease said that it was about Tupac while Diddy denies this). P Diddy in 1996 had a song called Stop Yappin' where he disrespected Tupac Shakur. Many other artists disrespected Tupac in 1996 like Chino XL and DMX for no legitimate reason. In the midst of this time from 1994 to 1997, there was rap battles between Westside Connection vs. Cypress Hill, Q-Tip, and Common. By the end of 1996, in September, Tupac Shakur wanted to promote the One Nation album in ending the East Coast/West Coast tensions. Tupac Shakur wanted to settle down with Kadada and have children. Tupac Shakur wanted to go into politics more, set up community centers, celebrate Black Panther Legends, and move forward with his life. According to the bodyguard Antonio Moore, on September 5, 1996, Tupac and Suge Knight had an argument about Snoop saying that he was cool with Biggie and contractual issues. Moore said that he had to step in, because Suge was nearly about to put hands on Tupac Shakur. On September 4, 1996, Tupac said that there is no East Coast/West Coast rap war,and that the media is trying to agitate conflicts in the music industry. In September of 1996 after the MTV Music Video Awards, Tupac and Nas had a discussion at Central Park. Both men had dozens and dozens of people with them. Tupac and Nas agreed to end their feud. Tupac wanted to get rid of any disses to Nas in new his music. He didn't get the chance to do because of the obvious reason. Later, Tupac Shakur was murdered by a group of cowards. Ironically, the Notorious B.I.G. wanted to end the East Coast/West Coast tensions just before he died in 1997. He was murdered by a coward in Los Angeles. On September 22, 1996, a peace summit was convened at Mosque Maryam by Louis Farrakhan after Tupac's murder. There was another one after the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. These summits were held in the 1980's too in order to call for peace. After the deaths of 2 artists, there was a calming period, but hip hop beefs, even ending in deaths, unfortunately continued well into the 21st century. 

 

 

Tupac and Biggie

 

Whether people like it or not, they represented the 2 most popular hip hop artists of the 1990's. They are the most famous, popular rappers of all time. They were a key part of 90's culture including its ups and downs. Tupac and Biggie were once friends, but later had disagreements that led to the most serious, heated hip hop rivalry in history. Many people were assaulted and some lost their lives. To understand Tupac and the Notorious Bi.I.G. fully, you have to look at their lives chronologically. First, Tupac Shakur was born from the black freedom movement. His mother was the Black Panther Sister Afeni Shakur. Afeni Shakur was from North Carolina and later moved into New York City. She worked hard to fight police brutality and freedom for black people. Tupac Amaur Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 at East Harlem, New York. His biological father is Billy Garland. His step father was Mutulu Shakur, and his step aunt was Assata Shakur. So, that is why it is no secret that the FBI and other groups harassed Tupac and his family constantly because of their political activism. Back in the early 1970's, the FBI raided the locations of Black Panther Party people. Afeni Shakur was part of the Panther 21. These were a group of men and women who were falsely accused of planning to have bomb attacks in NYC. Afeni Shakur went to trial for these charges and won her case by herself. That shows the power and strength of a black woman. The name of Tupac came from Tupac Amaur II relating to an Incan leader. Amaru II was the descendant of the late Incan ruler named Tupac Amaru who was executed in Peru in 1781. He fought against Spanish rule. Afeni Shakur wanted Tupac to named after a revolutionary person from the indigenous people of the Americas. Tupac Shakur's father, Billy Garland, was once a Black Panther member too.

Tupac's family were key in the black liberation movement. His godfather was Elmer Geronimo Pratt who was a Black Panther. He was convicted of a crime that many people say that he didn't commit. His sentence was overturned in a later time. Mutulu was convicted of a 1981 robbery event (involving robbing a Brinks armored truck. Police officers and a guard were killed). On September 13, 1983, Tupac enrolled in Harlem's 127th Street Repertory Ensemble. He played Travis Younger form the play A Raisin in the Sun, which was performed at the Apollo Theater. Jesse Jackson was there in attendance. By January 3, 1986, Tupac moved from New York City to Baltimore. He came into Roland Park Middle School and then at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Tupac transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts. That place caused him to learn acting, poetry, jazz , and ballet. It was a culture shock for him, because that place mainly had richer white students and middle class minorities. Yet, Tupac was living in poverty. Tupac loved to study Shakespeare's plays. He did ballet too. As a teenager he listened to Kate Bush, Culture Club, Sinead O'Connor, and U2. 

Tupac met his friend Jada Pinkett at the school. He wrote poems for her, and both became very close friends. Jada Pinkett Smith said that at first Tupac wasn't even the type of person that she would deal with. Later, they were close as best friends. Tupac always had a revolutionary spirit as a child. He worked with the Baltimore Young Communist League USA. He dated the daughter of the director of the local chapter of the Communist Party USA. By January 2, 1988, he moved to Marin City, California. Tupac promoted anti-violence programs, HIV/AIDS help, and other policies in Baltimore. Marin City suffered poverty via economic oppression. Crime, violence, and other social problems existed there. He was involved in theater programs at Mill Valley, California at Tamalpais High School. His love of hip hop grew. By 1989, he had the hip hop name of MC New York. He also met the person of Leila Steinberg to study poetry. Steinberg helped to organize Tupac's rap group called Strictly Dope to have a concert. Leila Steinberg was a lover of Tupac's talent. In an interview, Leila Steinberg admitted that she was attracted to Tupac romantically, but no long term romantic relationship happened. Atron Gregory, the manager of the rap group Digital Underground, signed Tupac. In 1990, Tupac was a backup dancer to Digital Underground. He toured the world, met fans, and had fun. By January of 1991, he was on the single Same Song. This was on the soundtrack of the movie Nothing but Trouble. On October 1991, Tupac Shakur filed a $10 million civil suit against the law enforcement of the Oakland Police Department. Tupac was a victim of police brutality after the cops said that he was jaywalking. His face was bruised up after he was beaten by the crooked officers.

Tupac's debut album was 2Pacalypse Now. It came in November 1991. It was a political album and an album for the streets at the same time. It featured a call for social change. It condemned the FBI, the CIA, and other intelligence groups. People have to realize that Tupac and his family were victimized by police brutality and FBI harassment for years and decades. So, Tupac was going to feel a certain type of way about the FBI. Many artists were inspired by 2Pacalypse Now like Nas, Game, etc. The album had Trapped, Brenda's Got a Baby, and If My Homie Calls.  Controversy came after a young person claimed that Tupac's album inspired him to shot a state trooper. This is silly of course, but back then it was a much more conservative time period. Then, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle said that Tupac's debut album has no place in society. 

By 1992, Tupac's role in Juice just increased his popularity into another level. Juice was a movie about black youth trying to survive in a harsh world of NYC. Tupac Shakur was a great actor. He was trained as a young person in intensive acting. On August 22, 1992, the Marin City shooting took place. The situation was how Shakur performed at an outdoor festival. He stayed for an hour to sign autographs and sign pictures. Later, a group of men confronted Tupac Shakur over comments that he made about Marin City. Tupac was assaulted by one person, and Tupac escaped with his life. Dozens of people tried to harm or kill him. In the violence, a gun went off that killed a 6 year old child named Qa'id Walker-Teal. His 2nd album of Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. was released in 1993. It was an album that sold more than his previous work. It was basically a call for black youth to stand up for their rights. By 1993, Tupac was in trial for many things. On October 11, 1993, Tupac intervened to try to stop racist cops harassing a black citizen. Tupac shot one officer in the buttocks and the other in the leg. All charges were dropped against Tupac, because the officers were caught lying, using corruption, and evidence point to Tupac using self-defense. In 1993, Tupac's songs like I Get Around, Keep Ya Head Up, etc. increased the presence of Tupac in hip hop culture. One of the most important parts of Tupac's life was on November 1, 1993. This was when Tupac and others were accused of sexual assault against one woman or rape. The truth is that the woman, who is Ayanna Jackson, was raped by many people. The debate is whether Tupac was involved or not. Tupac to his death denied raping the woman. Tupac said that he fell asleep. Tupac was not convicted of rape. He was convicted of forcibly touching a woman. In 1993, Tupac formed Thug Life including his friends Big Syke, Macadoshis, his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur, and Rated R. Their only album was Thug Life: Volume 1 on September 26, 1994. Johnny J. produced the song Pour out a Little Liquor. As 1994 continued, it's time to show the early stages of the life of the Notorious B.I.G.

 

 

The Notorious B.I.G. or Christopher Wallace was born in Brooklyn, New York City. His parents were of Afro-Jamaican descent as some of the greatest rappers in history have Caribbean heritage. His parents are Voletta Wallace and Selwyn George Latore. Voletta was a preschool teacher and Latore was a wilder and politician. His father left Christopher Wallace when he was 2 years old. Voletta Wallace worked 2 jobs and raised him. Biggie grew up at 226 St. James Place in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill. This was near the border of Bedford-Stuvyesant. He did great academically at Queen of All Saints Middle School. He won many awards as an English student. He was overweight at 10, so his nickname was Big. Biggie claimed that he was dealing drugs when he was about 12. When his mother worked, he did sell drugs. As a teenager, he worked in hip hop. He performed with local groups like Old Gold Brothers and the Techniques. Later, Wallace was transferred form Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene to George Westinghouse Center and Technical Education High School at Downtown Brooklyn. Many famous artists came to the school like DMX, Jay Z, and Busta Rhymes. He was a good student. Biggie dropped out from school at 17. He soon was more involved in street life. By 1989, he was arrested on weapons charges in Brooklyn. He was given 5 years probation. By 1990, he was arrested again for violating his probation. In 1991, again, he was arrested in North Carolina for dealing crack cocaine. Back in the day, it was common place for Northern drug dealers to hustle down South. He was in jail for nine months before making bail. After that, his life changed forever. He no longer wanted to sell drugs. He wanted to have a serious career in music.

 

Wallace shown a demo tape called Microphone Murderer. He called himself Biggie Smalls. This name came form the Calvin Lockhart character in the 1975 film of Let's Do It Again and to his size. He was 6 feet 3 and over 300 pounds. Local DJ and friend DJ Mister Cee (who worked with Kane and the Juice Crew) promoted Biggie's demo tape. The Source rap magazine mentioned Biggie in 1992. By March, the Source column "Unsigned Hype" dedicated information to Wallace plus other rappers. Sean "Puffy" Combs heard the demo tape and met Wallace. He or P. Diddy was with the A&R department of Uptown Records. Biggie was immediately signed to Uptown. He was with a song with labelmates Heavy D  and the Boyz's 1993 song. Uptown fired Combs, and he created Bad Boy Records. This new label signed Wallace soon. Biggie's first child was with his longtime girlfriend. His first child was named T'yanna. The couple was split by then. Wallace knew that his daughter was his world, so he promised his daughter to get everything she wanted. Biggie relapsed to sell drugs, and P. Diddy encouraged him to quit. He was on the remix of Mary J. Blige's single Real Love. By this time, he was on the rise and his new nick name was The Notorious B.I.G. Wallace was on the remix of Mary J. Blige's What's the 411? He worked with other artists like Neneh Cherry and Super Cat. By April of 1993, he had the solo track of Party and Bull__ released on Who's the Man? soundtrack. His famous song that took him into another level was his collaboration with LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes on the remix of Craig Mack's Flava in Ya Ear. It was released on July 1994. 

It represented a new era of East Coast hip hop. The remix had Rampage, Busta Rhymes too. It had ad libs by P. Diddy and Keisha Spivey. Hype Williams directed the video in black and white. Guest appearances were from Das EFX, Mic Geronimo, Irv Gotti, and Funkmaster Flex. It was as high as number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. On August 4, 1994, Wallace married R&B singer Faith Evans. They did soon after they met at a Bad Boy photo-shoot. Biggie's single of Juicy including Unbelievable was popular in 1994. Ready to Die was released on September 1994. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200. It was four times Platinum. The album was the start of a new era where East Coast hip hop started to dominate the industry after many years of West Coast hip hop dominating the industry. Ready to Die was an album about a combination of Wallace's joy, fears, paranoia about death, and his skills as an hip hop artist. His morbid obsession with death would be a themes in future albums and songs.

Now, by this time in 1994, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. were great friends. Biggie's cousin, Lil Cease, said that both men traveled together all of the time. Wallace visited Shakur's home. Biggie visited Tupac in California, and Shakur visited Biggie in Washington, D.C., even at Howard University. Tupac was in the movie Above the Rim. Also, he performed Out on Bail with Stretch at the 1994 Source Awards where Q-Tip and the rest of Tribe were present. Yukmouth, an Oakland emcee, said that Wallace's style was inspired by Shakur. Wallace was a friend to Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal is a rapper too. He didn't just play basketball. O'Neal would work with Biggie in the song You Can't Stop the Reign. All of this would change on the date of November 30, 1994. This was when Tupac Shakur went to the Quad Studios to create a song. Many people form Bad Boy where already there from P. Diddy, Biggie, etc. Lil Cease saw Tupac in the window of the studio building telling Tupac to come. When Tupac came into the building, men dressed in army fatigues robbed Tupac Shakur and others. Tupac was shot 5 times and survived miraculously. This was in Manhattan. When Tupac was carried up the elevator, Sean Combs, Andre Harrell, and Biggie were shocked to see Tupac in that condition. Biggie came downstairs in trying to confront the shooters. Yet, the police was already there. We know that the NYPD had agents monitoring hip hop artists. We do know that during this time, Tupac hanged out with a known street person named Jacques Agnant. Tupac used Jacques as inspiration for his role in Above the Rim. Also, Jacques Agnant is a well known person with ties to the streets as Biggie warned Tupac about Agnant. Jacques' nickname was Haitian Jack and Nigel. Jacques and his buddy Trevor introduced him to Ayanna Jackson. Tupac's attorney Warren accused Jacques Agnant of being a government informant because of his actions. Agnant denies this allegation to this day. Warren said that Nigel had many charges being quickly dismissed which is strange, especially back then. Jimmy Henchman knew Tupac. Tupac accused Henchman of organizing a hit at the Quad city studios in order to gain more money and power. Henchman is in prison now and denies these allegations until very recently via a cooperation deal with the feds. One person named Dexter Isaac admitted that he was a gunman in the 1994 shooting, and he was funded by Jimmy Henchman to organize the hit on Tupac. Tupac Shakur in the New York Post blamed his rape case on hangers on (in reference to Agnant and his crew. This angered Agnant). Tupac basically accused Haitian Jack of being an informant. Tupac's cousin said that he met Haitian Jack in 1983 after Haitian Jack shot a person in the knee caps (Yet, Tupac's cousin William Lesane said that Jack served a limited period of time for it as he told the TV host/reporter Sytonnia Moore). Tupac's cousin and Mike Tyson told Tupac not to hang out with Haitian Jack because of his shady character. 

Zayd was with Tupac when the robbery in 1994 took place. He was Tupac's friend. Zayd said that the robbers had army fatigues, shoot people with precision, and Tupac was hit in multiple places. Zayd said that Stretch had nothing do with setting up Tupac Shakur in the robbery. Zayd said that when the NYPD came to the place, one police officer smiled at him. Jimmy Henchmen (or James Rosemond) would later be convicted of drug trafficking. Tupac was threatened in the hospital, so he came into Jasmine Guy's house for safety. Jasmine Guy is Tupac's friend.

From November 1994, there would be no true reconciliation between Tupac and Biggie. Their rivalry continued and became the biggest hip hop beef in history. By January 1995, Tupac was sued by Qa'ad's mother. Ballistics prove that Tupac and his entourage's guns never killed Qa'ad. Tupac's record company settled the lawsuit with an undisclosed amount reportedly between $300,000 and $500,000. On February 14, 1995, Tupac Shakur started his prison existence at Clinton Correctional Facility at New York state. He soon married his long time girlfriend Keisha Morris on April 4, 1995. Keisha Morris is a woman with a great personality, strong Northern accent, and a beautiful person. Tupac had intrusive exams, and he was called the n word by racist guards. Also, Tupac wrote scripts, read books, and planned on his life after prison. He was visited by many celebrities like Jasmine Guy, Jada Pinkett Smith, and others. He was visited by his mother. Some of the many books that he while he was imprisoned were Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince and Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Tupac Shakur released his magnus opus album of Me Against the World on March 14, 1995. It sold 2 million copies. It was one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. It had songs like Dear Mama, Old School, Temptations, and So Many Tears. This album won best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards. Here are some of the lyrics of the song Dear Mama: 

"...To keep me happy there's no limit to the things you did

And all my childhood memories

Are full of all the sweet things you did for me

And even though I act crazy

I gotta thank the Lord that you made me

There are no words that can express how I feel

You never kept a secret, always stayed real

And I appreciate, how you raised me

And all the extra love that you gave me

I wish I could take the pain away

If you can make it through the night there's a brighter day

Everything will be alright if ya hold on

It's a struggle everyday, gotta roll on

And there's no way I can pay you back

But my plan is to show you that I understand

You are appreciated

Dear mama

Don't you know I love you?

Dear mama

Place no one above you

Oh mama, I appreciate you

Although my shadow's gone 

I will never leave you..."

In 1995, the Notorious B.I.G. reached so much prominence that he became one of the top 2 greatest hip hop artists of his era. In 1995, his songs like Big Poppa, One More Chance, etc. were heard worldwide. The One More Change video was directed by Hype Williams. It had an all star cast of people like Total, Luther Campbell, Heavy D, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Spike Lee, Da Brat, Jermaine Dupri, D-Nice, Patra, Miss Jones, Queen Latifah, Craig Mack, Cypress Hill, Tyson Beckford, Aaliyah, Changing Faces, Kid Capri, Junior Mafia, Zhane, and P. Diddy. 1995 was when the Death Row vs. Bad Boy beef intensified. The issue between Suge Knight and P. Diddy in many levels was much more personal than Tupac and Biggie. Suge Knight told people in the audience of the 1995 Source Awards that he doesn't want his artists have the executive producer in the video dancing and all in the video. P. Diddy responded by saying he respected Suge, Dr. Dre, and Snoop. P. Diddy said at the Source awards that he wanted the East and West tensions to stop. Yet, we realize that P. Diddy was hypocritical. We know that Suge Knight did massive evils. Suge did his evils overtly, while P. Diddy did a lot of evils back then covertly (in an underground song, P. Diddy explicitly disrespects Tupac Shakur by name. This was from 1996). That is the difference between both flawed men. Biggie promoted Junior Mafia or his crew from Brooklyn. He also promoted Lil Kim. Lil Kim was a great rapper in her own right, but Biggie regularly verbally and physically abused her. Lil Kim was disrespected since childhood without knowing her beautiful black skin and her beautiful black African facial features. Lil Cease, Lil Kim, and others worked on Player's Anthem, Get Money, and other songs in Junior Mafia's Conspiracy album. Biggie worked with 112 on Only You and Total on Can't You see. By the end of 1995, Biggie was the top man on the totem pole being the top selling man solo artist and rapper on U.S. pop and R&B charts. The Source had its July 1995 cover with the caption The King of New York takes Over. This was in reference to Frank White from the 1990 film King of New York. The Source Awards took place on August 1995.

Tupac Shakur on April 1995 in a Vibe interview accused Uptown Records' founder Andre Harrell, Sean Combs, and Wallace of having prior knowledge of the robbery. All of the men denied the allegation. We know now that Biggie had nothing to do with it. Again, Dexter Isaac admitted that he attacked Tupac Shakur under orders from James Rosemond. Tupac Shakur was released from the prison by October of 1995. Tupac signed with Death Row, because he wanted out of prison and his financial situation. Tupac was interviewed by Kevin Powell too about his life and plans. Tupac became more militant to express himself. By September 24, 1995, Suge Knight argued with P. Diddy in Atlanta (at a party for Jermaine Dupri). Suge Knight's friend Robles was killed. Suge Knight blamed Wolf and P. Diddy for his friend's death. Wolf and P Diddy denied that charge. This sparked a new era of this beef. By December 1995, New York record promoter Mark Anthony Bell was at a party. Death Row people were there. Suge Knight wanted Bell to reveal the addresses of Diddy and his mother. After Bell refused to give up that information, Suge Knight and Death Row artists plus others assaulted Bell brutally. Bell was beaten with champagne bottles and forced to drink urine from a glass. Bell settled with the label of Death Row for $600,000, and he declined to press charges. Tupac visited California after him leaving prison and worked hard on his future album. Tupac's 4th album All Eyez on Me was released on February 13, 1996. It had 2 discs being rap's first double album. It had many party songs like How Do U Want It, California Love, etc. It was 5 times platinum in April 1996. By 1996, Tupac was the sole leader of the hip hop world. Tupac was the most influential hip hop artist of all time. He won many awards. In 1996, the beef of Death Row and Bad Boy grew. Suge used Bloods to protect Death Row. Bad Boy linked up with Crips for protection. Tupac criticized Da Brat, The Fugees (Wyclef Jean is related to Haitan Jack via their fathers), Dr. Dre (who left Death Row by 1996), Mobb Deep, and other artists for various reasons. 

Hit em Up was Tupac's battle record against Bad Boy that came out in June 1996. It was the most vicious diss record of hip hop history talking about Biggie, his wife, and Bad Boy. Biggie responded by using subliminal disses against Tupac like in songs like Dangerous Mcs, Brooklyn's Finest with Jay Z, etc. 

 

Biggie and Tupac saw each other for the final time face to face at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles. That date was on March 29, 1996. Both the Bad Boy and Death Row Camps confronted each other. Tupac and Lil Cease had words with each other. Suge Knight and Tupac was in a black Hummer. Biggie was in the parking lot after receiving his award for best song, and Tupac won an award for album of the year. Both sides had trained, armed bodyguards with them. Many sources from Napoleon, Danny Brown, Reggie Wright Jr., Gene Deal, etc. on down said that P. Diddy ran into his tour bus when Diddy saw Tupac Shakur. Biggie just stood in amazement about what took place. The show was located at the Shrine Auditorium which was hosted by Brandy, LL Cool J, and Anita Baker. The Nation of Islam FOI people had to come in between Bad Boy and Death Row people to calm the situation down. There are rumors that C Gutta (or Biggie's cousin) was there, and C Gutta was a Crip gang member. We know that one member of Bad Boy camp showed a gun, and Reggie Wright Jr. said that he showed his gun to protect the Death Row entourage. 

The Notorious BIG also worked with Michael Jackson in 1996. He worked on his 2nd album in NYC, Trinidad, and Los Angeles. Biggie was arrested on March 23, 1996 for chasing 2 fans seeking autographs, threatening to kill them, breaking the windows of their taxicab, and punching one of the them. Biggie and Tupac were threatened constantly. Biggie served community service for 100 hours. He was arrested at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey for weapons and drug possession charges. Biggie dated Lil Kim and Charlie Baltimore in 1996. While this was going on, Tupac finished films like Bullet, Gang Related, and Gridlock'd. Tupac had a close friendship with Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes too. This friendship was documented in the Lifetime documentary of: "Hopelessly in Love: Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Andre Rison." It is very true that Lisa Lopes and Tupac Shakur had a great connection together, that they both were emotional soulmates. Tupac Shakur dated many women like Jara Everett, Yo Yo (Yolanda Whitaker), Keisha Morris, Madonna, Kidada Jones, Desiree Smith, Salli Richardson, Arnelle Simpson, Monie Love, etc. Tupac was friends with Adina Howard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiny Harris, Sarah Chapman (or the mother of P. Diddy's first child Chance), Jasmine Guy, Rosie Perez, and Heather Hunter. 

Tupac Shakur made his final studio album when he was alive with The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. He made the album in 7 days on August 1996. Tupac wanted to continue to be the premiere rapper in 1997. New artists like Jay Z, Slum Village, and Missy Elliot were coming up. Nas had It was Written. Also, Tupac criticized King Sun and De La Soul for their critiques of certain types of hip hop culture. Tupac was also angry at Snoop, because Snoop said that he had no problem with Biggie or Bad Boy in an interview with Angie Marzinez by late 1996. Snoop was the one with Tupac in the House of Blues doing nothing while Tupac criticized Biggie. That is why Tupac and Snoop weren't on good terms just before Tupac passed away. Also, Tupac reconciled with Nas by early September 1996 in New York City. Tupac came into the Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight at Las Vegas on September 1996. This would be the last days of his life on Earth. Biggie had a car crash with Little Cease driving. Also, Biggie worked on his final album when he was alive. His second album was life after Death. By January 1997, he wanted a new chapter of his life. He came to California to promote the Life after Death album on February 1997. He recorded the music video Hypnotize. He gave an interview on March 5, 1997. Wallace presented an award to Toni Braxton on March 8, 1997 at the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Award. This time would be the last days of his time on Earth too.

 

 

Unique Artists

 

The era of 1994-1997 saw the growth of unique, talented artists too. Hip hop in 1994 saw artists making albums like the Fugees, Casual, Scholly D, Beastie Boys, Nefertiti, Gang Starr, The Roots, M.O.P., Nas, OutKast, Master P., Public Enemy, Bone Thugs and Harmony, Kane, the Notorious B.I.G, Craig Mack, Keith Murray, Common, Digable Planets, Scarface, Artifacts, Brand Nubian, Slick Rick, etc. Hip Hop music expanded into new markets, and more people saw their views shown. Regulate from Warren G ft. Nate Dogg shown G-funk. Coolio's Fantastic Voyage was a funner record. Thuggish Ruggish Bone from Bone introduced many people to Cleveland hip hop. Ahmad's Back in the Day reflected on his past. Juicy was the philosophical record of the Notorious B.I.G. Salt-N-Pepa made statements with None of Your Business. Give It Up was from Public Enemy. One of Scarface's greatest records is "I Seen a Man Die." The year of 1995 in hip hop had tons of 90s sounds. The Roots released "Do You Want More?." DJ Quik, Big L, King Tee, Mobb Deep, Three 6 Mafia, Tupac (with his All Eyez on Me album), Master P, Mack 10, MC Breed, Luniz, Bone (with E. 1999 Eternal), Natas, Raekwon, Junior Mafia, Kool G Rap, Coolio, Mic Geronimo, LL Cool J, etc. made tons of music. 

 

One of the most introspective and emotional songs in 1995 was Gangsta' Paradise ft. L.V. It talked the harsh realities of the ghettos without glorifying violence. It discussed the pain and the hurt of those suffering in oppressed communities. It won many awards. Gangsta's Paradise was inspired by Stevie Wonder, and it is one of the greatest songs in hip hop history. LL Cool J had the hit with Boyz II Men called Hey Lover. The Notorious B.I.G. had the song One More Chance with Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige. The cameos in the video had tons of artists like Total, Heavy D. Mary J. Blige, Luther Campbell, Spike Lee, Da Brat, Jermaine Dupri, D-Nice, Patra, Miss Jones, Queen Latifah, Craig Mack,Cypress Hill, Tyson Beckford, Aaliyah, Changing Faces, Kid Capri, Junior Mafia, Zhane, and Sean Combs. Method Man and Mary J. Blige made the song of I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By. It was about love among a black man and a black woman in struggling circumstances. Tupac Shakur's song of Dear Mama in 1995 was one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time showing the love of a son for his mother. In 1995, there was How High from Method Man and Redman, I wish from Skee-Lo, Bone's music, Sugar Hill form AZ, Ice Cream from Raekwon, etc. 8Ball & MJG made music. 1996 was a year in hip hop that was dominated by Tupac Shakur. All Eyez on Me was released by Tupac. The Fugees had the Score. Lord Finesse release The Awakening. Bahamadia released Kollage. Busta Rhymes had the Coming album. Master P had the Ice Cream Man album. MC Breed, Dr. Dre, Too Short, Lost Boyz, Ice T, and De La Soul had Stakes is High. 1996 was a year that had some of the greatest hip hop music around. In 1996, Sadat X, UGK, A Tribe Called Quest, Crucial Conflict, A+, MC Lyte, OutKast (wth ATLiens), Rass Kass, Jeru the Damaja, Xzibit, Westside Connection, M.O.P, PMD, Lil Kim, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, FoxyBrown, Keith Murray, 36 Mafia, Redman, and other artists released albums. One of the greatest songs of Bone Thugs N Harmony was the Crossroads from 1996. It honored the lives of loved ones. It was a song that was dedicated to their mentor Eazy E too. Tupac's songs in 1996 were very numerous. Nas and Lauryn Hill made the song If I Ruled the World in 1996 when I was in the 7th grade. 

  

De La Soul's Stakes is High video in 1996 criticized not only gangster rap in an overt way. They criticized materialistic culture and predicted the further exploitation and social corruption found in mainstream hip hop. Outkast's Elevators (Me and You) showed soul and great lyricism. Outkast refuted the lie and stereotype of Southern hip hop lacking complex metaphors or lyrics. The Lost Boyz' Renee was a songs about a love story ending bad. The Roots' What They Do criticized hip hop having materialism excessively too and the fakeness of some artists. It targeted the bling bling cliches. The Fugees' Ready or Not and Killing Me Softly showed their impact on hip hop culture. The hip hop artist Lauryn Hill's part in the song Zealots from the 1996 Killing Me Softly album of the Fugees showed the world that she is one of the greatest MCs of all time with the following words:

 "...Yeah, yeah behold, as my odes, manifold on your rhymes

Two MCs can't occupy the same space at the same time

It's against the laws of physics

So weep as your sweet dreams break up like Eurythmics

Rap rejects, my tape deck, ejects projectile

Whether Jew or gentile, I rank top percentile

Many styles, more powerful than gamma rays..."

 

Tupac's To Live and Die in LA gave a celebration of Los Angeles in general. Jeru The Damaja's Ya Playing Yaself against criticized violence and corporate exploitation of hip hop artists. Hype Williams directed the song Hit Em High being the soundtrack of Space Film featuring B-Real, Coolio, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes. It has great graphics and excellent lyricism without profanity. The end of 1996 saw Tupac's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory ruling the charts. Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt came about in 1996. Jay Z was just starting, and few would view him as becoming the richest hip hop artist in history being a billionaire by 2020. Tupac's California Love was all about praising the state of California. From Tribe, Lord Finese, KRS-One, Bahamadia, and other artists, 1996 had one of the most soulful years in music history. Hip hop in 1997 was the end of one era and the start of a new era. During the early part of 1997, there was the growth of the pop songs. The bling bling and shiny suit era started, and the Notorious B.I.G. passed away on March 9, 1997. The Rhyme and Reason soundtrack was out on January 14, 1997. Before Biggie's death, there were Kool Keith, C-Bo, Funkmaster Flex, Luniz, TRU, and other artists were making music.  

 

The Passing Away of 2 Prominent Musicians

 

Tupac Shakur was a friend to Mike Tyson on September 1996. On the night of September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was in Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate his business partner Tracy Danielle Robinson's birthday. He attended the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson boxing match with Suge Knight at MGM Grand. Tyson beat Seldon easily. Tyson and Tupac celebrated. In the lobby of MGM Grand, someone spotted Orlando Anderson. This person was Travon Lane. Orlando was nicknamed Baby Lane. Baby Lane was a real Crip gang member. Orlando's uncle was Keefe D, who was a Compton gang member. Baby Lane done some things to earn his reputation. As a Southside Compton Crip, he was an enemy to the Bloods. He was trying to get a Death Row medallion many months prior to this situation. Hotel surveillance footage show what happened. Tupac Shakur came up to Orlando Anderson and punched him in the face after a Death Row person Travon Lane  told Tupac that Baby Lane was in the area. The Death Row crew jumped Orlando Anderson. Suge Knight kicked Baby Lane. Orlando wanted revenge, so he organized Keefe D and other gang members to try to hunt for Tupac and Suge Knight. They also met with Eric "Zip" Martin. Eric Martin was allied with P. Diddy and was Biggie's godfather. P. Diddy's father was a well known hustler and drug dealer in Harlem back in the day. The author Greg Kading said that Eric Martin gave Keefe D a gun. Gene Deal denies this allegation. Later, Shakur came to his hotel, changed clothes, and prepared to go into the Death Row nightclub Club 662. Tupac said final words to his girlfriend Kadida Jones at the hotel room in Vegas. Tupac and Suge drove in a black sedan. By 11 pm. bicycle mounted police stopped the car for loud music and lack of license plates. The plates were found in the trunk and the car was released without a ticket. At 11:15, the car was at a stop light. 

This was after women were on top a car greeting Tupac Shakur. A white four door later model Cadillac sedan pulled up next to Tupac. A hand came out and one person shot a gun. Shakur was shot 4 times. Shards hit Knight's head. Tupac was sent to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. He was on life support and put on a coma. Many relatives, celebrities, and friends met with Tupac Shakur at the hospital before his passing. Afeni Shakur put him off life support, and Tupac died of internal bleeding on September 13, 1996. Tupac's body was cremated the next day. Greg Kading, Chuck Philips, and others accused Orlando Anderson and Southside Crips of murdering Tupac. Anderson denied it at first, but later evidence have shown a vendetta that many Southside Crips had against Death Row Records. Kading accused P Diddy of paying 1 million dollars to Keefe D to basically murder Tupac and Suge Knight. The wild thing is that Diddy has never sued Greg Kading for defamation at a serious allegation. That's strange. Tupac Shakur was certainly the most influential rapper of all time. His legacy is shown in how he touched the lives of many. We recognize his imperfections, and even Tupac said that there are no justifications for his mistakes. Likewise, the good things that Tupac Shakur did in his life should be acknowledged and respected too.

 

The Notorious Bi.I.G.'s passing in many cases was more mysterious and more difficult to solve. Biggie left the Soul Train Music Awards to attend an after party. It was hosted by Vibe and Qwest Records at the Petersen Automotive Museum. People there were Faith Evans, Aaliyah, P. Diddy, and members of Crips and Blood gangs. By 12:30 am, the fire department closed the party as having too many people. Wallace left with his entourage in 2 GMC Suburbans to return to his hotel. He was with D-Roc, Lil Cease, and driver Gregory Young. P .Diddy was in another vehicle with 3 bodyguards. Later, a black man with a bow tie murdered Biggie with a 9 mm blue steel pistol. He died by 1:15 at the hospital. One bullet hit his heart. There are many theories about who murdered Biggie. The 2 main ones are that crooked, rogue LA cops did it or the Blood gang member named Poochie (who worked with Death Row records. His name is Wardell Fouse) murdered Biggie according to Greg Kading. Kading goes into great lengths to minimize the corruption among some LAPD people who were affiliated with Death Row records (as documented by Russel Poole) in my opinion. Christopher Wallace's funeral was held at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in Manhattan on March 18, 1997. He died on March 9, 1997.  Over 350 mourners were there like Lil Cease, Queen Latifah, Flava Flav, Mary J. Blige, Lil' Kim, Run-D.M.C., DJ Kool Herc, Treach, Busta Rhymes, Salt-N-Pepa, DJ Spinderella, Foxy Brown, and Sister Soujah. In Brooklyn, his music was played by its residents. Biggie loved Brooklyn as Brooklyn is home to men and women with great heart plus strength. After the funeral body was cremated and the ashes were given to his family. Biggie perfected the flow of hip hop. He had some of the greatest gifts of lyricism and flow in hip hop history. I make no justification for his imperfections (as we all have sinned), but he never deserved murder period. His life is shown through his family, and his family is dedicated to make the world better. That is why we wanted the best for his family. The Notorious B.I.G. helped to accelerate the influence of East coast hip hop. Biggie is the most skillful New York hip hop artist of the 1990's. There is no Jay Z like we see him today without B.I.G. The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation continues to help children.

*The problem back then wasn't just about the negative music promoting disrespect of women, disrespect of black people, and glorifying evil like cheating, murder, and other forms of wickedness. It was that many corporations purposely targeted conscious hip hop and the Stop the Violence movement in order to distract the people on what really mattered (which is about building communities and establishing solutions to social problems). The problem with gangsta rap (as opposed to righteous, positive rap) is that it tried to glorify evil in trying to claim to be good. You can't mix good and evil and call it good. We should never aspire to be goons, gangsters, thugs, crooks, etc. During the 1990's, the prison industrial complex grew, and many artists forgot that you don't have to degrade human beings in getting a real message across. One great thing about the 1990's was the explosion of great African American TV shows, and the explosion of creativity in general from fashion to other cultural components of society. You will notice that many black conscious artists were targeted back then too. Therefore, we are wise to thrive to be leaders, intellectuals, scholars, activists, and real forms of how we can better our world. The 1990's had some of the greatest music of all time (from Arrested Development to Deborah Cox), and we are reminded that a love of righteousness builds up the human soul. 

  

 

Where do we go from here?

 

By March of 1997, the hip hop community suffered the losses of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. They didn't live to see 26 years old, so they were very young. Tupac wanted to incorporate his Black Panther influence mixed with a grassroots appeal to the people. The Notorious B.I.G. wanted to leave the life of crime and advance music in order to provide for his family. Both men had many things in common like: love for their mothers, being victims of murder, they are some of the most influential musicians in history, and they were born in NYC. Their deaths signified an end to one era of hip hop music.  Some debated if hip hop went too far with some artists showing lyrics of violence, death, misogyny, etc. Some wanted to ban hip hop altogether, especially gangster rap. It is a shame that 2 men lost their lives unjustly without both men having a chance to reach their total life potentials. Immediately, meetings came about to try to end tensions in the hip hop community (among the East Coast and West Coast). Many tensions were eliminated. By this time (of Spring and Summer of 1997), the biggest hip hop camp was Bad Boy Records. Death Row had legal issues and other problems. Many artists left Death Row from Jewell to Snoop, because it was a facing massive challenges. P. Diddy not only promoted Biggie's Life After Death album which would explode in record sales in 1997 and beyond. He promoted his own Bad Boy Records' artist in the No Way Out album. It was released on July 1, 1997 during the shiny suit era. 

Hip hop during this time saw the rise of both regional movements (like Ruff Ryders, Rocafella Records, Cash Money, The Dungeon Family, No Limit, Bone Thugs and Harmony, Dr. Dre's Aftermath, Murder Inc., G-Unit, etc.) along with individual artists who grew into a higher level of a platform (like DMX, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Master P, Kanye West, The Game, 50 Cent, Eminem, etc. As for Eminem, I will list issues where I disagree with him in the near future). The era of 1997-2006 was a transitional time in hip hop music. Hip hop wanted to cope with the pain of the lost of Tupac and Biggie while continuing its long legacy of musical expression. The truth is always obvious. The truth is that regardless of what time we live in, we have to follow what is right. Artists who promote the Golden Rule should be praised, and we reject injustice. Part of rejecting injustice, regardless of how many in the world hate this, is to not support music that degrades black people or any human being in an viciously wicked fashion. So, the new era of hip hop was born. Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. built a foundation of the further international power of hip hop music in its modern formations. 

 

By Timothy