Can you imagine 40 year old Pac? Would he still be rapping? What would he look like? What would he think of people like Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Nikki Minaj and all these other rappers who became popular after his death? It’s been 15 years since the rapper died of gunshot wounds suffered on a Las Vegas street. At that time, he was a brash 25-year-old with a lot of energy, a slew of hit records under his belt and a prison record from a 1995 sexual assault conviction.

He made songs as endearing as “Dear Mama” and as thuggish and ruggish as “Hit ‘Em Up.” Whatever the topic, he was always passionate and you could see the brilliance beaming from behind those gorgeous eyes of his. You are missed, Mr. Shakur.

Peep the video below of Pac reciting a verse of “Keep Ya Head Up” to a classroom of women. That smile at the end? Oh, melts your heart.

Read the rest of this entry »

By B. Hutson

For all those conspiracy theorists that swear Tupac Shakur is alive and hiding in Cuba, brace yourself.  According to PBS, Tupac was recently sighted in a small resort in New Zealand—or was he?

At 11:30 p.m. Sunday, an article appeared on the PBS NewsHour news blog, “The Rundown,” claiming that not only had Tupac been found alive and well in a small town that could not be named due to security risks, but he allegedly has been living with Biggie Smalls. Despite the suspicious nature of the story, it didn’t stop at least 3,000 readers from ‘liking’ the story on Facebook and many more on Twitter who speculated on whether the story was true or not, reports Forbes.

Unfortunately, for those who had an ounce of hope, the story was declared a hoax that was written by hackers from a group calling itself LulzSec. PBS became aware of the intrusion shortly the story was posted. They counteracted by posting statements acknowledging the hack and that the story was a fake. According to Forbes, not only did the hackers break into PBS’ content management system and pen a “sufficiently-newsy sounding article with a photo and byline,” but they also posted a list of usernames and passwords for PBS’ IT admins and users, along with login details for local PBS television stations.

The reason for all of this? Well, LulzSec said in a pastebin statement that it was “less than impressed” by the “WikiSecrets” documentary that recently aired as a segment of PBS’ Frontline news program and its portrayal of Bradley Manning. Oh, and because they could.

Apparently, LulzSec has an interest in hacking media companies: it targeted Fox News recently, publishing login details for employees and user information of hundreds of people who applied to be updated on X-Factor auditions. It also attacked Sony websites and hinted it will hit Sony again soon.

But for those who still have an urge to play, ‘where in the world is Tupac?’ you can check out the hoax story here.

A biopic of Tupac Shakur is set for the big screen. Although there have been 14 documentaries chronicling the rapper’s life and death, this is the first one to star a full cast of actors. Antoine Fuqua, best known for his award-winning film Training Day, will direct the project and Shakur’s mother Afeni will serve as executive producer.

The film will detail Shakur’s rise to fame as a musician and actor, including his tenure Baltimore performing arts high school, his imprisonment and his involvement with Death Row records. The film is scheduled to start shooting this summer. Although casting has begun for the roles of Jada Pinkett Smith and Kidada Jones (Quincy Jones’ daughter), the actor who will portray Shakur hasn’t been announced.

Which actor is fit to play Tupac in this feature film?

For more information about the project, click here.

Last Friday, CNN reported that a task force of various local and federal law enforcement are actively pursuing news leads in the 13-year-old homicide case of one of hip-hop’s most beloved and talented MCs, Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, who was gunned down in 1997 after leaving an industry party in Las Angeles.

According to one law enforcement source, the investigation into the unsolved case was “reinvigorated” months ago as a result of new information. However, law enforcement agents are being tight-lipped as to what this new evidence is and if the information is enough to finally charge someone, or some ones, in the case.

Prior to his death, Wallace had been warned to stay away from the West Coast, in large part because of possible retaliation in the death of Tupac Shakur, famed West Coast rapper and Wallace’s hip-hop nemesis, who had been shot six months prior in Las Vegas.

While both murders have been the subject of intense debate, conspiracy theories and investigation, there has not been a single thread of evidence revealed, which might link them both. Furthermore, the ongoing lack of evidence in both cases continues to leave their families, as well as their fans, discouraged, if not disillusioned by the lack of progression in getting these murders solved.

Due to the lack of attention in both cases, some fans have turned into junior sleuths and constructed theories of their own, including one assumption that Shakur, who at the time was on Death Row Records, and Wallace, who was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment, were both the victims of rap’s West Coast vs. East Coast rivalries, which had dangerously spilled off wax.

Another theory suggests that Wallace’s murder was orchestrated by the L.A. Police Department, a theory which Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, had argued in her 2002 lawsuit.  That lawsuit, which also suggested that the LAPD involvement is the main reason why the investigation had been thwarted, was eventually dismissed.

The reality is that the mysteries behind the Biggie & Tupac murders will probably never be solved.  Despite both shootings occurring in a public setting with the presence of many witnesses, no real evidence has been collected and folks refuse to come forward, while the case by the original investigators has been botched beyond repair.

And although there have been plenty of mistakes made in both cases, the reality is that Shakur and Wallace’s own reputations might play the most instrumental part in why either death might never get solved.  With their street-life praising lyrics and overly-hype male bravado, both rappers’ public persona played quaintly into the narrative of “no snitching” and other loyalties to the codes of the street, which makes it easier for law enforcement to remain indifferent.

The mystery surrounding the deaths of Biggie and Tupac have all the elements of a typical inner city crime: a drive-by shooting, a dead body and uncooperative witnesses. Without any suspects, there will be no arrest. And without any arrest, there is only wide speculation and legend, which unfortunately, is always more profitable than the actual truth.

Charing Ball is the author of the blog People, Places & Things.

It’s been 14 years since Tupac was murdered in Las Vegas. He was only 25 when he died. But, along with former nemesis  Biggie Smalls, his legacy in music continues to remain strong. He established himself at a young age and even though he promoted varying identities and personas during his music career, fans still associate him with a very focused brand of brash passion. In honor of Tupac’s legacy and his continuously successful discography, we compiled a list of his best selling albums thanks to data from the media firm Nielsen SoundScan.

10. Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z

Units Sold: 1,366,000

Released: February 16, 1993

9. Resurrection

Units Sold: 1,660,000

Released November 11, 2003

8. Better Dayz

Units Sold: 1,758,000,

Released November 26, 2002

7. Still I Rise

Units Sold:1,686,000

Released December 14, 1999

6. R U Still Down? (Remember Me?)

Units Sold:  2,160,000

Released November 18, 2007

5.Until The End Of Time

Units Sold: 2,204,000

Released March 27, 2001

4. Me Against The World

Units Sold: 2,439,000

Released March 14, 1995

3. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

Units Sold: 3,492,000

Released October 29, 1996

2. All Eyez On Me

Units Sold: 4,473,000

Released February 6, 1996

1. Greatest Hits

United Sold:4,810,000

Released November 24, 1998

Training Day director Antoine Fuqua is directing a biopic on the late rapper Tupac Shakur.

Read the rest of this entry »

(Black Voices) — In an interview with UK’s Digital Spy, director Antoine Fuqua mentioned that his next film will be a biopic on slain rap legend Tupac Shakur. Morgan Creek Productions will produce the film, with shooting to start in September. No actor has been tapped to play Tupac yet as Fuqua stated in the interview, “That’s the goal, I want to discover someone new… I want to discover a lot of new people if I can. Obviously I’m going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world.”

Read More…