I still haven’t taken a side in this debate, so I figured I’d start with the most interesting side, the one where Tupac Shakur is alive and well today.
The article jumps right into the supposed “facts” that prove the esteemed rapper is still alive, starting with his final album “Makaveli: Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory” and how it was named after Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian philosopher “who believed that faking one’s own death was a sure way to foil his enemies.” The author then goes on to talk about all of the albums released after Tupac’s “death” and how it’s insane that an artist could have this much music already recorded and available to be released. The next point made is in regards to the lyrics of the posthumously released songs, referencing movies and political events that happened after he died.
This article had many points and it summed up the Tupac-is-alive side of the argument well, but it had some ideas that I agree with and some I don’t. What I do agree with is the fact that Tupac has had 9 albums released after his “death” and his lyrics referencing events and movies from after his death. Another thing I agree with that I think is a little sketchy is that Tupac will be releasing another album this year titled “Death Faker”. Weird, right?
What I don’t agree with in this article is the fact that people compare Tupac to Machiavelli. Sure, he released an album called “Makaveli” and read a lot of books about Machiavelli and faking one’s death, but that doesn’t mean he actually was going to follow through with it. I’ve read the Harry Potter books a countless number of times, that doesn’t mean I’m going to try to do magic and attend Hogwarts.
This article has many points that I find interesting and it has many ideas that I want to look into. What I want to look into more is the whole Makaveli-Machiavelli idea. I want to really explore the history of Machiavelli and how Tupac was influenced by him, it all seems so fascinating.
(The article in question)
Hi Andrew,
Nice blog post! I think, overall, you did well.
You might consider tweaking this blog post a little before your classmates see it. You begin by diving right into your analysis, which is good, but you don’t really give your reader any contextual information about your source. It’s a little jarring to start off with “This article,” so you might want to follow or preface that with some context regarding the author of the article.
I thought your point about Tupac reading Machiavelli but not fashioning himself after the man was very salient. It’s one thing to read a book by or about someone, and another thing to study that person and model one’s self after them.
Good work! You just might want to iron out a few of the bugs and you’ll be good to go!
~Christina K.
Hello Andrew!
Those are all interesting ideas. I didn’t realize that in his songs that have been released after his death, that he had historical events in them. How else could that happen if he was dead? Did he predict that? Very unlikely.
Besides that, I think it would be helpful to a reader who doesn’t listen to his music if you could give an example of a song, and potentially quote the specific line you are referencing. Finally, it would help if you could expand on the whole Machiavelli idea. What purpose did he serve?
Really interesting idea!
Crazy if its actually true.
~Brooke Burris
I think the suggestions that are left here are helpful because they seem to be from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the topic or his work.
I am an avid and lifelong Tupac fan and i’m very familiar with what youre refering to.
It would probably be extremely beneficial for the sake of the blog to do a lyrical evaluation, especially of the albums right before his death and the ones that were released after. Maybe Tupac tells us.
I’m going to do just that as well if i find anything useful i’ll post an update.