Spike Magazine

Spike | 15 YEARS OF BOOKS, MUSIC, ART, IDEAS | www.spikemagazine.com
Review [published March 2000]
Tupac Shakur: Murder Was The Case
Gary Marshall on the history of gangsta rap as documented in Tupac Shakur:
Rebel For The Hell Of It and Have Gun Will Travel
Under the guidance of its founder Marion ‘Suge’
Knight, Death Row Records became one of the most
successful and most talked-about record labels of the
1990s. Home to Dr Dre, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy
Dogg and many others, the label’s roster read like a
‘who’s who’ of the rap industry and the ‘gangsta’ genre
in particular. Straddling the line between entertainment
and violent reality, the label developed a reputation for
gangsterism and intimidation while its artists seemed
to lead the same violent and misogynistic lives they
rapped about.
Armond White attempts to tell the story of Tupac
Shakur, Death Row’s most famous recording artist,
and place him firmly in the context of Black culture
and society. The son of former Black Panther and crack
addict Afeni Shakur, Tupac attended drama school and
was a gifted musician and actor; his death in a driveby
and the resulting tit-for-tat killing of Biggie Smalls
(aka Notorious B.I.G.) were generally believed to be
part of the escalating rivalry between East Coast and
West Coast gangs. Rebel For The Hell Of It attempts
to explain the cultural issues that shaped Tupac and his
BUY Tupac Shakur music online from and
generation, presenting a damning picture of corrupt
police, institutionalised racism and the greed of the
recording industry.
While White presents a powerful and convincing
argument, at times he’s too eager to play the race
card. A journalist who describes Tupac as “shockingly
handsome” is denounced as racist on the evidence
of those two words, and White regularly uses
magazine cuttings as examples of what he perceives
as a subconsciously racist approach to the entire rap
industry. While there is some truth to his arguments,
in many cases he heaps derision on journalists who
may be guilty of cliché or lazy thinking but who demonstrate
considerably more affection for his subject
than he does. While detailing rape allegations, court
proceedings and lyrical content he seems curiously
distant from the subject, showing little sign that he
finds anything to like or respect about Tupac. It is only
when the narrative turns to Tupac’s filmic ambitions –
White’s speciality is in film and cultural studies – that
any sense of empathy shines through.
Ultimately White believes rap – and gangsta rap in
472
More
Spike
email
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z