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Tupac Shakur Would Have Been 37 Years Old Today

6/16/08, 5:51 pm EST

In a better universe, Tupac Shakur would have turned thirty-seven years old today. Already the biggest rapper on the planet when he died on September 13, 1996, one wonders what Tupac would be doing now if he were still alive. Would he have attained and sustained the sort of cross-cultural success his former Death Row labelmate Snoop Dogg enjoys? Would he sell more copies than Tha Carter III, or would he be beefing with Ice Cube over family film scripts and box office money? Based on the arc of his career at the time he died, Pac seemed to be more interested in acting than in rap music, and his work in Gridlock’d proved that he could hang with a heavyweight like Tim Roth. It’s impossible to tell how his music might have changed as time went on, as his posthumous work is wildly inconsistent (though not without a handful of gems). He almost certainly would have retired from recording only to put out a comeback record, a la Jay-Z. And he definitely would have appeared on The Wire. Sadly, we’ll never get to know, as Shakur’s still-unsolved murder remains one of the heavier gone-too-soon moments in music history. So on the day that Tupac Shakur would have turned 37, we assume he would have celebrated by doing one or more of the following:

• Announcing that he would take part in a Digital Underground reunion.

• Polishing his Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

• Charging $500,000 a verse to appear on the next 50 Cent record.

• Signing a 360 deal with Live Nation that trumps Jay-Z.

• Recording with Notorious B.I.G.

• Chill with Kobe Bryant on the Lakers’ jet on their way to Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

• Coaxing Dr. Dre to finally release Detox.

[Photo: Retna]


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Comments

Trevor Crump | 11/13/2008, 10:25 am EST

tupac shakur…. the best rapper alive and dead.

cliff em all | 10/14/2008, 12:03 pm EST

If Tupac were alive there would not be any lil waynes or internet rappers or any shit like that.. Tupac we need you come back!!!

digi | 10/14/2008, 9:42 am EST

the bigest rapper

digi | 10/14/2008, 9:42 am EST

the bigest rapper

Rest in Peace Mr. Shakur | 9/17/2008, 3:32 am EST

I still enjoy to this day your music Mr. Shakur. I dislike all that new;up to date music of rap it’s either about stupid gang bang woman, rims, greed, and getting messed up. Oh, quit the show boating I don’t care about what they have unless those rappers our going to give it to me for free,and plus they didn’t earn that money by talking about that junk you don’t see me flashing off my realstate. I listen to Mr.Shakur’s music because he has a point; music that grabs your attention; very smooth singer. “Happy Birthday Mr. Shakur”

Frank | 9/13/2008, 4:55 am EST

Well pac would of been 37 today its hard to believe its been that long but then again its gone so quick. To think if he was still alive today he could of done anything with his life that dude, sky was the limit for him. Im just gonna say that for me he’s the most influential singer / song writer of all time. R.I.P see you in thugz mansion one day!

Pac fan | 9/10/2008, 8:43 pm EST

I listen to Tupac everyday, and while I don’t condone a lot of things he said, he definitely had much more depth than a lot of these lame rappers out right now (IE: Lil Wayne). I certainly wish I could actually rap because I would have tried to continue what Pac started (not the beefs), but sadly, I can’t rap too well at the moment.

Either way, I really wish I could have gotten a chance to talk to Tupac, but, that’d never happen seeing as I was only 3 years old at the time of his death.

AHENDOG,ya diggg...! | 9/10/2008, 9:28 am EST

oor nehh…? iight so i been doin dis research on da main bull tupac…! yaa nuueh? yee. well he is freash till death, as i said. i mean it litteraly. @HeNNyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. duuuuug, the people be sayin he still alive, and girl dey triipin! yaa feel me or neeh? YAAAAAAAA DIGGGGGGGGGGG

onyx | 9/9/2008, 11:24 am EST

pac 4 life. still living, still thugin. if he’s still livin, he’d definitelly be d don he was claiming. God bless d dead man….

AHENDOG,ya diggg...! | 9/9/2008, 9:59 am EST

iight, so tupac is ma main n. he is always fresh til death, nah mean or naw? he was da hottest spittin’ jawn out there in the 90’s and still is today…! yerp or nerp..? holla at yo main bull A HEN -dog, YAAAHH DIIHG? or neeh? he cared about people, he wasn’t tryna be anyone but himself…! can’t ever forget him R.I.P babby…….!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the realest dat u eva saw | 8/25/2008, 1:14 am EST

Pac was a flamboyant Bono, with balls !! it his ironice that his name is 2 pac because he was definately 2 different pacs - both mystical in their own right sensitive and strong reactionary at times but to quote the great man “blinded by my passion and fury” he needed more time to learn how to control this sophisticated vessel God blessed him with, and as he was coming to terms with it and closer to where he needed to be, the U.S. government where more intimidated by this mans capability… where would PAC be??…. whereever his heart led him but i would assume that it would have become very influential and very political, african americans needed Pac, and the US goverment knew this…. Black jesus we will see you in heaven’s ghetto.

B-RABBIT | 8/11/2008, 2:15 am EST

2pac is my idol he was more than a rapper he was a poet pac was awsome a west side cript who was and is awsome

Jiovani | 8/1/2008, 11:47 am EST

Tupac was the greatest rapper ever his lyrics are so intelligent and smooth he spoke the truth and he also made positive songs that make people feel better. Thats why he sold 75 million records worldwide and fake rappers like Ja Rule and DMX tried to imatate him and look like him.

west coast | 7/9/2008, 12:49 pm EST

idon,t who killed 2 püc but ithink

charles pitts | 7/7/2008, 2:24 pm EST

one of the things tupac spoke of was
politics and activism one of his interviews he talked about running
for office don’t forget he is a son of a black panther .tupac was leaving death row records and starting his own label check the record

aymen | 7/4/2008, 12:34 am EST

I think that if Pac was alive , he would be the richest rapper. He would be the most relevant figure in the rap game !

Maximilian | 6/26/2008, 1:56 pm EST

2Pac would probley have started his own reccord label, probley leaving death row, too. 2pac would also try to struggle a lil to get a movie he wrote into production. And as for the reccording with B.I.G. theres a good chance they would still be beefin unless they found who robbed, and try’d to kill 2Pac the night of his shooting. The beef was that ‘Pac thought Biggie tryed to kill him, because Biggie was in the studio Pac was when ‘Pac got shot. If they found them and disproved them being assasinaters from Biggie and Puff (which they would have because B.I.G. and Diddy had nothing to do with it; just a wrong place wrong time type of deal) then the beef would have most likely been over.

But one thing you have to wonder is if 2pac was still alive today, would tracks that were reccorded inbetween ‘All eyez on Me’ and ‘Makaveli’ be released (such as the ‘Better Dayz’, ‘Until the End Of Time’ and ‘Still I Rise’ albums) ? Either way I would (Ofcourse) still want 2Pac alvie today.

Mc ProtaJ! | 6/22/2008, 4:23 pm EST

Yo, Tupac was the best man!
he’s my inspiration and everyday u listen 2 his songs u feel betta and like u can carry on!

HE talks the truth nt like fckin 50 cent and Akon and all these shits!

He probs still be an activist coz it’s in his blood and he would probably be coming out wid new shit or making movies!

he’S REAL MAN, he keeps it street and he means so much to the world even noW!

May he live on in our hearts!
HE’s still one of the most popular rappers! everywhere i go on a daily basis i at least hear one car blasting his music!

We luv ya pac and we wish u cud ave bin hear 2day and enjoyed life like u shud ave!!!

peace out
x

JAY | 6/22/2008, 12:06 pm EST

I LOVE THAT MAN AND MISS HIM VERY MUCH he cared about poor people so much and alot of you idiots did not see that and his music speaks the truth that why he still risiing to the top even in death like he said!

Professor Griff | 6/18/2008, 11:32 am EST

The absolute heyday of hip hop was when Eric B and Rakim dropped Follow the Leader, BDP dropped By any Means Necessary, and Public Enemy dropped Nation of Millions and then Fear of a Black Planet. Almost everything that followed celebrated the vacuity of obtaining material wealth and subjugating women. Of course there were exceptions, and by no means am I denying the talents of 2Pac or Biggie, but hip hop had a real chance to make a real imprint and they fell into the same excesses that trapped many rock stars. Today, the original hip hop artists are suppressed and we are bombarded with cookie cutter videos and topics. Biggie and Puff started that trend. 2Pac may have made a difference, but somehow I think that if he were alive today, his hip hop game would have stopped a while ago and he would have been Ice Cube’s “rebel” brother in “Are we Done Yet?” Yes, hip hop. we are done.

enemydgc | 6/17/2008, 6:56 pm EST

I think that the face of the rap game we know today would of never existed. I mean 2pac hated Jayz and Puff, so think of all the talent that would of suffered if these rappers would of been under the continuous assault of 2pac. 2pac didn’t even like Dre anymore. In other words his death left a big opening in the game, and without him dying we might of never gotten to hear some of the artist we have today. In some ways i kind of wish that were the case.

hahahaha your DEAD! | 6/17/2008, 3:05 pm EST

he would’ve the next MC hammer and on the sur real life now

wrecksracer | 6/17/2008, 11:20 am EST

Had he not been shot to death in 1996, he probably would have been shot to death the next year….or soon afterwards because of his pathetic thuggish lifestyle. He wasn’t smart enough to parlay his fortune into a less dangerous lifestyle. Snoop Dog, Ice Cube, Ice T…alive/intelligent. Tupac….dead/stupid.

Sean | 6/17/2008, 11:04 am EST

Wha beatles who knows beatles…ma man would been runnin for presidency instead of obama, he would been managing real hip hop artists, writting movie scripts, putting out an album every 5 years just to regulate the game, rest in peace mayne, those who know you love and respect you and the work you did..love 4eva

mouli | 6/17/2008, 11:00 am EST

Who know’s we coulda had Em and 2pac doin a song together with Dre producin it.That woulda surely been dope.RIP mann

Sean | 6/17/2008, 10:59 am EST

Wha beatles who knows beatles…ma man would been runnin for presidency instead of obama, he would been managing real hip hop artists, writting movie scripts, putting out an album every 5 years just to regulate the game,

Jay | 6/17/2008, 8:34 am EST

Tupac said in ‘96 some of the things he planned to do:

-> Retire by 2000
-> Open up a chain of restaurants
-> Start a political party (ONE REASON ‘THEY’ KILLED HIM)
-> More acting
-> More charity working

And believe if pac was still with us that punk 50 would have never got a deal and jigga would still be broke hanging on the corner.

randy | 6/17/2008, 3:48 am EST

tupac is probably running devry university out of his home offices in miami florida

JCouv | 6/17/2008, 12:43 am EST

Pac was the only and i mean only reason i listened to rap in the 90s. He was so far ahead of everyone that why he had all those haters. RIP to my boy Pac! We miss u bro.

k-dub | 6/17/2008, 12:35 am EST

Who knows if he would have been doing any of those things. Maybe polishing his best supporting actor Oscar, as he was pretty good actor. The sad thing is that we will never know. And he did change the world. Did you know you could get college credits studying him and the books he read?

2-Pack Mania | 6/17/2008, 12:15 am EST

He was a shockingly mediocore rapper but a very good actor. He was a party animal thug who took part in a rape and 2 gun battles. He’s been musically raped by greedy record companies releasing bits of unfinished tape scraped from the bottom of the barrel not unlike what they did to Jimi and Marley.

fitzbath | 6/16/2008, 11:59 pm EST

I’m sorry… but can anyone explain the cultural significance
of 2Pac to the world at large?
He didn’t exactly change the world like The Beatles.
Is he more famous for his music and movies or because he was a tattooed con who lived a dangerous life?
Walk down the street and ask anyone
to name a 2Pac song, how many people could?

fitzbath | 6/16/2008, 11:36 pm EST

They never would have won the 1982
World Series without his help. It was always cool when he did those back flips…. oh wait….
That’s Ozzie Smith.

Jakobi | 6/16/2008, 10:45 pm EST

Tupac is probably kickin’ it with Elvis right now.
And I don’t mean in the afterlife.

Seriously, they need to get on covering Gary Glitter: “Hello Hello I’m Back Again”.

trulyyours | 6/16/2008, 10:09 pm EST

Hey shakespeare,

You should probably drop your fake ass name and realize that your moms is the punk for not investing the time to teach you a thing or two about character.

What’s worse is when an uneducated fool comes on hiding behind his online moniker and starts dissing everyone around him in hopes of boosting his own pathetic ego.

Keep in mind Mr. shakespeare that 2Pac attended the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts and was an avid fan of the real Shakespeare ( not the punk who you pretend to be ) and could quote more of his works than you can imagine ever existed.

How dare you diss a man who has had such a powerful and positive impact on people of all ages, not just in the United States but all across the world. Next time before you decide to blindly diss someone like all them other fake ass punks on youtube, do your research Mr. shakespeare. You wish you could be half a man that Tupac Shakur was.

Bono | 6/16/2008, 10:04 pm EST

The end of real rap started in 1991 when Public enemy’s album apocalypse 91 the enemy strikes black came under fire due to Griff’s comments.

shakespeare | 6/16/2008, 9:15 pm EST

He probably would of been doing none of those things, since he only became more famouse after his death. All eyez on me hit the 9 million mark after his death night before. & plus everyone from dre, to nas, and even jay-z hated him while he was alive for one reason. He was a PUNK!

dappa-j | 6/16/2008, 9:01 pm EST

stay alive bro
nice
you are still alive dawg
ha,haaaaa
too bad for them
the longest liver will tell
only the good his good enough
bless
they have eyes still not seeing bro
one lov,one god,we are one people
a know they won’t fool ya igh

Anonymous | 6/16/2008, 8:59 pm EST

pac truly was a legend and I think if he was still alive, rap wouldn’t have gone as far down the shithole as it has.

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