Thug Immortal

I know soon one day I'll be in the dirt
And my peoples'll be mournin'
- Tupac Shakur 'How Long Will They Mourn Me?'

It is the tenth year since 2pac died after being on a life support machine a few days after being shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

There have been a ton of conspiracy theories chronicling how the rapper faked his own death and is still around today. He still has a wealth of unheard music being released so it is hard not to think there may be truth to this ideology.

I first heard a 2pac song in the summer of 1994 when he appeared on the B-Side of the Warren G and Nate Dogg single 'Regulate'. A few months later I read reports that he had been sent to jail for rape.

He was the Mike Tyson of his genre. A loose cannon but great at what he did.

In 1995 I vividly recall his song 'Dear Momma' being on MTV all the time and then when I was picking up my GCSE results in August of that year one of my colleagues showed up in his friend's car and 'Me Against The World' was booming out of the cars speakers.

I bought the album because of those two tracks.

In the latter part of 1995, he was bailed out of jail by Death Row Records and promptly signed a record deal with them. Death Row, at that time, was my favourite label as they had talent like Dr Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg and The Dogg Pound signed to it.

The first release for 2pac on the label was 'All Eyez On Me' and this double album was my main birthday present from my parents on my sixteenth. It became the album that brings back memories of the Summer of '96.

And then a few months later he died.

Whilst in prison he read The Prince by Niccolo Machivelli and became obssesed with the Italian's teachings. One of the most specific ideas generated from the book was about how one faked his own death to overcome his enemy down the line. The end justifying the means, if you will.

Within two months of his passing, admist rumours of his death being a scam, the album 'The 7 Day Theory' was released under his alias of Makaveli.

This album can be picked apart for clues to assist the view that he is still alive and well. It is however, my most favourite album of his and has probably been the most played CD I have ever had.

All of his other posthumous albums have failed to live up to the ones that were released during his lifetime due to the fact that most of them were ones he probably left out of his other albums.

When you consider that these songs are published and not as great as was constant with his other hits then it may mean that the death is true after all.

Or it could mean his master plan is working out well.

R U Still down? Remember Me
- Tupac Shakur 'R U Still Down (Remember Me)'