Before I start. I understand that the layers of this topic get sensitive. That’s why personal opinion is removed and I want to provide perspective and questions to make us all think. Think about who you are and what you believe in. Then think about who you were between the ages of 18-25 mentally. Think about who you wanted to be and who you actually were. This is all about perspective and consequences. So let’s go.

Myself  and 10’s or even 100’s of thousands of people were expecting Flex to go off the deep end, be mad disrespectful to Pac and his legacy and turn a whole generation of young people and young OG’s against him forever with what he was going to say about Pac and the Quad Studio shooting. I’m very happy to say, we didn’t get that. We got a somewhat untold story with people who were actually connected. Ed Lover and Mister Cee needed to be in that IG  Live conversation just so cool heads would prevail and history lessons would be received. I think they succeeded in that.

Albeit over 20 years later. The narrative is now, Pac caused his own shooting by shooting himself. Ed Lover mentioned that Pac had that joint on him, he had street beef and he obviously felt it was going left. So he reaches, shoots himself and the other party proceeded with 4 other shots. The other party was not Big, Cease, Puffy, Junior Mafia affiliates or Bad Boy as a staff, label or motherf**king crew. Are we in agreement forever on that now? I hope so

The uncomfortable truth is Flex is right. 2Pac lied. He lied to VIBE magazine, he lied on “Hit Em Up” and he continued to lie to the people. Let’s not forget. People think Bad Boy had something to do with the Pac shooting because he said it several times in song or in interview and he knew that wasn’t the truth. Biggie took the route of “not addressing anything that doesn’t have anything to do with me” and got vilified for that. How do we feel moving forward with that information? Was there probable cause for Pac to lie about this? Why even on his death bed did the truth never surface? Can we blame crews? Can we blame media? Do we solely blame Pac?

The new conversations in rap are the “#Facts” in diss tracks. The narrative now is “The truth is greater than the better bars”. We have now confirmed “5 shots couldn’t stop me. I took it and smiled” among other lines were fabricated and misdirected on 2 levels now. Now “Who Shot Ya?” is a real question that Pac never answered on wax or in real life. Are we looking at the words of a hip-hop legend any differently now that this has happened? Has “Hit Em Up” dropped in your “G.O.A.T Diss Track List”? Do you question other accusations in the song now?

Did the lies of Tupac Shakur result in Biggie’s death? I don’t want to jump out that window, but it’s hard to confirm or deny right now. The last two years of Pac’s entertainment life were highlighted with his “Beef” with Bad Boy, with the underlying narrative being, “they tried to kill me.” It was public knowledge and information because of Pac. He got shot and named names. The wrong names. By “G Code criteria” that’s not what’s supposed to happen. He bred the “Thug Life” generation. Many people live by Pac’s code of conduct that he laid down through his music. Were they lead astray forever on this topic? Think about how hard Drake, Cole and Kendrick “Stans” go on social media for them. Put that in a time where there was no social media. Remember, two dorks went to Joe Budden house over a Drake diss.

Last thing I want to say is look at the blanket description of Pac. End of day, Pac was a famous black male in his early 20’s that got a whole lot too soon. The “Thug Life” campaign made him very famous. It’s why “Bishop” from “Juice” is an iconic character. It also got a rape charged pinned on him, then got him shot and ultimately killed. How would you be in Pac’s shoes at 23-25? Think about the sucka stuff you did. The lies you told. The people you hurt purposely and inadvertently. As the man or woman you are now, you know it’s stupid, reckless, careless and could have been much worse. You’re happy and lucky to survive some of the dumb stuff you did before 25. Pac wasn’t so lucky. Neither was Big. These are the words and actions of a young person. A borderline kid trying to become his own man. Can we truly condemn him for his growing pains?

Now that Angie Martinez interview with Pac is priceless. If that’s the last moment he chose to keep it 1,000 about everything, we need to hear and see it. Not to condemn or bring up old wounds, but to see if the maturation process of Pac being the man he wanted to be was actually happening. In many cases Pac was more “Caine from Menace” than “Bishop from Juice”. The flip is this interview could have been a career and character suicide mission and it’s purposely being kept in the dark to save his iconic image. It’s the true definition of “Pandora’s Box” and remember these are the words of a famous and victimized 25 year old. Somehow, someway people need better clarity of Tupac Shakur the person. Because that’s what’s been misunderstood since the Quad Studio shooting.

This is a “Lost” VIBE interview clip. What would you assume after this?

What do you believe? Why?

Be Safe. Be Humble. Live Hip-Hop