"You Resurrected Tupac For That?" Pimping a Dead Man's Violent Lyrics & Violent End for Commercial Gain

This week, everyone seems to be buzzing about late rapper Tupac's "appearance" at Coachella as a hologram. Most people were just wowed by the surprise effect. But our acquaintance Kelly Virella (from Dominion of New York) shared quite a different point of view. She wrote: "I was a fan of his before he was killed and own a few of his CDs. (...) But Tupac also made music that epitomizes the worst of hip-hop, the gun-toting, gang-banging, woman-hating kind. I held my breath when I clicked play on the video, hoping that I’d hear some progressive Tupac. Instead I got 'Hail Mary', a song glorifying the very violence that killed him."
"I have to draw a line somewhere and that line is at resurrecting the image of a murdered man and forcing him to strut around the stage performing a song about his thirst for revenge." (full article here)
What's your take on this, guys?!

Tags: Coachella, Criticism, Festival, Hologram, Performance, Tupac, Video

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Comment by Newsoul on April 22, 2012 at 8:58pm: JORDANLESESNE

These sorts of themes should have played by 1997, but when you use the things it's tiring and boring. Most music goes through a pre genre, the movement itself, and then post- genre and then it either re-invents itself or fades away. These themes in Black Music have never faded away in 20 years.

Comment by Jordana LeSesne on April 22, 2012 at 12:44pm: Well said new soul.

Money is not the problem with most of this music. The message is.

Comment by Newsoul on April 21, 2012 at 7:20pm: fructose soda.. That's not the problem getting paid, it's the sorry lack of musical integity and and not developing an orginal voice, there's only so many ways you can say "nigga" , 'bitch' and ho in a lyric and so many ways to "make it rain" or put video hoes dancing like strippers in be a fake scowling gangsta and isn't Dre 45 years old? and Snoop nearing 40. Mmaking money is no problem in the "music business" but using tired themes that should have been played out by 1997 is a problem because these people single- handley ruined commercial Black Music with their cooning antics.

Comment by Newsoul on April 20, 2012 at 4:01am: I find it silly frankly, musically interesting, what's next a hologram of Jimi Hendrix playing a concert with 'quests' he didn't know during his lifetime, The remaining Doors playing at festivals and making millions or the ultimate, Ringo and Paul playing with holograms of John and George live. Dre and Snoop knew what they were doing and that'[s "prime the pump" for their summer/spring /fall releases and tours. I call it whoring and frankly let the dead "Rest In Peace" if you want a "musical high" listen to the albums and watch the videos, it's a much better than the typical fake spectacle of Dre and Snoop.

Hey, it could be BIGGIE (hologram) AND DIIDDY on Tour, always money to be made in Hip- Hop, one of the reasons I frankly hate the genre post 1993.

Comment by Skerj on April 18, 2012 at 7:17pm: You're thinking of Hatsune Miku Polarvibez and yeah it's Japan, and she's freaking huge. Hologram 2Pac is my Coachella highlight for this year (sorry ATDI reunion) for the technical achievement alone.

I'd actually like to see a Holo-Pac tour obliterate a lot of those big mouthed asshats that have popped up in the last 5-7 years, hell his material is still better than anything they can do.

Anyway, Dre got Afeni Shakur's approval before going through with this and he also made a donation to Tupac's charity. Overall the whole performance is far less exploitative than people he didn't know or like while he was alive producing albums from his unreleased material after he died.

Could they have picked a "better" and more socially positive setlist? Sure, he's got tons but I think that would have been a tad disingenuous and closer to "pimping".

Now if we see a Holo-Hendrix appear, I'll be there to shout "bullshit" with the rest.

Comment by PolarVibez on April 18, 2012 at 6:46pm: James Dea, I feel you. Artist always live on through what they've created. But this feels different to me. Once you put art out there it's not really yours alone anymore. I get that. But likeness is arguably very different. Pac didn't "create" that image. He didn't make those movments or say those things to the crowd on stage that night. The songs are his yes.( And quite frankly they sounded damn good btw. I considered Pac slightly above average in his day but compared to the popular rappers out now? THEY would get murdered by his hologram.) But I digress..We saw a computer program acting like Pac. Not Tupac. At some point we have to really reevaluate how much of our reality should be obscured by technology. Not even the human right to die and rest in peace is sacred anymore.

Comment by james dea on April 18, 2012 at 6:04pm: Meh....When any actor, performer, musician, ARTIST, journalist - ANYONE, decides to make their work accessbile to the public - thats what it becomes. The way, and WHEN its presented is irrelevant - Pac decided to release this music, so its out there, wherever it pops up. He didn't make the music for his private collection.

Also, noone lives forever. There are 1000s of people, in many mediums - books, writings, pictures, MOVIES, etc., that aren't on this earth anymore. And they never saw the WAY they were being used, nor likely were that concerned with that. The decision to make your work/self/spirit, etc - public - is what it is. Public. Private pictures, etc., from random families get used for mainstream media and to create countless examples of what to do, where to live, how to be. I'm ok w.my stuff, body, etc being used when i'm gone. Legacy and keepsakes can give insight and even greater meaning to our efforts.

Dre and Snoop capitalizing on the response is good buisness. But its not even close to being their decision alone, firstly. I'm sure they are well aware of this. Truth is - likely, they probably have agendas that go well beyond getting THEIR money on this. They're already rich. Plus, they didn't even create the image, nor will do the promoting, etc.

People not here anymore are used in many socities everyday, in some way. Nothing new here.

Comment by Jordana LeSesne on April 18, 2012 at 6:03pm: It's so weird seeing my cousin resurrected through hologram. I only learned recently that his aunt, Jamala LeSane is one of my cousins. I was never much of a Tupac fan (or hip hop/rap fan in general) but his music must have meant a great deal to a lot of people to the point where they would want to use this technology to bring him back to life on stage. I also find all the Elvis-like conspiracy theories strange but whatever rocks your world....

Comment by PATRICK IAN TILON on April 18, 2012 at 5:57pm: Polarvibes you said it right ...... i am afraid that this world want smoremacabre fakeness and makeprofit out of it..be ready for the next dead soul rnb jazz rock celeb to be pushed in a hologam suit.....and you know what??? the people already crave for it and are willing to pay bundles for al this...talking about getting a life and living one....

Comment by PolarVibez on April 18, 2012 at 5:35pm: From an artistic standpoint i have to admit that it was kinda cool. I mean how could any other act top that! Talk about spectacle. I think I have some issues with it on a moral level though. Here we are are manipulating a dead man's actions on stage for entertainment. In a sense this man is still a slave to the recording industry even in the afterlife.Who knows if the 2012 version of Pac would've wanted to perform those songs today. Who knows if he would've even wanted to perform at all. I feel we are heading down dangerous path when the living can basically dictate the actions of the dead to suit their own selfish whimsy and financial gain. There's alredy a hologram pop star in Korea or maybe Japan(don't remeber the exact facts but google it if you care). And then you also have the Gorillas who are essentially the same concept. But those are different because they are based on fictional characters. Now we're at the point where we're taking a real person's life and basically extending it beyond their will just because we can. Just because something can be done dosen't always mean that it should be done. I'd feel better if it was a onetime thing just for that night, something special. But I just read today that Dre and Snoop want to take "Pac" on tour. It reeks of tastelessness and exploitation. I'm sure Pac isn't going to be the last artist to be "ressurected".