Recordings
For Tupac, a Dim Afterlife
Sunday, November 26, 2006; Page N02
The hardest-working dead man in show business, Tupac Shakur, has now issued more albums since his 1996 murder than when he was alive. His latest, "Pac's Life," is another attempt by his mother, Afeni Shakur, to celebrate the iconic rapper's legacy by drawing from Tupac's unfathomably deep well of unreleased vocal recordings, and pairing them with contemporary artists over tracks by top producers.
But these posthumous Tupac albums are less solemn tribute and more the hip-hop equivalent of "Weekend at Bernie's": One by one, watch the superstars of rap and R&B prop Pac up and pose for their photo-op with the mummy. The paint-by-numbers hip-hop of "Pac's Life" doesn't give us a living, breathing Tupac, but rather a flimsy cardboard cutout.
  (Courtesy Of Universal Music Group - Courtesy Of Universal Music Group) |
Everyone's intentions on "Pac's Life" seem pure enough. Pac's proteges from Tha Outlawz are back -- some from oblivion, some from the grave -- to pay their respects. Snoop Dogg, R&B queen Ashanti and Atlanta rapper T.I. offer their best to two versions of the title track. T.I.'s worship is touching: "We're the same sorta dude," he raps, "with the same short fuse." And producer Sha Money XL's beats are as worthy as any Tupac ever rocked over. One of Sha's constructions in particular, "Playa Cards Right (Male)," reanimates a decade-old Tupac verse, which comes alive with a sexual tension teased out further by Ludacris and Keon Bryce. It's easily the best track on the album.
But at the end of the song, when Ludacris begins bantering with Tupac's ad-libs in a faux conversation about "gorilla pimping," the illusion collapses. It seems stiff, forced, even a bit morbid, which brings "Playa Cards Right" more in line with the rest of the album -- mostly Frankenstein fabrications that dredge up all the old cliches. On "Dumpin,' " here are the piano power chords, tolling bells, strings and timpani of the typical gangsta dirge, complete with Tupac's litany of intimidation. He speaks of himself and his "untouchable mob of pistol packers," unaware of the young rappers sharing the track, who are only too happy to mimic their mentor's death wish.
Tupac lived and died for those stupid gangsterisms he incanted, as if he didn't have a choice. But unlike many, he most certainly did. Tupac's gift was his voice as young black America's Everyman, explaining with perfect poetry how everyday frustrations turned boys into thugs. But his cadence, once so vital, now seems hollow. His fatalism, once reasonable, now seems foolish. What a waste. By tempting death he changed nothing. Had he lived. he could be changing everything. That's why these old lyrics and spare verses are so very sad.
Just as depressing is Afeni Shakur's bankrupt stewardship of her son's legacy. Her musical and lyrical choices offer no context for Tupac's life, not even a nod toward repentance, understanding and meaning. Instead, she's made another pop album.
Tupac didn't live in peace. Alas, it seems his own mother won't let him rest in it, either.
DOWNLOAD THESE: "Playa Cards Right (Male)", "Dumpin', " "Sleep"
