The Life And Death Of 2pac :: essays research papers

The Life and Death of 2PacIn the stifling post-boxing match Las Vegas traffic jam, a new black1996 BMW inched along impatiently, its gold detailing glimmering brightly underthe street lights. each attempt to catch a glimpse of the passengers within thetinted windows revealed only a distorted reflection of the chaotic, yetrelatively motionless urban scene. The chicken feed sunroof slid open and a darkfigure rose part through the opening, like a tank commander surveying the sensible horizon for signs of the enemy. Discreetly the rear window of a nearby car roll down as it approached, and the muzzle of a gun emerged slightly. The gun,almost indiscernible from the cavernous blackness inside the car, spewed outthirteen bullets, each whiz punctuated by a startling yellow flash and a resonating crack that cut through the buzz of the traffic. In maven woollyand sweeping motion the black BMW roared to look, accelerating across thetraffic flow and towards the attack cars, retreating from the scene as thedark figure collapsed li mply back into the vehicle.     This chance is not a scene from a DeNiro/Pacino mobster movie. Nor isit an episode from an Oliver careen or Quentin Tarrantino film. In fact, it isnot a scene from any movie, although the tale will likely wind up as a made-for-television drama. Rather, it is the striking finale of the life ofrapper/actor Tupac Amaru Shakur, who was shot four time during this escapadewhile traveling from a Mike Tyson fight to a nearby club on September 7th. Helater died of the wounds, after six days of intensive care and severalunsuccessful operations.     Tupac Amaru, or 2Pac, as he spelled it --distinguishing him from theviolent Peruvian terrorist group of the same name-- was one of todays mostpopular "gangsta rappers." His lyrics are usually vulgar, offensive, andexplicit, and glorify the type of life that he and many other gangsta rapperslead. They depict violence, dr ug use, crime and informal abuse as acceptable, andas a necessary way of life. They ofttimes go so far as to threaten the lives ofrappers from rival get down labels, with whom he has an East/West coastdisagreement resulting in sporadic violent episodes and threat volleys.     Such lyrics as Tupac wrote accurately depicted his life-threatening lifestyle.Unlike some other gangsta rappers who conjure the image only for money, heactually led the "thug life", as the tattoo on his stomach describes it. He wasa magnet for violence, as his police recruit illustrates. He served eight monthsout of a three year fate for sexual assault, and was to face sentencing this