♪ (punk rock music) ♪
- ♪ Now Brenda's belly is gettin' bigger ♪
♪ But no one seems to notice any change... ♪
- Tupac?
- Is that Tupac?
- I love Tupac.
- Tu...pac!
- YES!! Tupac!! Yes!
(catches breath) Yes.
- This is my dawg!
- ♪ She's 12 years old, and she's having a baby ♪
- Oh. - ♪ In love with the molester ♪
♪ Who's sexing her crazy ♪ - Dude, his songs are just so deep.
- ♪ ...she had the baby solo ♪
♪ She had it on the bathroom floor ♪
♪ And didn't know so, she didn't know ♪ - Oh shoot. Ugh.
- ♪ She wrapped the baby up and threw him... ♪
- She threw a baby in the trash?
- Man, Tupac was one dude that would speak it real
back in the day.
- He's a poet.
- So amazing. Like, he's just always been one of those rappers
who rapped about the real issues in the world
and never wasted his time about the hoes and the money.
- ♪ You ask why, don't matter ♪
♪ My pockets got fatter ♪
- "I Get Around." Hey!
- ♪ ...need in being greedy ♪ - But then also,
he did rap about the hoes and the money. (laughs)
He was just diverse.
- ♪ Don't be picky, just be happy with this quickie ♪
- Dude, he's saggin' those low.
- ♪ Check it out, I get around ♪
- (singing along) ♪ Step, step, round and round ♪
♪ Round and round ♪
- ♪ I get around ♪
- (snickering)
(laughing)
I love the girl's just awkwardly massaging him.
- This makes me sad though. Like, he was such a talent.
Why did he have to go?
- ♪ I think it's time to kill for our women ♪
♪ Time to heal our women, be real to our women ♪
♪ And if we don't, we'll have a race of babies ♪
♪ That will hate the ladies ♪ - Aw, and this one's classic.
- He's talking about some real sh-- like, real stuff.
- ♪ ...ladies, but keep your head up ♪
- (chorus) ♪ Keep ya head up ♪ - (sighs)
I just love listening to 'Pac.
- ♪ Ooh, child, things ♪
- (singing along) ♪ Are gonna get easier ♪
- ♪ Keep ya head up ♪
- (singing along) ♪ Ooh, child, things are gonna get brighter ♪
This is my jam.
- Oh, he's like the icon, the father of rap.
- ♪ You always was committed ♪
- Oh my god, I play this song every time I'm missing my mama.
- ♪ ...poor single mother on welfare ♪
♪ Tell me how ya did it ♪ - Damn, bro.
- ♪ But the plan is to show you that I understand ♪
♪ You are appreciated ♪
- We need more rappers like this.
- Always love your mom. Like, just love your mom.
- I want to make music too, and I take so much from him,
especially this one song.
- He's still alive. He's on an island somewhere. He's resting.
- Bring Tupac back. I know he ain't dead.
He hiding somewhere, for real.
I'm getting emotional. - This song always made me
never want to be a bad child ever again.
- His lyrics just hit you right in the [bleep] heart, man.
- ♪ From Oakland to Sacktown ♪
- This is a classic. This is straight up a classic.
- ♪ ...put they mack down ♪
♪ Give me love! ♪ - (singing along) ♪ California ♪
♪ Knows how to party ♪
- ♪ California ♪
- (singing along) ♪ Knows how to party ♪
- Bro, this is where it's at.
- Oh, is this supposed to be like Mad Max? That's cool.
I've never actually seen this music video before.
- ♪ In the citaaay ♪
- It's crazy 'cause all his songs are still playing on the radio.
- ♪ We keep it rockin'! ♪
- Dude, I'm getting [bleep] goosebumps listening to this.
- ♪ Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west ♪
- ♪ I'll let them niggas know it's on for life ♪
♪ Don't let the Westside ride the night, haha ♪
- (singing along) ♪ Bad Boy murdered on wax and killed ♪
♪ [Bleep] with me and get your caps peeled ♪
- ♪ You know, see ♪
- (singing along) ♪ Grab your Glocks when you see 2Pac ♪
♪ Call the cops when you see 2Pac ♪
- ♪ Oh ♪ - That's supposed to be Biggie, man.
He's supposed to be right there.
- ♪ ...to feel the wrath of a menace, nigga ♪
- (singing along) ♪ I hit 'em up! ♪
- This is a pretty badass dis.
- This is gonna make me want to listen
to everything from Tupac again.
There's more, right?
- ♪ We gotta start makin' changes ♪
♪ Learn to see me as a brother ♪ - Nobody compares to this guy.
- (singing along) ♪ That's how it's supposed to be ♪
Oh my gosh! Let's go!
- ♪ And that's the way it is ♪
♪ Come on, come on ♪
- (singing along) ♪ That's just the way it is ♪
- Why are we even reacting, man? You all just wanna chill?
- This song make me want to cry.
♪ (emotional interlude) ♪
- ♪ That's just the way it is ♪
- I wasn't even born in the '90s.
Why do I feel like this is nostalgic?
- My heart hurts watching this,
because he's given me so many great memories, but I miss him.
Like, I know I wasn't alive when he was around.
- Let's just give a moment of silence.
Okay, we good. Just-- oh my gosh.
♪ (punk rock music) ♪
- (FBE) All right, so all these songs
were by the rapper Tupac Shakur. What do you know about Tupac?
- I know that he was very influential.
- One of the greatest rappers of all time. - Definitely.
- I'm in L.A., homey.
And when you from here, you just cannot not know Tupac.
- Especially since he had passed away and was murdered.
Like, his legacy kind of lives on,
and everyone just sort of knows the name.
- I grew up listening to that type of music, you know?
Going to school, my dad,
he'll have the CDs and blast it in the car.
- When you think of rap itself,
he's one of the first real guys that were really starting it
and breaking out onto the scene.
- The guy's music just changed my life as a whole.
When I'm in a bad situation-- and this isn't a [bleep] joke--
it's like, "What would Tupac do?"
- (FBE) Tupac is one of the most successful and influential
hip hop artists ever.
In just five years, from 1991 to 1996,
he sold over 75 million records worldwide.
And in 2010, Rolling Stone named him
one of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
- THE greatest artist of all time.
- (FBE) What do you think it is about Tupac
that made him such a cultural icon?
- He redefined the entire genre.
- And it came from the heart. It wasn't about money.
Like, I think he genuinely wanted to do this.
It was a passion for him.
- He really struck a chord with
not only people in the Compton ghettos or whatever
but all over the U.S. and even internationally.
- He was different, because he was the person
that was intelligent.
Even though everybody else is smart lyric-wise,
like, even if you watch his interviews,
it's just so, like, ugh,
like, you want to grasp every moment.
And you're listening, and it captivates you.
- Tupac had his songs that were about hoes and stuff.
But then he also rapped about
things that were going on in his life.
And that's why people loved him so much.
- (FBE) Tupac has received a lot of praise for his lyrics.
A lot of his songs talked about social issues of the time,
like violence and racism and police brutality.
Many of these issues are still at the forefront
of what's going on today. - Yeah, man.
- It's kind of sad that things still haven't changed.
And we're still in the same situation again,
where it's like you have unarmed black men and women
who are dying, and it's completely unfair.
- (FBE) Why do you think so often artists
will focus on these issues in their songs?
- How could they not be?
A lot of people are affected by those issues.
And music is a very pure form of people's voices.
- Everyone looks to them,
'cause they have a voice in the community,
'cause they're out here putting out music, going crazy.
They get all this respect,
and that's someone that people are actually gonna listen to.
- When you have a big platform,
if you don't use it the right way, then why do you have one?
- It's because of people like him
that artists nowadays can use that same platform,
such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole.
- People are still being treated terribly,
so they're gonna talk about it, you know?
There's still songs now where it's like,
"I get treated differently on the streets
because I am the way I am," and I think it's obviously terrible.
I don't think anyone should be profiled racially.
It's crazy to think someone 20 years ago can write something
about their struggle at the time and it's still prevalent today.
- (FBE) Rap can be stereotyped by a lot of people.
But Tupac and others show
that there is so much more to these artists.
What are your thoughts about how rap is viewed by people
who may not listen to it?
- As someone who doesn't listen to it, I do understand.
- It is really stigmatized as this,
"Oh, these people, they're just bragging about drugs."
But it doesn't mean that every rapper is that way
and doesn't mean that rap as a whole
can't be used for actual, real issues.
- I would say, "You're not listening to the right rappers."
They have a message to the rap, you know?
And they take the crafts and the skills so seriously.
- Hip hop speaks for the side of America
that doesn't get as much attention.
A lot of people are growing up in [bleep] up communities.
Just 'Pac has helped me out through so much.
And through all the bad shit I did when I was 13 and 14,
rolling with the wrong crew of people, he gave me some guidance.
- (FBE) And unfortunately, Tupac was murdered in 1996
during a drive-by shooting that still remains unresolved.
He was just 25 years old at the time. - I know. It's crazy.
- I'm gonna cite some Chris Rock here.
Like, it's bullshit that they don't know who killed 'Pac by now.
- (FBE) Despite his death,
he still remains a permanent figure of pop culture,
with many of his unreleased songs coming out after his passing.
How do you think it felt being a fan of his back then
and having him not just die but be murdered?
- That must've been awful, to be honest with you.
- Oh, devastating.
He was doing so well at such a young age.
And for such a small amount of time, it's like,
"Oh, well, think of the possibilities of what he could've done."
- It definitely must've been infuriating.
Not only do you vibe and resonate with this artist,
but you grow with their music.
- It's devastating, just 'cause, especially if you're a big fan,
it's just like, "Okay, so that's it?" And it doesn't hit you,
'cause it's just like, "Okay, this guy that I idolized and loved,
he's gone now."
But I feel like the fact that his legacy's sort of lived on,
it feels good, 'cause it's like
he'll always be appreciated for his music.
- (FBE) And finally, can you speak to the impact, if any,
that Tupac has had on your generation,
despite being gone for 20 years now?
- I feel like he's influenced a lot of the artists
that I now listen to.
- He upped the standard, man.
If he were still today, music would not be how it is.
- Whatever stage of life I was going through,
I can honestly say that Tupac was right there with me.
- He changed the game.
He can let people know awareness through music.
- I really wonder a lot if he was still here and making music,
how different the entire rap game would be.
- Thanks for watching Teens React.
React episodes come out multiple times a week,
so make sure you subscribe.
- Thanks for watching, everyone.
- Appreciate the support, and we'll see you next time.
- Hey, guys. Thanks for watching this episode of Teens React.
Tupac had so many great songs. What is your favorite?
Let us know in the comments.
♪ (punk rock music) ♪