Drake, Snoop Dogg, & Rick Ross  Speaks of Tupac

Sept. 13 marks 15 years since Tupac Shakur’s death. In honor of the anniversary of his death:

Drake: “If there was anybody that I wish I could be a little more like, it’d probably be Pac. I think more than anything, aside from his music, which was absolutely incredible, I think he just drove people with who he was, the way he carried himself. He was somebody who was a free spirit and he did not care, he just did what he felt. I wish I could have a little more Pac to my persona. I’m working on it.”

Rick Ross: “Tupac is more relevant than ever. I think his legacy will never tarnish, his emotion is still unmatched. He brought a street and thug point of view but his intelligence is something we never speak about enough. I think we need to make sure we express that Tupac was a very intelligent, great speaker. He was very intellectual and we gotta continue influencing our young men to be leaders and speak their mind. That’s what we miss the most about Tupac.”

Kurupt: “He’s an icon. A lot of people, hopefully they learned from what happened with Tupac. He was a great man, he had a great heart, a passion for this music. He taught me so much; he taught a lot of people so much. He changed our whole work ethic in the studio, changed the way we look at this game. We took it serious all off the way Pac was. Before then, we were just running amok.”

RZA: “Tupac continues to influence and inspire artists every day. Most of these big rappers are emulating him, emulating his style, his persona. You see me acting in movies, he was one of the first guys that was able to rap and act and break those barriers. Tupac is an icon for hip-hop, for music and for black people. He was one of the first guys to stand up for what he believed in without taking no s–t for it.”

Warren G: “He was an incredible dude, a real dude that really cared about the youth, just an all around great person. I still miss him. It’s hard for me to play his music, it’s hard for me to play Nate Dogg’s music and other artists that we lost. It’s hard for me to hear their music because I knew them. I picture being around them, so it kind of messes me up a little bit, but he was a good dude.”

Snoop Dogg: “His legacy is deeper than people could ever imagine. I been all over the world and the Tupac legacy is so deep. You got people believing that he’s still here. He gave people a different train of thought. You can be a thug, but be an intelligent thug. I see gangsters now walking around with laptops and becoming smarter. I attribute that to him because he was a thinker. He made people that were around him think.”

Busta Rhymes: “I remember when I was in Leaders of the New School, I had a show, I think I was 21 or 22. We got to the sound check late, so the production was trying to shut our s–t down. Digital Underground was performing too and when Pac overheard we wasn’t allowed to get our sound check, he went over there and said, ‘That’s Leaders of the New School, you better turn that s–t on before I f–k you up!’ There was no grey area with ‘Pac and that’s one thing I loved about him the most.”

Some of his greatest lyrics:

I Get Around “Fingertips on the hips as I dip, gotta get a tight grip, don’t slip. Loose lips sink ships, it’s a trip. I love the way she licks her lips, see me jocking. Put a little twist in her hips ’cause I’m watching.”

Brenda’s Got a Baby “I heard Brenda’s got a baby, but Brenda’s barely got a brain. A damn shame, the girl can hardly spell her name.”

Changes “I see no changes, all I see is racist faces. Misplaced hate makes disgrace for races.”

Hail Mary “I’m not a killa, but don’t push me. Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin’ p—-.”

Keep Ya Head Up “They say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots.”

I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto “Take the evil out the people they’ll be acting right/ ‘Cause both black and white are smokin’ crack tonight. And only time we deal is when we kill each other. It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.”

I Ain’t Mad Atcha “When I talk about money all you see is the struggle. When I tell you I’m livin’ large, you tell me it’s trouble.”

Dear Mama “Even though you was a crack fiend mama, you always was a Black queen mama.”

Me and My Girlfriend “All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend. Down to ride to the bloody end, just me and my girlfriend.”

California Love “Out on bail fresh, outta jail, California dreamin’.  Soon as I stepped on the scene, I’m hearin’ hoochies screamin’.”