This letter was written in the summer of 2001, the summer before my fourth and final year at Washington University in St. Louis...So far to my knowledge I haven't been successful in getting this letter to Ms. Shakur or her representatives...Hopefully someone will see this letter on this blog and bring it to the great Ms. Shakur's attention because I am still very much interested in doing the album cover art for 2Pac's 'final' C.D.
Dear Ms. Afeni Shakur,
It is such an honor and pleasure to finally be able to touch bases with you. I have been a fan of your son ever since I saw him on “Juice” and heard “Brenda’s got a baby”. Your son was truly a “genius” and like so many geniuses he was terribly misunderstood. When I heard he died on Friday the 13th ,1996 I was shocked and outraged. It was like hearing that the President of the United States got assassinated because I knew I would never forget where I was or what I was doing and how I reacted when I heard the tragic news.
Your son’s rapping style (grossly imitated by many simply for money gains) went beyond the hip hop category. It was like hearing the pains, hopes, miseries, preservation, and happiness of a darker race of people articulated through a quick, sharp, and witty mind with the unrelenting passion and restlessness of a well traveled and wise bluesman. To me your son was the closest thing the hip hop generation ever had to a Robert Johnson or a John Lee Hooker, all three are masterful storytellers with commanding presence and superior talent. His simple(not easy!!!) and direct delivery with precise articulation often reminds me of the jazz trumpeter/ creative genius Miles Davis. Both artists are seriously imitated, yet few if any can correctly articulate the fluency, agility, fragility, and nuances in which both men displayed in their respective mediums which expressed their true passion for living and their deep sensitivity for the human experience.
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