A Message of Remembrance to 2Pac Amaru Shakur

Friday, September 13th, 1996. After 7 days of covalescence in the hospital, legendary Tupac Shakur deceased as a result of his bullet-inflicted wounds during a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. The moment left a deep chasm and feeling of loss in many of his fans - not becuase of the irrational and entertainment based fandom that so many celebrities (Erhm... JB) enjoy these days, but because we felt like we had lost a part of ourselves. To those who took the time to listen and understand Pac, you could get to know him through his lyrics, befriend him, internalize his message and his presence, and feel an enormous sense of loss when that presence was extinguished.

This date would mark one of the most important developments in the music industry as well as a significant milestone in Civil Rights in the United States. Remember, this man was only 25 when he died.

Pac was the son of a Panthers, the step-son of a Panther, the godson of a Panther, cultivated in prison during his development as a fetus. He lived his life as a panther, always decrying the abuse and violence that he witnessed his community endure by the hands of the Police and other authorities for decades. 

He realized that in the current system of racial marginalization of the Black "race" in the United States, and the rigged socio-economic conditions that are intended to relegate ethnic minorities to a subservient existence, would leave very few recourse for young black men other than "crime". It was and still is a sad reality. Pac did not see anything wrong with that, but attempted to reduce the negative consequences that "crime" would have on black communities: "They tell me it's the white man I should fear, but it's my own kind doing all the killing here" he once philosophized in one of his songs. With that he meant that Black people had little choice of the socio-economic context in which they lived and were raised, but had enormous leeway to modify that context to a less self-destructive one - They were given the shortest handle of the stick, but they could take it and make it theirs, before demanding the rest of it.

As such, 2Pac drafted the "Code of Thug Life", a set of social rules that would minimize the negatives effects of crime in black communities, and that would be particularly focused on allowing children to thus seek their own paths or creativity and personal development, which was largely denied through the socioeconomic conditions and the high criminality in their communities, rather than being incentivized to follow the path of the life of crime that surrounded them. Through his efforts he was instrumental in organizing the Bloods and Crips  'Truce Picnic' in California, during which Tupac was instrumental in getting rival members sign the Code Of THUG LIFE.

He was also a very controversial figure, and one who freely admitted to have been the inevitable product of his society - a product capable of great violence, but also of great introspection.


Pac hated the police. As a black man and the victim of a racial beating by numerous police officers he realized, like most black people, that although the police may sometime help in domestic disturbances, and help kittens out of the tree, despite the fact that it may constitute the bulk of their work, their real function is one of social control - nobody experienced this more intensely than the communities that WERE controlled and repressed thought the Police, and of which Pac was part. As such, much of his discourse and even parts of the THUG LIFE code were focused on emphasizing this aspect of the law enforcement entities, and establishing it as the greatest enemy that black communities in the United States were confronted with.

It is impossible to talk about Tupac without talking about his role in the development and escalation of the East Coast - West Coast beef that developed in the early 90s, as he was a central figure of it. It must be, however, noted that Pac very often mentioned that the East vs. West beef was non-existent and was manufactured by record companies, as a bitter rivalry was seen as a great way to promote sales. He did, however, often mention that the beef was with a single record label and crew, and a few individuals associated with it, and not the entire East Coast hip-hop establishment.

It has been 17 years since 2Pac has passed, but it will take centuries to come for Pac to be forgotten. His music and the message that he expressed through it lives on not only in the form of CDs and MP3s and Cassettes, but also in the message that he was able to directly impart upon us and that so many around the world utilize as a daily frame of reference. One more year without Pac, is one more year of realizations of his influence and the indelible mark that he left upon those who were willing to heed him attention.

So, here is for your benefit, and in the memory of a great man, the entire Code of THUG LIFE:

1. All new Jacks to the game must know: a) He’s going to get rich. b) He’s going to jail. c) He’s going to die.

2. Crew Leaders: You are responsible for legal/financial payment commitments to crew members; your word must be your bond.

3. One crew’s rat is every crew’s rat. Rats are now like a disease; sooner or later we all get it; and they should too.

4. Crew leader and posse should select a diplomat, and should work ways to settle disputes. In unity, there is strength!

5. Car jacking in our Hood is against the Code.

6. Slinging to children is against the Code.

7. Having children slinging is against the Code.

8. No slinging in schools.

9. Since the rat Nicky Barnes opened his mouth; ratting has become accepted by some. We’re not having it.

10. Snitches is outta here.

11. The Boys in Blue don’t run nothing; we do. Control the Hood, and make it safe for squares.

12. No slinging to pregnant Sisters. That’s baby killing; that’s genocide!

13. Know your target, who’s the real enemy.

14. Civilians are not a target and should be spared.

15. Harm to children will not be forgiven.

16. Attacking someone’s home where their family is known to reside, must be altered or checked.

17. Senseless brutality and rape must stop.

18. Our old folks must not be abused.

19. Respect our Sisters. Respect our Brothers.

20. Sisters in the Life must be respected if they respect themselves.