Tupac Shakur

Masamune

Masamune

Jedi Council Member
*Explicit lyrics*

Shed So Many Tears

I shall not fear no man but God
Though I walk through the valley of death
I shed so many tears (if I should die before I wake)
Please God walk with me (grab a nigga and take me to Heaven)

Back in elementary, I thrived on misery
Left me alone I grew up amongst a dyin breed
Inside my mind couldn't find a place to rest
until I got that Thug Life tatted on my chest
Tell me can you feel me? I'm not livin in the past, you wanna last
Be tha first to blast, remember Kato
No longer with us he's deceased
Call on the sirens, seen him murdered in the streets
Now rest in peace
Is there heaven for a G? Remember me
So many homies in the cemetery, shed so many tears

Ahh, I suffered through the years, and shed so many tears..
Lord, I lost so many peers, and shed so many tears

Now that I'm strugglin in this business, by any means
Label me greedy gettin green, but seldom seen
And -flick- the world cause I'm cursed, I'm havin visions
of leavin here in a hearse, God can you feel me?
Take me away from all the pressure, and all the pain
Show me some happiness again, I'm goin blind
I spend my time in this cell, ain't livin well
I know my destiny is Hell, where did I fail?
My life is in denial, and when I die,
baptized in eternal fire I'll shed so many tears

Lord, I suffered through the years, and shed so many tears..
Lord, I lost so many peers, and shed so many tears

Now I'm lost and I'm weary, so many tears
I'm suicidal, so don't stand near me
My every move is a calculated step, to bring me closer
to embrace an early death, now there's nothin left
There was no mercy on the streets, I couldn't rest
I'm barely standin, bout to go to pieces, screamin peace
And though my soul was deleted, I couldn't see it
I had my mind full of demons tryin to break free
They planted seeds and they hatched, sparkin the flame
inside my brain like a match, such a dirty game
No memories, just a misery
Paintin a picture of my enemies killin me, in my sleep
Will I survive til the mo'nin, to see the sun
Please Lord forgive me for my sins, cause here I come...

Lord, I suffered through the years (God) and shed so many tears..
God, I lost so many peers, and shed so many tears

Lord knows I.. tried, been a witness to homicide
Seen drivebys takin lives, little kids die
Wonder why as I walk by
Broken-hearted as I glance at the chalk line, gettin high
This ain't the life for me, I wanna change
But ain't no future right for me, I'm stuck in the game
I'm trapped inside a maze
See this Tanqueray influenced me to gettin crazy
Disillusioned lately, I've been really wantin babies
so I could see a part of me that wasn't always shady
Don't trust my lady, cause she's a product of this poison
I'm hearin noises, think she -flickin- all my boys, can't take no more
I'm fallin to the floor; beggin for the Lord to let me in
to Heaven's door -- shed so many tears
(Dear God, please let me in)

Lord, I've lost so many years, and shed so many tears..
I lost so many peers, and shed so many tears
Lord, I suffered through the years, and shed so many tears..
God, I lost so many peers, and shed so many tears
Click to expand...
 
Ah yes. I love tupac, and have always said that good hip-hop/Rap died with tupac. I remember on 9-11 I was driving around with Nima listening to Changes, and crying...

Anyway here are some of my favorites

Changes

Come on come on
I see no changes wake up in the morning and I
ask myself
is life worth living should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein'
poor & even worse I'm black
my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
pull the trigger kill a nigga
he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
one less hungry
mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers
give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got Love for my brother but we can never go nowhere
Unless we share with each Other
We gotta start makin' changes
Learn to see me as a brother instead
Of 2 distant strangers
And that's how it's supposed to be
How can the
Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we
Played as kids
But things changed, and that's the way it is

[Bridge
changing ad libs]
Come on come on
That's just the way it
Is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww
Yeah
[Repeat]

[2]
I see no changes all I see is
Racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under I wonder what
It takes to make this
One better place, let's erase the wasted
Take the
Evil out the people they'll be acting right
'Cause both black and white is
smokin' crack tonight
and only time we chill is when we kill each other
it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh
It ain't a secret don't
conceal the fact
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
But some things will never change
try to show another way but you
stayin' in the dope game
Now tell me what's a mother to do
bein' real
don't appeal to the brother in you
You gotta operate the easy way
"I made
a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way
sellin' crack to the kid. " I
gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is

[Bridge]

[Talking:]
We gotta make a
change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
and let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
what we gotta do, to survive.

[3]
And still I see no
changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets & the
war in the Middle East
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs
so the police can bother me
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back with the blacks givin' it back to you
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up,
crack you up and pimp slap you up
You gotta learn to hold ya own
they get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone
But tell the cops they can't touch this
I don't trust this when they
try to rush I bust this
That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool
my mama didn't raise no fool
And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped
& I never get to lay back
'Cause I always got to worry
'bout the pay backs
some buck that I roughed up way back
comin' back after all
these years
rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is uhh
Click to expand...

Trapped
You know they got me trapped in
this prison of seclusion
Happiness, living on tha streets is a delusion
Even a smooth criminal one day must get caught
Shot up or shot down with tha
bullet that he bought
Nine millimeter kickin' thinking
about what tha streets do
to me
Cause they never talk peace in
tha black community
All we know is violence, do tha job in silence
Walk tha city streets like a rat pack of tyrants
Too many brothers daily heading for tha big penn
Niggas commin' out worse
offthan when they went in
Over tha years I done alot of growin' up
Getten drunk thrown' up
Cuffed up
Then I said I had enough
There must be another route, way out
To money and fame, I changed my name
And played a different game
Tired of being trapped in this vicious cycle
If one more cop harrasses me I
just might go psycho
And when I gettem
I'll hittem with tha bum rush
Only a lunatic would like to
see his skull crushed
Yo, if your smart you'll really let me go 'G'
But keep me cooped up in this
ghetto and catch tha uzi
They got me trapped....

[Chorus]

(Uh uh, they can't keep tha black man down)
They got me trapped
(Naw, they can't keep tha black man down)
Trapped
(Uh uh, they can't keep tha black man down)
Trapped
(Naw, they can't keep tha black man down)

They got me trapped
Can barely walk tha city streets
Without a cop harrassing me, searching me
Then asking my identity
Hands up, throw me up against tha wall
Didn't do a thing at all
I'm tellen you one day these suckers gotta fall
Cuffed up throw me on tha concrete
Coppers try to kill me
But they didn't know this was tha wrong street
Bang bang, down another casualty
But it's a cop who's shot there's brutality
Who do you blame?
It's a shame because tha mans slain
He got caught in tha chains of his own game
How can I feel guilty after all
tha things they did to me
Sweated me, hunted me
Trapped in my own community
One day i'm gonna bust
Blow up on this society
Why did ya lie to me ?
I couldn't find a trace of equality
Work me like a slave while they laid back
Homie don't play that
It's time I lett'em suffer tha payback
I'm tryin to avoid physical contact
I can't hold back, it's time to attack jack
They got me trapped

[Chorus]

(Uh uh, they can't keep tha black man down)
You know they got me trapped
(Naw, they can't keep tha black man down)
Trapped
(uh uh, they can't keep tha black man down)
You know they got me trapped
(Naw, they can't keep tha black man down)

Now i'm trapped and want to find a getaway
All I need is a 'G' and somewhere safe to stay
Can't use tha phone
Cause i'm sure someone is tappin in
Did it before
Ain't scared to use my gat again
I look back at hindsite the fight was irrelevant
But now he's tha devils friend
Too late to be tellin' him
He shot first and i'll be damned if I run away
Homie is done away I should of put my gun away
I wasn't thinkin' all I heard was tha ridicule
Girlies was laughin', Tup sayin
"Damn homies is dissin you"
I fired my weapon
Started steppin' in tha hurricane
I got shot so I dropped
Feelin' a burst of pain
Got to my feet
Couldn't see nothin' but bloody blood
Now i'm a fugitive to be hunted like a murderer
Ran through an alley
Still lookin' for my getaway
Coppers said Freeze, or you'll be dead today
Trapped in a corner
Dark and I couldn't see tha light
Thoughts in my mind was tha
nine and a better life
What do I do ?
Live my life in a prison cell
I'd rather die than be trapped in a living hell
They got me trapped

[Chorus]

(Uh uh, they can't keep tha black man down)
They got me trapped
(Naw, they can't keep tha black man down)
Trapped
(uh uh, they can't keep tha black man down)
You know they got me trapped
(Naw, they can't keep tha black man down)
Trapped
Click to expand...

I Wonder if Heaven's got a Ghetto

I was raised a little young nigga doin' bad shit
Talk much shit, cause I never had shit
I can remember bein' whooped in class
And if I didn't pass momma would whoop my ass
Was it my fault poppa didn't plan it out?
Broke out left me to be the man of the house.
I couldn't take it, had to make a profit
Found a block, got a glock, and I clocked grip
Makin G's was my mission
Movin enough of this shit to get my momma out the kitchen
And why must I sock a fella
Just to live large like Rockafella
First you didn't give a -flick-, but you learnin now
If you don't respect our town, then will burn you down
God Dam, it's a mutherfuckin riot
Black people on a rage, police so don't try it
If your not from the town, then don't pass through
Cause some O G's, fools might blast you
It ain't right but it's long overdue
We can't have peace, till the niggas get a piece too
I want G so you labeled me a criminal
And if I die, I wonda if heaven's got a ghetto.

I wonder if heaven's got a ghetto
I wonder if heaven's got a ghetto
I wonder if heaven's got a ghetto
I wonder if heaven's got a ghetto


Here on earth
Tell me whats a black life worth
A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts
And even when you take the shit
Move cowards get a lawyer, you can shake the shit
Ask Rodney, Natasha, and many more
It's been goin on for years, theres plenty more
When they ask me when will I violence cease?
When your troops stop shootin niggas down in the streets
Niggas had enough, time to make a difference
Bear witness on are own business
-flick- the gaurd cause it's hard tryin to make ends meet
But we couldn't afford the shit, now everythings free
So we loot, please don't shot when ya see
I'm takin from them, cause for years they would take from me
Now the tables are turned around
You didn't listen until the nigga burned it down
Now Bush can't stop the hit
I predict the shit, in 2pacalypse
And for once I was down with niggas
Felt good in the Hood, being around the niggas yeah
And the first time everybody let go
The streets is death row
I wonda if heaven's got a ghetto.


(Chorus)


I see no changes, all I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgraced races
We under, I wonder what it takes to make this
One better place, let erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people they'll be actin right
Cause both black and white is smokin crack tonight
And the only time we deal is when we kill each other
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
Although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready to have a black president huh
And ain't a secret don't conceal the fact
The penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
I wake up in the mornin, and ask myself
Is life worth livin ,should I blast myself
I'm tired of being poor and even worse, I'm black
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
Pull a trigga, kill a nigga , he's a hero
Mo' nigga, mo' nigga, mo' niggas
Rather be a dead then a po' nigga
Let the lord judge the criminals, and If I die
I wonda if heaven's got a ghetto.
Click to expand...

Keep Your Head Up
[Verse One:]

Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, and don't nobody else care
And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see em
You know it makes me unhappy (what's that)
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
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, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

[Chorus]

Keep ya head up, oooo child things are gonna get easier
ooooo child things are gonna get brighter [2x]

[Verse Two:]

Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta me
He had me feelin like black was tha thing to be
And suddenly tha ghetto didn't seem so tough
And though we had it rough, we always had enough
I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
Ran with the local crew, and had a smoke or two
And I realize momma really paid the price
She nearly gave her life, to raise me right
And all I had ta give her was my pipe dream
Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen
I'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
It's hard to be legit and still pay tha rent
And in the end it seems I'm headin for tha pen
I try and find my friends, but they're blowin in the wind
Last night my buddy lost his whole family
It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
It seems tha rain'll never let up
I try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin wet up
You know it's funny when it rains it pours
They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor
Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is
it ain't no hope for tha future
And then they wonder why we crazy
I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby
We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup
And even though you're fed up
Huh, ya got to keep your head up

[Chorus]

[Verse Three:]

And uhh
To all the ladies havin babies on they own
I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin all alone
Daddy's long gone and he left you by ya lonesome
Thank the Lord for my kids, even if nobody else want em
Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure
And if you fall, stand tall and comeback for more
Cause ain't nuttin worse than when your son
wants to kno why his daddy don't love him no mo'
You can't complain you was dealt this
hell of a hand without a man, feelin helpless
Because there's too many things for you to deal with
Dying inside, but outside you're looking fearless
While tears, is rollin down your cheeks
Ya steady hopin things don't all down this week
Cause if it did, you couldn't take it, and don't blame me
I was given this world I didn't make it
And now my son's getten older and older and cold
From havin the world on his shoulders
While the rich kids is drivin Benz
I'm still tryin to hold on to my survivin friends
And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but
please... you got to keep your head up
Click to expand...
 
Well if you still listen to rap you gotta check Jedi Mind Tricks, and their 1st album The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness. If you like it tell ill show you more like Immortal Technique or Outerspace and 7L & Esoteric
 
I don't care for rap, but a few years ago when my son was listening to Tupac's "Changes", I was impressed with something I couldn't quite put my finger on, so I listened to it again and again, for several days (off and on).

I think Tupac believed he knew a lot about what needed to be done to improve 'conditions', but he recognized the power of sterotypes and hypocricy to keep things on a downward spiral. He knew he couldn't do anything by himself:

"try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game"

But this is just my subjective impression. Thanks for posting those lyrics to "Changes."
 
Hi,
Tupac Shakur was getting powerful so was it a hit??
you can hear in his music (later music after prison) he was trying to unite people coz he had started to see the structure of society..
killuminati (kill)illuminati he had learnt alot in prison, about the illuminati this is worth watching, its a bit long..
The side of 2pac that alot of people have not seen..
Illuminati Killed 2pac - Killuminati the movie (PROOF) 1/18 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1qP8oKWUig
 
Hi ReCheck. I don't disagree that Tupac might have been done away with, but I was wondering if you've read the Laurel Canyon Series?

It is highly recommended for insights into the control of the entertainment industry and musicians in particular. The installments mostly focus on the 60's Counterculture, but the ideas most certainly still apply to modern music as well, if not moreso.

Here is a link to the discussion:
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=8778.0

Amongst many, many other things, it points out how easy it is to control a person once their ego is out of control. In many cases there is no need to 'knock' these people off intentionally. They do it themselves(drugs, money, violence etc). :(
 
Mirakel said:
Well if you still listen to rap you gotta check Jedi Mind Tricks, and their 1st album The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness. If you like it tell ill show you more like Immortal Technique or Outerspace and 7L & Esoteric
Click to expand...

Ah yes, Immortal Technique. Good stuff.

Being a child of the late 60s/70s, I have to admit I had a hard time finding anything of value in rap, with better pickings in the "Old School" form.

Of course, I recall my grandmother trying to convince me of the evils of rock and roll, the Beatles in particular because they use African rhythms. I never got what the downside to African rhythms was, but I assumed she meant that it was uncultured. This coming from a woman who listened to endless bag pipe records of played hymns on her organ.

However, like with anything else, there are better and there are worse.

It is important to recognize that the bulk of produced music exists to lull the masses to sleep and the few that break that pattern will eventually be dealt with and brought into line.

I do recommend Immortal Technique though. RIP Tupac.

However, being a singer/songwriter and guitarist of the folk ballad, blues and slightly jazzy domains, I rarely venture outside of my narrow taste. Were it not for others introducing me to things beyond my taste, I would never have experienced or grown beyond the constraints I seem to continuously place around myself.
Incidentally, for those of us who came before rap, the word "-homie-" in all its forms, still makes me recoil.

Gonzo
 
i, too, struggle to find melody and musicality in rap, but the lyrics reproduced here seem articulate and from an honest perspective. there's a tone of desperation and anger and not much hope, but i guess he had to describe what he saw.
 
Smile Lyrics

Intro: 2Pac

There's gon' be some stuff you gon' see
that's gon' make it hard to smile in the future.
But through whatever you see,
through all the rain and the pain,
you gotta keep your sense of humor.
You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit.
Remember that.
Mmm, yeah.
Keep ya head up.Yeah.

Verse One: 2Pac

Our lifestyles be close captioned
addicted to fatal attractions
Pictures of actions be played back
in the midst of mashin'
No fairy tales for this young black male
Some see me stranded in this land of hell, jail, and crack sales
Hustlin' at heart be a nigga's culture
or the repercutions while bustin' on backstabbin' vultures
Sellin' my soul for material wishes, fast cars and bitches
Wishin' I live my life a legend, immortalized in pictures
Why shed tears? Save your sympathy
My childhood years were spent buryin' my peers in the cemetary
Here's a message to the newborns, waitin' to breathe
If you believe then you can achieve
Just look at me
Against all odds, though life is hard we carry on
Livin' in the projects, broke with no lights on
To all the seeds that follow me
protect your essence
Born with less, but you still precious
Just smile for me now

Chours: Johnny P, 2Pac

Smiiiiiile for me , won't you smile (smile for me now)
Just smiiiile (smile), smile for me
(What cha lookin' all sad for, nigga you black, smile for me now)
Smiiiiiile for me (nigga you ain't got nothin' to be worried about)
Won't you smile (no doubt, smile for me now) just smiiiiile
(And the next generation)

Verse Two: Scarface

Now as I open up my story
with the blaze a your blunts
And you can picture thoughts slowly
up on phrases I wrote
And I can walk you through the days that I done
I often wish that I could save everyone
but I'm a dreamer
Have you ever seen a nigga who was strong in the game
overlookin' his tomorrows and they finally came?
Look back on childhood memories and I'm still feelin' the pain
Turnin' circles in my life came to dealin' cocaine
To many hassles in my local life, survivin' the strain
And a man without a focus, life could drive him insane
Stuck inside a ghetto fantasy hopin' it'd change
But when I focus on reality we broke and in chains
Had a dream of livin' wealthy and makin' it big
Over foot broad chose to cook raw, wouldnt take but I did
And after all my momma's thankin' God for blessin' the child
All my momma gots to do now is collect it and smile
Smile

Chorus (without 2pac)

Verse Three: 2Pac

-flick- the world as we elope and witness furious speeds,
Unanswered questions keep us all stressin', curious G's
Backstabbed and bleedin', crooked thoughts laced with weed
Learnin', duckin' stray shots, bullets be hot, they burnin'
Inhalin' sherm smoke, visualized the flames
Will I be smothered by my own pain?
Strange whispers, cowards conversate, so quick to dis us
Takin' pictures for the feds, and desperate hopes they'd get us
Hit us off, give us plenty centuries, forgive my sins
Since I ain't in many penitentaries the best revenge is -flick- friends
We military minded soldiers, bustin' shots blindly
Tryin' to find Jehovah to help me
Somebody save me
Lost and crazy, scared to drop a seed hopin' I ain't cursed my babies
Maybe now niggas feel me now, picture my pain
embrace my words make the world change
And still I smile nigga

(Scarface talking)

And now a moment of silence, let us pray
And as you journey into outerspace
may the angels help to lead the way
may the prayers that our families make
shine up on your soul and keep you safe
And all the homies that have passed away
Be there to greet you as you pass the gates
And as you headed to the tunnel's light
I hope it leads to eternal life
We say the prayers for our homie 'Pac
Smile

(Smile for me)
(All ya need to do is smile)
(Woooo smile for me)
(Come on smile for me)
 
luke wilson said:
God Jesus Christ holy mother have mercy on our poor souls... this guy was only 21 when he was saying all this.... holy macaroni


https://youtu.be/GL-ZoNhUFmc

and that was a random recommended video by youtube... didn't even go looking! Jewel....
Click to expand...

Love what he said at 3:33 about millionaires getting humanitarian awards. Reminds me of Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize.
 
Yes from watching that video, he was a really smart 21 year old. I agree with his sentiments wholeheartedly.
 
ramaj said:
I really wonder how he was killed something is fishy about his death in my opinion.
Click to expand...

John Potash's book "The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders" goes into his death and his family history, his mother and other family members were prominent black panthers so he was pretty much targeted from the get go, until they finally got him. It's a pretty sad story imo, I'd highly recommend the book
 
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