S. Samuel
In honor of the 15th anniversary of the death of prolific lyricist Tupac Shakur, former Source Magazine co-owner Benzino reflects on one of his most storied Pac memories.
Thinking back nearly two decades, Zino recalled Pac rushing the 1994 Source Awards stage.
“I got an ill Pac story,” Zino said in an interview. “When we was doing the first Source Awards, and Q-Tip was on stage, about to perform or he was about to receive an award or something, and I think Pac had already kind of had his dude — snatch up the sound man and they threw their sh*t in and he went up on there and did, ‘Out On Bail’ with like eight, nine n*ggas. [What did Q-Tip do?] Them n*ggas ain’t do nothing. I just remember that someone came back stage — and one of them n*ggas was crying and it was like, ‘Yo, it was f*cked up.’ — He did the whole sh*t. It wasn’t planned or nothing. Them n*ggas went up there, grab the sh*t, did ‘Out On Bail’ and bounced.” (Caesar Ceelo)
Pac’s “Out On Bail” performance was to promote his 1994 album, Thug Life.
Although the original version of the album never came to fruition as the album went through a number of changes, Tupac performed the planned first single from the album, “Out on Bail” at the 1994 Source Awards. (Wikipedia)
Recently, Pac’s biological father, Bill Garland, reflected on his son’s legacy and misinterpreted image.
“[Tupac] cared for people,” he said. “That was his main thing. He really cared for people. I think that’s why he would get so upset when people tried to question his commitment, his love for Black women or Black men. The East Coast/West Coast, you know, that’s a fabrication. I don’t have to begin to tell you that. So when that was questioned, it bothered him. Because he would give his heart or soul. He was a giving person. He would give anything to people. He would go in a store. [If there was a] Black man who couldn’t afford a $1,500 pair of boots, he would buy ’em for him. Think that Black man would ever forget Tupac? That’s just the way he is. But I don’t think that he did it for that. He did it because he had it, and he didn’t. That’s the way he is.” (XXL Magazine)
Southern rapper David Banner previously talked to SOHH about imagining Tupac alive.
“I think if Pac was here, hip-hop would have more of a voice in what’s going on in this election,” said Mississippi rapper, David Banner. “I think Tupac would be one of the people that could rally young people together. He’s one of the few artists that would’ve been able to take his fame and actually be able to focus that to somewhere positive.” (SOHH)
Check out Benzino’s interview below:
