Happy Birthday to Tupac Shakur who would have been 37 years of age today.
The analysis of the next track, 'To Live and Die in L.A.,' will be uploaded in a couple of days.
Monday, 16 June 2008
Friday, 13 June 2008
To Live and Die in L.A.
The fourth track on the album is To Live and Die in L.A.
To live and die in LA, where everyday we try to fatten our pockets
Us niggas hustle for the cash so it's hard to knock it
Everybody got they own thang, currency chasin'
Worldwide through the hard times, worryin' faces
I've heard people say instead of 'Worrying' Tupac actually says 'Warrior.' However, I believe he says 'worrying' because he is talking about the 'hard times.' Nevertheless, everyone's interpretation is never definitive, unless of course Tupac, himself, had an explanation.
Shed tears as we bury niggas close to heart
What was a friend, now a ghost in the dark, cold hearted bout it
Nigga got smoked by a fiend, tryin' to floss on him
Blind to a broken man's dreams, a hard lesson
This part of the verse is so incredibly powerful that its open to several interpretations.
'Smoked' means to be shot and killed and then he says 'trying to floss on him.' I believe he's basically saying the crack fiend was pretending to do business with him and then killed the dealer.
He then says 'blind to a broken man's dreams.' The 'broken man' Tupac is referring to is not the crack fiend, as most would interpret it as, but its the dealer. Tupac has often displayed lyrical disdain for drug dealers, particularly crack dealers.
He was himself a dealer and saw the destruction of the drug firsthand. He even sometimes referred to a New York that was 'B.C,' which meant 'Before Crack.' Tupac was not proud of this, but understood that perhaps sometimes it was vital to survival. Although, the dealer was a 'broken man,' he was only 'broken' temporarily and the fact that he had 'dreams' emphasises this because the fiend was blind to such dreams and therefore uncaring of the mans future.
The 'hard lesson' is pretty much self-explanatory in that his ways of financial pursuit led to his death. As a scholar of literature, one can recongise that multiple meanings of a certain poem or phrase is not a principle of uncertainty or ambiguity. Tupac often says things that can mean different things, whether its in the general flow of his writings or in a single pun.
William Shakespeare has famously used puns in many of his writings, for example in Hamlet he uses the word 'sun' which can also be interpreted to be the word 'son.' Obviously, since Shakespeare's writings can be read in a book we know the appropriate spelling of the word, but nevertheless the other spelling of 'son' would work as well.
Im going a little off topic here but the most appropriate example of such word play in Tupac's work can be seen in a song in 'Better Dayz.' The song 'All out' where Tupac says:
'I'm similar to Saddam, sometimes I question Hussein [or Who's Sane]'
This line is very intelligent because it speaks of Saddam Hussein, obviously, but then it asks Who's Sane? One meaning of this is the general question: who is sane. Another meaning is perhaps questioning this 'Hussein' in that Hussein is himself, because he says 'I'm similar to Saddam.' So very cleverly in between the lines he questions his violent ways and even his occasionally insincerity for particular people.
Nevertheless, Tupac goes on to say:
Court cases keep me guessin, plea bargain
ain't an option now, so I'm stressin
A plea bargain, for those who don't know, is a settlement between the prosecutor and the defendant in a court of law whereby the defendant will be charged automatically with perhaps a less severe punishment than he or she would have perhaps received had they fought against the charge.
Cost me more to be free than a life in the pen
Makin' money off of cuss words, writing again
This line is important to Tupac's overall message. It's as if he is admitting that he understands that the intellectual intensity of some of his music is not as powerful as he would want them to be, but the main point is it's possible to make money off of this specific sacrifice.
Learn how to think ahead, so I fight with my pen
Late night down Sunset liking the scene
What's the worst they could do to a nigga got me lost in hell
To live and die in LA on bail, my angel sing
His first line here is certainly open to interpretation but I believe he is saying that perhaps it's always easy to write about the present or the past, but writing about the future is always difficult and as a consequence he 'fights' with his pen to produce the right words. 'Liking the scene' doesn't really sound like scene at all and I was wondering maybe he's saying 'sin.' Liking the sin of the city, on the other hand he could be saying scene in a way which rhymes with pen.
It's the, City of Angels and constant danger
South Central LA, can't get no stranger
Full of drama like a soap opera, on the curb watching the ghetto bird helicopters,
I observe so many niggas getting three strikes tossed in jail
I swear the pen right across from hell
The first four lines here are self-explanatory, the last line is a little more complicated. I believe he's saying that the penitentiary is almost as bad as hell.
I can't cry 'cause it's on now, I'm just a nigga on his own now
Living life Thug style, so I can't smile
Again these lyrics depict a Thug persona which perhaps has to be 'lived' up to.
Writing to my peoples when they ask for pictures, thinking Cali just fun and bitches
Tupac may be talking about people that he knew on the east coast and also in Baltimore where he lived for a brief time.
Better learn about the dress code, B's and C's
All them other niggas copy-cats, these is G's
B's and C's are Bloods and Crips respectively.
I love Cali like I love women
'Cause every nigga in L.A. got a little bit of thug in him
We might fight amongst each other, but I promise you this
We'll burn this bitch down, get us pissed
To live and die in LA
Here Tupac is saying that sometimes the 'thugs' may be individuals but they will unite when needed.
Cause would it be LA without Mexicans?
Black love brown pride and the sets again
Pete Wilson trying to see us all broke
Pete Wilson is the Governor of California.
I'm on some bullshit
Out for everything they owe, remember K-DAY
K-DAY is a radio station in California.
Weekends, Crenshaw -- MLK
Crenshaw is a district within California in which Martin Luther King Boulevard is located.
Automatics rang free, niggas lost they way
Gang signs being shown, nigga love your hood
But recognize that it's all good, where the weed at?
Here Tupac is saying that there's nothing wrong with representing your city as long as you don't act violent towards someone else because of it. Then he asks 'where the weed is at' to suggest that weed could be a peaceful element between these people.
Niggas getting shermed out
Snoop Dogg in this mother fucker permed out, M.O.B.
Sherm is another name for the drug PCP. Perhaps here Tupac is saying that Snoop Dogg is intoxicated in some form and also M.O.B stands for Money over Bitches.
Big Suge in the Low-Low, bounce and turn
Dogg Pound in the Lex, wit a ounce to burn
Got them Watts niggaz with me, OFTB
OFTB stands for Operation From The Bottom who are a rap group from Watts, California.
They got some hash took the stash left the rest for me
Neckbone, Tre, Head Ron, Buntry too
Big Rock got knocked, but this one's for you
Roger 'Neckbone' Williams and Alton 'Buntry' McDonald were former friends of Suge Knight, the owner of Death Row Records. Tre and Head Ron were also associates of the suspected Blood member, Knight. I would imagine Big Rock was also someone involved in the running of the Death Row.
I hit the studio and drop a jewel, hopin it pay
Gettin high watchin time fly, to live and die in LA
This is a great poetic line from Tupac saying he'll 'drop a jewel' and indeed he does make a great song in To Live and Die L.A.
To live and die in LA, where everyday we try to fatten our pockets
Us niggas hustle for the cash so it's hard to knock it
Everybody got they own thang, currency chasin'
Worldwide through the hard times, worryin' faces
I've heard people say instead of 'Worrying' Tupac actually says 'Warrior.' However, I believe he says 'worrying' because he is talking about the 'hard times.' Nevertheless, everyone's interpretation is never definitive, unless of course Tupac, himself, had an explanation.
Shed tears as we bury niggas close to heart
What was a friend, now a ghost in the dark, cold hearted bout it
Nigga got smoked by a fiend, tryin' to floss on him
Blind to a broken man's dreams, a hard lesson
This part of the verse is so incredibly powerful that its open to several interpretations.
'Smoked' means to be shot and killed and then he says 'trying to floss on him.' I believe he's basically saying the crack fiend was pretending to do business with him and then killed the dealer.
He then says 'blind to a broken man's dreams.' The 'broken man' Tupac is referring to is not the crack fiend, as most would interpret it as, but its the dealer. Tupac has often displayed lyrical disdain for drug dealers, particularly crack dealers.
He was himself a dealer and saw the destruction of the drug firsthand. He even sometimes referred to a New York that was 'B.C,' which meant 'Before Crack.' Tupac was not proud of this, but understood that perhaps sometimes it was vital to survival. Although, the dealer was a 'broken man,' he was only 'broken' temporarily and the fact that he had 'dreams' emphasises this because the fiend was blind to such dreams and therefore uncaring of the mans future.
The 'hard lesson' is pretty much self-explanatory in that his ways of financial pursuit led to his death. As a scholar of literature, one can recongise that multiple meanings of a certain poem or phrase is not a principle of uncertainty or ambiguity. Tupac often says things that can mean different things, whether its in the general flow of his writings or in a single pun.
William Shakespeare has famously used puns in many of his writings, for example in Hamlet he uses the word 'sun' which can also be interpreted to be the word 'son.' Obviously, since Shakespeare's writings can be read in a book we know the appropriate spelling of the word, but nevertheless the other spelling of 'son' would work as well.
Im going a little off topic here but the most appropriate example of such word play in Tupac's work can be seen in a song in 'Better Dayz.' The song 'All out' where Tupac says:
'I'm similar to Saddam, sometimes I question Hussein [or Who's Sane]'
This line is very intelligent because it speaks of Saddam Hussein, obviously, but then it asks Who's Sane? One meaning of this is the general question: who is sane. Another meaning is perhaps questioning this 'Hussein' in that Hussein is himself, because he says 'I'm similar to Saddam.' So very cleverly in between the lines he questions his violent ways and even his occasionally insincerity for particular people.
Nevertheless, Tupac goes on to say:
Court cases keep me guessin, plea bargain
ain't an option now, so I'm stressin
A plea bargain, for those who don't know, is a settlement between the prosecutor and the defendant in a court of law whereby the defendant will be charged automatically with perhaps a less severe punishment than he or she would have perhaps received had they fought against the charge.
Cost me more to be free than a life in the pen
Makin' money off of cuss words, writing again
This line is important to Tupac's overall message. It's as if he is admitting that he understands that the intellectual intensity of some of his music is not as powerful as he would want them to be, but the main point is it's possible to make money off of this specific sacrifice.
Learn how to think ahead, so I fight with my pen
Late night down Sunset liking the scene
What's the worst they could do to a nigga got me lost in hell
To live and die in LA on bail, my angel sing
His first line here is certainly open to interpretation but I believe he is saying that perhaps it's always easy to write about the present or the past, but writing about the future is always difficult and as a consequence he 'fights' with his pen to produce the right words. 'Liking the scene' doesn't really sound like scene at all and I was wondering maybe he's saying 'sin.' Liking the sin of the city, on the other hand he could be saying scene in a way which rhymes with pen.
It's the, City of Angels and constant danger
South Central LA, can't get no stranger
Full of drama like a soap opera, on the curb watching the ghetto bird helicopters,
I observe so many niggas getting three strikes tossed in jail
I swear the pen right across from hell
The first four lines here are self-explanatory, the last line is a little more complicated. I believe he's saying that the penitentiary is almost as bad as hell.
I can't cry 'cause it's on now, I'm just a nigga on his own now
Living life Thug style, so I can't smile
Again these lyrics depict a Thug persona which perhaps has to be 'lived' up to.
Writing to my peoples when they ask for pictures, thinking Cali just fun and bitches
Tupac may be talking about people that he knew on the east coast and also in Baltimore where he lived for a brief time.
Better learn about the dress code, B's and C's
All them other niggas copy-cats, these is G's
B's and C's are Bloods and Crips respectively.
I love Cali like I love women
'Cause every nigga in L.A. got a little bit of thug in him
We might fight amongst each other, but I promise you this
We'll burn this bitch down, get us pissed
To live and die in LA
Here Tupac is saying that sometimes the 'thugs' may be individuals but they will unite when needed.
Cause would it be LA without Mexicans?
Black love brown pride and the sets again
Pete Wilson trying to see us all broke
Pete Wilson is the Governor of California.
I'm on some bullshit
Out for everything they owe, remember K-DAY
K-DAY is a radio station in California.
Weekends, Crenshaw -- MLK
Crenshaw is a district within California in which Martin Luther King Boulevard is located.
Automatics rang free, niggas lost they way
Gang signs being shown, nigga love your hood
But recognize that it's all good, where the weed at?
Here Tupac is saying that there's nothing wrong with representing your city as long as you don't act violent towards someone else because of it. Then he asks 'where the weed is at' to suggest that weed could be a peaceful element between these people.
Niggas getting shermed out
Snoop Dogg in this mother fucker permed out, M.O.B.
Sherm is another name for the drug PCP. Perhaps here Tupac is saying that Snoop Dogg is intoxicated in some form and also M.O.B stands for Money over Bitches.
Big Suge in the Low-Low, bounce and turn
Dogg Pound in the Lex, wit a ounce to burn
Got them Watts niggaz with me, OFTB
OFTB stands for Operation From The Bottom who are a rap group from Watts, California.
They got some hash took the stash left the rest for me
Neckbone, Tre, Head Ron, Buntry too
Big Rock got knocked, but this one's for you
Roger 'Neckbone' Williams and Alton 'Buntry' McDonald were former friends of Suge Knight, the owner of Death Row Records. Tre and Head Ron were also associates of the suspected Blood member, Knight. I would imagine Big Rock was also someone involved in the running of the Death Row.
I hit the studio and drop a jewel, hopin it pay
Gettin high watchin time fly, to live and die in LA
This is a great poetic line from Tupac saying he'll 'drop a jewel' and indeed he does make a great song in To Live and Die L.A.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Toss It Up
The third track on the album is called Toss It Up and it starts with Tupac saying
The money behind the dreams
My right hand, my other Capo in this big motherfuckin war we got
My other Capo in this big ass, conglomerate called Death Row
Snoop motherfuckin Dogg, Tha Doggfather
And who he comin through right now, Makaveli the Don
Feel this, Killuminati
A 'capo' is an important member of a 'Mafia family' and is usually in charge of his own men. The 'capo' is obviously underneath the 'don.'
A 'conglomerate' is an company who has general interests in particular area but has 'multiple interests.' I suppose this would infer that Death Row Records did include perhaps shadier business ambitions.
Lord have mercy, father help us all
Since you supplied yo' phone number, I can't help but call
Time for action, conversatin', we relaxin', kickin' back
Got you curious for thug passion, now picture that
The first line in this verse is basically saying forgive us for giving in to our temptations as he continues to talk about intimate relations until basically the end of this verse:
Tongue kissing, hand full of hair, look in my eyes
Time to make the bed rock, baby look how it rise
Me and you, moving in the nude, do it in the living room
Sweating up the sheets, it's the thug in me
I mean no disrespecting when I tongue kiss your neck
I go a long way to get you wet, what you expect
Late night, hit the highway, drop the top
I pull over, getting busy in the parking lot
And don't you love it how I lick your, hips and glide
Kiss you soft on your stomach, push my love inside
Got you lost in a love zone, stuck in the lust
I got the bedroom shaking back-breaking when we're tossin' it up
After a number of choruses, Tupac raps:
Do you want me what's your phone number, I get around
Cali Love to my true thugs, picture me now
Still down for that Death Row sound, searching for paydays
No longer Dre Day, arrivederci
Here Tupac is talking about Dr. Dre and his departure from Death Row Records. 'Arrivederci' is actually Italian for goodbye, I suppose to follow with this Italian 'Mafia' theme and also to tie into the fact that Niccolo Machiavelli who was Italian himself.
Blown and forgotten, rotten for plotting Child's Play
Check your sexuality, as fruity as this Alize
Quick to jump ship, punk trick, what a dumb move
Cross Death Row, now who you gon' run to?
Allegedly, Dr. Dre had relations with a young boy while he was married and Tupac is obviously referencing that here. I have no idea how much basis this rumor has in reality. 'Alize' is the sweet and fruity hard liquor.
Looking for suckers 'cause you similar
Pretending to be hard, oh my God, check your temperature
Screaming Compton, but you can't return, you ain't heard
Brothers pissed cause you switched and escaped to the burbs
Mob on to this new era, cause we Untouchable
Still can't believe that you got Pac rushin' you
Up in you, bless the real, all the rest get killed
Who can you trust, only time reveals -- toss it up!
On the inside of the front cover, it actually says 'Untouchable' Death Row Records which is perhaps where this came from, or perhaps they took his these lyrics from Tupac and stuck it on the cover. Also, during the famous song 'California Love,' which Dr. Dre and Tupac made, Dre says 'Untouchable like Eliot Ness.' Perhaps they assumed this phrase with a slightly sarcastic disposition.
The money behind the dreams
My right hand, my other Capo in this big motherfuckin war we got
My other Capo in this big ass, conglomerate called Death Row
Snoop motherfuckin Dogg, Tha Doggfather
And who he comin through right now, Makaveli the Don
Feel this, Killuminati
A 'capo' is an important member of a 'Mafia family' and is usually in charge of his own men. The 'capo' is obviously underneath the 'don.'
A 'conglomerate' is an company who has general interests in particular area but has 'multiple interests.' I suppose this would infer that Death Row Records did include perhaps shadier business ambitions.
Lord have mercy, father help us all
Since you supplied yo' phone number, I can't help but call
Time for action, conversatin', we relaxin', kickin' back
Got you curious for thug passion, now picture that
The first line in this verse is basically saying forgive us for giving in to our temptations as he continues to talk about intimate relations until basically the end of this verse:
Tongue kissing, hand full of hair, look in my eyes
Time to make the bed rock, baby look how it rise
Me and you, moving in the nude, do it in the living room
Sweating up the sheets, it's the thug in me
I mean no disrespecting when I tongue kiss your neck
I go a long way to get you wet, what you expect
Late night, hit the highway, drop the top
I pull over, getting busy in the parking lot
And don't you love it how I lick your, hips and glide
Kiss you soft on your stomach, push my love inside
Got you lost in a love zone, stuck in the lust
I got the bedroom shaking back-breaking when we're tossin' it up
After a number of choruses, Tupac raps:
Do you want me what's your phone number, I get around
Cali Love to my true thugs, picture me now
Still down for that Death Row sound, searching for paydays
No longer Dre Day, arrivederci
Here Tupac is talking about Dr. Dre and his departure from Death Row Records. 'Arrivederci' is actually Italian for goodbye, I suppose to follow with this Italian 'Mafia' theme and also to tie into the fact that Niccolo Machiavelli who was Italian himself.
Blown and forgotten, rotten for plotting Child's Play
Check your sexuality, as fruity as this Alize
Quick to jump ship, punk trick, what a dumb move
Cross Death Row, now who you gon' run to?
Allegedly, Dr. Dre had relations with a young boy while he was married and Tupac is obviously referencing that here. I have no idea how much basis this rumor has in reality. 'Alize' is the sweet and fruity hard liquor.
Looking for suckers 'cause you similar
Pretending to be hard, oh my God, check your temperature
Screaming Compton, but you can't return, you ain't heard
Brothers pissed cause you switched and escaped to the burbs
Mob on to this new era, cause we Untouchable
Still can't believe that you got Pac rushin' you
Up in you, bless the real, all the rest get killed
Who can you trust, only time reveals -- toss it up!
On the inside of the front cover, it actually says 'Untouchable' Death Row Records which is perhaps where this came from, or perhaps they took his these lyrics from Tupac and stuck it on the cover. Also, during the famous song 'California Love,' which Dr. Dre and Tupac made, Dre says 'Untouchable like Eliot Ness.' Perhaps they assumed this phrase with a slightly sarcastic disposition.
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