The day Lisa Ford sat down with Tupac

I ADMIT, I LOVE TUPAC’S GHOST



Tupac is my hero. Yes, there are some of us music fans out there who follow the ghost of Tupac. We unconsciously hold his music close to our hearts. We keep it pumping in our ears. We listen to it as if he'd just recorded it yesterday. And even though Tupac has passed on, his music is still exciting, vigorous, and arguably the best music out there.

A Tupac music-lover, however, won’t even listen to any debate on the subject. It would be a complete waste of their time. There is nothing you can tell anyone who continues to study Tupac’s methodology behind his music, about his influence on rap music. And there are some of us who still cater to his philosophies.

Music lovers from around the world are proud of his legacy even though Tupac may or may have not been. I sat down with him back just a couple of years before he was shot to death, in Nashville, Tennessee after a concert he performed in a large jam-packed two-story club, with a boxing ring sized stage settled in the center. It was a happy time for us young ones during the show, the music was dope, we were all fly, and Tupac took pictures with a lot of us before leaving the club. He looked happy on the outside, but his eyes told a different story.

I met up with Tupac afterwards at what appeared to be an exclusive auto-detailing shop turned after-party club where I sat next to him on a soft leather couch inside for one of my first interviews in the industry (Big Daddy Kane was my very first in Ann Arbor, MI while still in high school). With all the joy Tupac brought to a small but hyped town, I wanted to know how it felt to be on top of the world.

I mean this was Tupac, we’re talking about. He had the brain, the brawn, and the talent. There was nothing watered down about him…but he appeared to be unsure of himself…like a man struggling with his fame, rather than embracing it. It could have been just his way of being cautious in unfamiliar surroundings. But he smiled and explained to me with deep eyes and said, “I try to be (happy), but sometimes outside factors get in the way.” He went on to say that it bothered him when people (especially the media) threw stones.

I didn’t expect to hear sadness in Tupac’s voice. What in the world did he care what people thought? HE WAS TUPAC! I was shocked to learn that he didn’t idolize himself in the way that I would have if I had his influence on people. Tupac wanted me to know that he didn’t have control even though it appeared otherwise.

When I ‘interviewed’ Tupac, with great humbleness, he gave details on how truly the road to hell was paved with good intentions. He talked about all the filters that blocked his lines of communication, and how his actions and words would sometimes be perceived completely different from their original intent. It haunted him to know that his goal of setting a good example for our youth would be overshadowed by his mistakes. He could only hope that people would feel him through his music.



So bringing it back to Tupac’s music, he predicts the future (as he predicted his death), which gives him the right to live on. You can’t debate me on this. Tupac’s music is proof that real life sometimes begins after death. And that’s why I’m in love with him…I mean, his Ghost.

Check out Tupac's Foundation at www.tasf.org.