9/13/16

20 yearz after your death
All eyez are still on you.
You said yourself that
You didn’t wanna be forgotten.
Your iconic impact on society
From chasin’ nickelz & dimez
To stackin’ dollaz
And mackin’ dimez in your lowrider 
In a span of a quarter life century
Got millionz & millionz
Upon millionz of people
Either admiring you,
Quotin’ you,
Copyin’ you,
And hatin’ you.

You was a cool cat,
Inspiring empowering and admiring
Black men, Black women, Black children, and Black culture.

You had the Black Panther Power
Runnin thru your vainz,
Strugglin’ in the ghetto
Trapped with pain
You was more than ready 
To change the hip hop game.
The art of a revolutionary warrior
Holdin’ the the heart of a thousand torches
Carries heavy weight
In your first, middle, 
And especially your last name.

Your words of wisdom
Encouraged women and the young niggaz
To stay true and keep their headz up
Against all odds,
Cuz Lord knows it ain’t easy.
And we holler when we hear you.

You was also a krazy cat.
We knew that you wasn’t no killa
And you warned us not to push you.
The media tried to paint a paint a picture of
The wild side of you.
They saw you as a thug representin’
The life of an outlaw
Prayin’ 4 punishment & pain
When you was fightin’ on movie setz
Spittin’ at cameraz
And gettin’ arrested and jailed 
On numerous occasionz
Derived by accusationz
And becoming the scapegoat
In prosecutor propaganda,
Protestin’ 4 upper class safety.

Your enemiez had all eyez on you
But they still couldn’t C U.

I saw you as a thug
Representin’ the lifestyle
Similar 2 the rose that grew from the concrete
Misunderstood against the world
That got you saying FUCK THE WORLD.

I know how you feel.
But it’s all good cuz you just didn’t give a fuck.

Friends, family, and fans
Loved & hated that entity about you.
But your confidence was consistent.

We all knew that you got around wit Digital Underground.
You was just a playa gettin’ pussy & paper
Wit your poetry, power & pistolz.
You had the juice
And your poetics got you lucky wit Justice.
Your stardom ascended above the rim
Until you caught bulletz to the chest
Resulting in a gridlock in Vegas
And the mindz of America
For 6 dayz.

Some say the shooting was gang related.
Others say it involved that one rapper and his crew
After you hit ‘em up.
Others whispered that you was on your 
Makaveli shit, faking your own death
But that can’t be true.
Unfortunately, you been close to death
So many times,
That you saw it around her corner.

On September 13th, 1996, 
It was check out time.
The world wasn’t expecting you 2 leave so soon
But at least Heaven ain’t hard 2 find.

On September 13th, 1996,
We poured out a little liquor 4 U,
Shed so many tears,
Wondered if Heaven got a ghetto
And pictured you rollin’ into thugz mansion.

On September 13th, 2016,
We still talk about you like you never died.
You left so much classic music,
So much knowledge,
And so much knowledge in your classic music.
You had no fear when you took ambitious risks
And you had no fear of having fun either.
You made a jam that’s an anthem 4 California.
You helped Brenda raise a beautiful child.
You taught me that I’m never ignorant
And I could get my goals accomplished.
You never attended college,
But your intelligence influenced several students and PHD graduates.
Professors currently teach university courses 
Dedicated to your spirit.
In fact, I’ve seen and heard your name referenced throughout all educational levels Starting from pre-school.
Do you know how dope that is?
Our smiles still crack through our scarfaces
Whenever your light breaks through darkness.

Even through you’re gone physically,
Your energy is still here.

Your poetry will never die.
Your music will never die.
Your art will never die.
Your style will never die.
Your passion will never die.
Your ideas will never die.
Your spirituality will never die.
Your legacy will never ever die.