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.
Nice! I love this tribute. He was one hellova man. 🙏🏽