meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Code Switch

Why Do We Still Care About Tupac?

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.614.9K Ratings

🗓️ 14 September 2016

⏱️ 25 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tupac Shakur died 20 years ago this week. Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji debate his legacy with the writer Kevin Powell, who covered the rapper for three years until Tupac's death. How should we view Tupac's talents and imperfections today?

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Thanks for listening to Code Switch. Check out the NPR1 app for your phone.

0:04.0

You can listen to news and stories from your local station. You can find new shows to make your

0:08.5

commute less awful. It's great hand-curated podcasts and stories. They're always ready when you

0:14.5

are on NPR1. Find it on your app store, NPR-O-N-E.

0:24.0

I know how it's going to be when I die. It's going to be no noise. You're like, people screaming.

0:29.2

I'm a fade out. If you don't recognize that voice, I'm not going to lie. I'm judging you a little bit.

0:34.8

It's Tupac Shakur from an MTV interview back in 1995. Pog died 20 years ago this week and he's

0:42.3

done anything but fade out. Jean, you know, I love him. I know you do. So on this episode of Code Switch,

0:49.6

we're going to talk about Tupac's legacy. I'm Shreen Madisal Miraji. And time, Jean Demby. And this

0:55.0

week we're trying to figure out, are we two reverent towards Tupac? It's 20 years since he died and

0:59.6

there's still so much love for this dude. Even though when he was alive, he was full of contradictions

1:04.7

and he was a really, really polarizing figure. And Shreen, obviously you and I debate about Tupac

1:09.6

all the time. Yes, I love him. You don't. I do not. And the podcast I love is that Oakland,

1:15.7

California, loving, charismatic, goofy Tupac that I get around Tupac.

1:25.3

Oh, yeah.

1:33.3

I mean, that song for me, it makes up a huge part of my life soundtrack. I grew up in Sacramento,

1:41.3

California. I spent my late teens and half my 20s living and working in Oakland. And for me,

1:46.2

Jean Pog was a bay dude. You know, his mom was a former black panther. He was artsy and eccentric.

1:53.1

He just seemed hella bay. And you know, look, if you went into the bay, there was lots of

2:01.0

sides to his music. There was the Fug Life Pock, the deep thinking prophetic poet, you know,

2:07.5

changes, keep your head up, Pock. And that's why he might be my favorite rapper of all time. I said it.

2:14.8

So I don't fail the way about Pock the way you do. I mean, part of this is just like East Coast

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.