First I'll say that I can't explain Tupac in words. I'm not sure even his biggest fans or friends could really put his influence into words.
I'm sure many will find it surprising that I'm a "fan" of Tupac.
My comment was not about him being a great human. It was about his talent and impact on his craft and on the world.
He was not a role model per se and I don't think he claimed to be one. People can inspire or be an inspiration without being a role model. I think part of his message was "don't be like me if you can avoid it".
Unfortunately, much like the false narratives we see here, I don't think most people on both sides of the social issues he focused on really understood his message. In his message the end goal was unity. The fight against the establishment was about change, not about hate or about fighting back just solely for retribution; although, retribution might be part of the process.
He didn't place all the blame on the establishment and called for change on both sides.
In his message violence was a method of survival and maybe a method of change in regards to revolting against the system/establishment but not the end goal.
There is a lot to be learned from people in history but if we ignore all of the ones that did some bad things, then we won't learn much.
I'm not condoning crimes but the circumstances of the crimes you mention were not cut and dried.
He was not charged with rape. He was charged with sexual abuse, a misdeamor. He had consensual relations with a girl (fan) in his hotel room and then some members of his posse took advantage of her and he didn't stop them or something to that effect.
The cops that were shot were off duty and didn't identify themselves as cops, in part because they were drunk. I think he would have been in jail for a long time with no bond out if he just blatantly gunned down some cops with no questionable circumstances.
Good or bad personally, Tupac was a cultural icon that impacted the world with his message and had a rare talent for inspiration.
Dez is just a whiny rich guy with a troubled past that underachieved his physical talent because of a sense of entitlement.
