The last night of the first weekend of the Coachella festival featured a very special appearance. The set headlined by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg welcomed several guest stars, such as Eminem and 50 Cent, as well as the holographic image (more precisely a CGI recreation) of Tupac, who died in 1996 but appeared and performed on stage.

Being one of the most influential figures of rap music and of the ‘90s, Tupac Shakur was one of the best-selling music artists in the world, and was named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the greatest artists of all times. His music was often, but not only, focused on social issues, violence, and the war between rappers pertaining to different geographical areas.

Tupac Shakur was also well known for being one of the most self-destructive artists of the music scene; his life of risk, violence and excesses, culminated in his being shot four times on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died on September 13 at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. His tragic death has left rumors behind for years, with people arguing about who is really responsible for Tupac’s death.

It seemed that Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog did not care about the ‘dead’ part at Coachella on April 15. They both welcomed on stage a holographic Tupac who performed ‘Hail Mary’ before making a duet with Snoop Dog on “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” like there was nothing strange about the resurrection.

According to MTV News, the hologram’s price goes from $100,000 to $400,000; it was created and developed by AV Concepts. “We worked with Dr. Dre on this and it was Dre’s vision to bring this back to life,” said the AV Concepts president Nick Smith to MTV. “It was his idea from the very beginning and we worked with him and his camp to utilize the technology to make it come to life.”

The image of Tupac was created in approximately four months by Digital Domain, a special effects studio based in Hollywood. The studio also worked, in the past, on movies such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, TRON: Legacy and X-Men: First Class. Doubt remains on the vocals of Tupac; it is not sure whether they all come from previous recordings of the rap star or not.

For those who like the death to rest in peace, we hope the Coachella performance will stay as an isolated incident.

Image Courtesy of    AndreLucian

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Tupac is one of the most respected rappers in hip-hop. He embedded his philosophical, political, and societal views in his raps.  As a young man, he knew he wanted to encourage change with his music from the very start. At the height of his career in 1994, he became the target of an assault and robbery at Quad Studios in New York. His assailants were never found, until a revelation appeared.

The shooting at Quad Studios had spurred the East and West Coast Hip hop rivalry. This contention had ultimately resulted in both Tupac’s and Biggie Small’s deaths. On June 15, 2011, one day before Tupac’s would-be 40th birthday, Dexter Isaac, an inmate for life at New York’s Metropolitan Detention Center, confessed to assaulting Tupac Shakur at Quad Studios. Isaac had pointed the finger at Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond, founder of Czar Entertainment, and manager of artists like The Game and Sean Kingston. Isaac had confessed due feelings of hatred toward Rosemond and to make amends with Tupac and Biggie Smalls family. “I would like to give their mothers some closure. It’s about time that someone did…” Isaac continues on and tells Rosemond directly, “are you going to flip on Puffy when the feds get you? To save yourself like you have done in the past? Because that’s what a rat does.” The full disclosure is posted on Allhiphop.com.

Rosemond had hired Isaac, promising a 2,500 dollar pay off and whatever jewelry he stole from Tupac, except a diamond ring that Rosemond wanted for his girlfriend at the time. Rosemond is currently on the lam from government officials because of his involvement in a cocaine drug ring. Meanwhile, as police investigate Isaac’s claim, Rosemond’s lawyer shot back in Rosemond’s defense, saying that the allegations are false.

In the confession, Isaac says that he is bitter for keeping Rosemond’s secret for so long. “I have kept your secrets for years. You have never been arrested because of me, or anyone of our friends because of me…I have stayed silent in prison for the past thirteen years, doing a life sentence like a real soldier should, when you and everybody have turned your backs on me.” This fueled the fire for the confession. Isaac was beginning to feel betrayed by the fact that Rosemond had become a “…turncoat rat for the government.”

Some people, including Outlawz member E.D.I Mean, were not surprised by the confession. E.D.I. Mean had given an answer to why he thinks this on MTV News. “I just feel like it’s verification for what ‘Pac said because a lot of people felt when ‘Pac was saying what he was saying on Makaveli that he was out of line for saying that.” In short, Tupac had written raps about Rosemond being responsible for the attack.

The shooting took place on the night of November 30, 1994. Two men entered the lobby in army fatigues and shot Tupac five times. The bullets struck the rapper’s head, groin, arm and thigh. Shortly after, Tupac rushed to the hospital where he was stabilized and released the next day in a wheelchair. After the incident, Tupac became suspicious of Biggie Smalls and Sean “Puffy” Combs. He believed that they had set him up for the attack along with others such as Rosemond.

After fifteen years since the shooting, a confession has finally come out. The only problem is that it took too long for the revelation to come. The statute of limitations has already passed the deadline, so no one, even if the confession is true, can be prosecuted for the assault.

Many believe that with this new evidence it might just lead to figuring out who killed Tupac. Whatever happens, one thing is certain, Tupac Shakur made a difference with his music.  He made his mark on society, reached out to people and is looked up to as one of the best rap artists ever.  In the documentary Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw, Tupac’s childhood friend and fellow rapper Ray Luv said, “I think Tupac’s alive, in a sense of, I can still feel him.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/tupacamarushakur/

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