For those that weren't of age or if time has faded the memories, you might not remember how soon after 2Pac's tragic death we were given the somber visuals to his song "I Ain't Mad at 'Cha." This post in Vibe will take you back... "By now you've probably seen the video for Tupac's "I Ain't Mad at 'Cha": the one in which 'Pac is shot to death, goes to heaven, and becomes a guardian angel; the one that MTV premiered (and played hourly) three days after Tupac's real-life demise; the one that invited sensational headlines like: Eerie final video predicts death. Eerie? Sure, especially when you listen to Tupac rapping over the images, "Picture us inside a ghetto heaven / In my chest I feel pain." But hardly a surprise. From "Bury Me A G" to "If I Die Tonight," Tupac has always grappled with mortality (his own and others') in his music." Peep the visuals to "I Ain't Mad at 'Cha," cont'd...
"Even this final video is actually a variation on another video that Tupac himself directed for Oakland rapper Mac Mall's '94 debut, "Ghetto Theme." In that clip Tupac kills Mac Mall, whose spirit then haunts 'Pac and makes him repent his murderous sins. The difference in this version is that Tupac no longer plays the loser but the lost; leaving behind his homie, played by real-life friend Bokeem Woodbine, as well as us to mourn. "I Ain't Mad at 'Cha" is just the last chapter in the life of a man who never seemed fully comfortable with his place on earth. He often cited a troubled childhood, the lack of a father, an inability to fit in. Like many in our generation who've felt the same, he feared anonymity more than death, wondering if people would appreciate him more after he was gone. Seeing images of Tupac walking in the clouds while his friends grieve below, you can't help but hear another of his self-conscious lines, "How long will they mourn me?" How long, indeed." - Vibe
