2.) Tupac Shakur wrote this song and later fellow rappers Nas, J. Phoenix, and Anthon Hamilton did an acoustic remix. Hamilton's remix was the only version to feature a music video. Tupac Amaru Shakur is considered to be one of, if not the best, rappers of all time. He was born in 1971 in East Harlem, NY and died in 1996. He went by the stage name 2Pac, Pac, and Makaveli. He is one of the best-selling music artists in the world.
Works Cited:
Shakur, Tupac, Perf. Thugz Mansion. Perf. Shakur, Tupac. Amaru: 2002, Film.
3.) I was drawn to this work because of the sound. It is one of the my favorite songs of all time. The mix of rap and acoustic guitar is original and a nice change from the main stream hip-hop that we hear today. Moreover, the the melody is very relaxing. I selected Thugz Mansion because it is different from a painting. I felt it would be more appealing and engage the class more than just analyzing some artist's drawing. I have never been interested in paintings, I am more interested in music. I feel more from a song than I do a painting so analyzing Thugz Mansion would yield a better analysis than just a painting.
4.) The subject of this song is 2Pac's image of what heaven will be like. He is expressing how his life will be in heaven. He calls it Thugz Mansion. He is expressing hope and desire by singing about how life will be without crime, death, and tragedies. He uses rhymes and a calm melody to express how he feels. You also can hear him express his pain in his voice. Normal Tupac is more aggressive and upbeat than this song.
5.) This is art because it expresses his feelings and images through lyrics. He paints the picture with his words, instead of with a brush, clay or any other mediums. I was looking over the Quartet of Traditions and I was unable to definitively pick one to apply to this work of art. My question to the class will be, "Which one of the quartet of traditions they thought would work best for Thugz Mansion?".
6.) The ideas we are covering in class discussions connect to this work by being art. Moreover, the artist, Tupac, expresses his feelings through song. It shows a new side of the art which we have been talking about in class. The "ancestor" of this work would be jazz and blues which is where this music evolved from. It shares the DNA with another famous artist Notorious B.I.G who also goes by the name Biggie. They were the best artists at the time and they continue to resonate through stereos long after their deaths.
I usually don't care much about Tupac or Biggie or any other big rappers, since I love country music, but this song was amazing! Thanks for sharing. I think it allows people to drop their stereotypes about rappers, the ghetto, and "thug" life by expressing super deep feelings and stories. It definitely follows the emotionalism theory of art.
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