Have you ever wondered if you could transform your slightly overweight, very near-sighted, and extremely white self into Tupac Shakur? No, neither did we, but Brooklyn-based artist Tom Sanford (fellow Columbia University alum) is asking that question as well as documenting the answer his new blog, Thug4Life. The last we heard, Tom was in the Columbia alumni newsletter - word had it he was creating "rap star pietas." That is, paintings of rap stars in the guise of Jesus Christ on the cross. Yeah. Not surprisingly, the work sold very well in Japan, where Tom seems to enjoy a cult following.
Tom's journey into into Tupac-dom began on August 11th, and based on the blog, it looks like he's making some progress. Of course, progress is relative - after four weeks of physical training and a head shaving Tom looks sort of like a thin white kid with a shaved head. Maybe the THUGLIFE tattoo he plans to have installed on his belly will tip the scale. Tom's attempt to become Tupac raises some interesting questions, including the degree to which a project like this is racist or insensitive, and exactly how bad an idea it is to get a large tattoo on your stomach without making a lifelong committment to strong abs. You can decide for yourself: Tom's transformation will be complete by the time "BLING", his next show, opens at 31 Grand Gallery in Williamsburg on October 11th.
Gothamist offers up two very powerful reasons why no white boys should try this at home: Vanilla Ice and Marky Mark. (And don't even mention Eminem as a case for white rappers - neither Tom nor anyone else we know from college would have lasted five minutes in 8 Mile.)
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isn't this just like borges' pierre menard, author of the quixote? yes yes, it's much more insane, but it raises the same questions.
i always liked tom- he was witty and he had an endearing habit of greeting you by grabbing at your genitals. i think of him whenever someone reaches for my johnson in a crowded place.[
My transformation into Jen Chung is as difficult and trying as ever, but I'm sticking with it, as it's my only ticket.
Here's my question, if this guy is worthy of gallery recognition, does this mean if I go on a crash diet to lose some muscle, apply vast amounts of skin lightening cream, throw on a shiny suit and don a pompadour coif, as well as construct some simplistic david bowie murals, can I get some gallery play too?
I don't think so.
this is all about caucasian america's tradition of exoticizing something that isn't really exotic. and the murals suck by the way. Aesthetically and as an intellectual comment.
The funny thing is: 1) I know white guys from flint, michigan who really 'do' look like and act like Tupac (without affectation) and would whup this guy's ass for making his Tupac's memory a kind of ironic joke wrapped in false sincerity. 2)I know white guys in new york who wear Gap chinos, and a plain white t-shirt (NOT from Williamsburg) who are honestly way more authentically 'hip hop' and in touch with what Tupac was actually about than this guy. 3)I knew Tupac personally, and I think he would spit in this guy's face.
"What Tupac was about?" What are you talking about? These were ephemeral genre recording stars who started killing each other. Tupac was a guy who couldn't see the forest for the trees, and if some self-promoting painter wants to parody the guy's delusions of grandeur by embedding him in Christ-inspired camp, that's par for the course.
yeah- there's definitely some of that, and I think tom probably expects the criticism. anyway- even if this isn't one of his brighter ideas, i think there is some real talent here. and personally, i like some of the paintings.
Okay, he's a fucking Picasso genius and his ironic sensibilities are on par with The Cremaster Series. My bad. Nevermind, sorry I said anything.
Btw jake, I've got some dope, totally word to your mother trucker hats to sell you. eBay URL forthcoming...
To Jake 2.0: I bet you just love the editor at Vice.
http://viceland.com/issues/v10n6/htdocs/staff/iheartnj.jpg
Oooooh...he called me a racist! Please.
I'm not trying to sell you clothes, sneakers or CDs. I don't work for MTV. I don't have to smile and nod when people talk nonsense about the glories of lower-class existence or ghetto culture. "Authenticity" is nothing but a club aimed at upwardly mobile young black kids trying to better themselves through education. It's disgraceful, and it's cruel.
Am I supposed to respect people who go around shooting business competitors because they're being true to their neighborhood values? Is that what you're asking? That's lunacy. I hold black people to the same standards as I hold people in general, and if you want to make an Orwellian case for racism on that basis, you go right ahead.
Murderers and drug dealers don't merit respect, no matter how well their albums sell.
oh come the fuck on. it's perfectly alright for me to disagree with the politics or values of sanford's art, and still think he's a good painter. i mean, if you don't let people make that distinction, then you can't enjoy graham greene, who was an anti-semite, or patricia highsmith, who was an anti-semite, or... wait, what was i talking about again? anyway, for the record, i don't think dressing up as tupac shakur is the brightest idea.
Hmmm. I find the above argument interesting. I'm staying out of the frey.
Perhaps this sort of "dialogue" gives Tom's work some art cred. Perhaps not. Like I said, I'm staying out of it.
the murals aren't great. the idea is stupid, rio does have a point, and boro6 should back down before he gets spanked.
Uh, uh, uh, uh
Lord have mercy, Jesus Christ
He's just nice, he just slice like a ginnsu
Look at the life that I been through
I'm the last real nigga alive, that's official
Y'all don't know about my Biggie wars
Who you thought 'Kick In The Door' was for?
But that's my heart, y'all still trippin of this Jigga shit
Real niggaz listen up and I'ma tell you how the whole thing start
Off top I brung Queens up from hard times
Rockin at the Fever, streets was all mine
It was my version of the blues, droppin our schools
The crack epidemic had rap representin new rules
So I, got in 'em shoes, tried 'em wore them
Wasn't a perfect fit, so I couldn't sport em
Young murderers ride, I knew all them
Jungle got shot, Will died, we was warring
I wrote it in my album
I was 18 when Lake seen the Island
And Lord held me down and
My surroundings started changing
I had a baby, I was making my rounds with AZ
Niggaz started noticing my flow and was open when
The Golden Child closed 'em in with more style than them older men
Puff tried to start a label, Prince Rakeem had formed Wu-Tang
Snoop and Dre had a new thang
So Puff drove his new Range through Queensbridge Projects
He let me drive it, before Ready to Die hit
BIG and I hit blunts performing at the Arc
Next thing you knew, BIG blew and all the balling starts
He had Kim and his crew, I found Fox
Only niggaz in New York with number one charts
B.I.G. was ahead of his time, him and Raekwon my niggaz
But dig it, they couldn't get along
That's when Ghostface said it on the Purple tape
Bad Boy biting Nas album cover way(?)
BIG told me Rae was stealing my slang
And Rae told me out in Shaolin BIG would do the same thing
But I borrowed from both them niggaz
Jigga started to flow like us, but hit with 'Ain't No Niggaz'
Had much Versace swagger
B.I.G. admired the Brooklyn knight and it took him in as Iceberg the rapper
Today don't know nothing, about this bullshit
There's more shit than wanting to be this King of New York shit
Lord have mercy, Jesus Christ
He's just nice, he just slice like a ginnsu
Look at the life that I been through
I'm the last real nigga alive, that's official
Rap became a version of Malcom and Martin
Rest In Peace Will, Queensbridge live on
There's some ghetto secrets I can't rhyme in this song
There's some missing pieces I had to leave out
I had lot trust for Steve Stoute
At some point till I got to know him
We old friends, but what's loyal?
Puff soaked Interscope offices
With champagne bottles on Steve, and Steve thought the drama is on me
Cause previously it would have been, against whoever
Friends forever
However, I learn, with some niggaz it's all business
But I'm a street dude with morals
To diss niggaz with Jigga too much, he used to say Jay wanted my spot
I laughed, stayed home, never hung a lot
A quiet man who used to be alone planning
Baby moms thought I was too quiet, couldn't stand it
She hit the streets, later on she hittin the sheets
With a rapper who wanted me on his songs, thinking he strong
I taught her how to watch for cars that might follow
Tauht her street shit that I know
Her weakness was shine yo
But that's her, I ain't mad baby, it made me stronger
Now I get my paper longer
Illmatic I was boss
It Was Written I flossed
One of the most creative LPs ever to hit stores
In the Firm I learned I am Nastradamus
QB's Finest, Oochie Wally, faced more problems
I gave it all up so I can chill at home with mama
She was getting old and sick so I stayed beside her
We had the best times, she asked would I make more songs
I told her not till I see her health get more strong
In the middle of that, Jay tried to sneak attack
Assasinate my character, degrade my hood
Cause in order for him to be the Don, Nas had to go
The Gam-B-I-N-O rules I understood
What you want, see, I already had
The Gift and The Curse? Fuck that shit, the first shall be last
I'm the man's man, a rapper's rapper
G-O-D S-O-N, they'll be none after
I was Scarface, Jay was Manolo
It hurt me when I had to kill him and his whole squad for dolo..
Uhh, uhh, uhh
Lord have mercy, Jesus Christ
He's just nice, he just slice like a ginnsu
Look at the life that I been through
I'm the last real nigga alive, that's official
Woof woof, Calavera.
Sterling, RIO, I think there's plenty of room for you both to be right and we can still all think this Tom guy is an idiot.
Some points:
1) I never realized that Tupac's name is actually Tupac Amaru Shakur. I guess it's cool to be named after an Incan king, but I've only ever really associated the name with the terrorist organization. What a sucky thing to have happen to your name. I wonder if somewhere there's a guy named Albert Kayda with the same problem. Not that this is relevant at all.
2) I don't claim to know what Tupac was all about. Most days I don't know what I'm all about. But there's something about the phoneyness of this project that really irks me. Maybe it's the complete lack of sensitivity to anyone's feelings. Maybe it's just that the whole project is completely masturbatory. Whatever it is, it really makes me want to slug him.
3) I've never listened to Tupac's music. I've listened to some "gangster rap" though and found virtually all of it (with certain exceptions, mostly from the genre's first few years) to be boring, derivative, and repetitive. Clearly, the man's untimely death raised his profile, but was there anything more to his art than the relentless marketing of "street cred" to middle America? I think we can all agree that, whatever the original hip-hop artists' intentions, their cooptation by the marketing industry has done more to hurt the image of young black men in America (while vastly enriching a very few of them) than anything else in a generation.
This is funny, because I never even addressed Sterling, and I most certainly never used the "r" word. Sterling's comments, honestly, are not interesting enough to form a response to.
On the other hand, to the person I 'was' talking to, Jake... Contrary to what some race baiters might try to make you think, my link to the editor of Vice wasn't a slick way to call you or anyone else the "r" word. Sure, I disagree with you and your taste, but I haven't read anything from you on this site that would lead me to call you the "r" word. Rather, I was making a point that dressing up in black face, whether it's this guy's Tupac or Al Jolson, is no longer funny or worthy of any critical praise. Just like Charlie Chan is no longer funny to many Asians (see recent Fox TV situation).
Also, just because I knew Tupac doesn't mean I agree with his music or views, it just means I knew the guy and think he wouldn't have appreciated getting the al jolson treatment. One thing I think we can both agree on is your statement, "i don't think dressing up as tupac shakur is the brightest idea." Agreed. Although, my David Bowie suit has already been ordered, so stay tuned. ;^)
i look forward to you bowie impression- definitely bring it for the gothamist happy hour on the 18th!
Prior to this post, I always thought it was a derivation of "Two Pack", like the man smoked a lot.
I hate wanna be thugs who start shit for no reason with others and then have the whole thing end by getting shot down in their prime because they were too egotistical to walk away.
That's why I don't carry any ten dollar bills with Alexander Hamilton on them. Punk-ass motherfucker.
Is it me, or is there a freaky Dr. Evil/Mini Me parallel with Tupak and Tom at play here?
Is it me, or is there a freaky Dr. Evil/Mini Me parallel with Tupak and Tom at play here?
yeah- thinking about it now, the hamilton-burr beef was probably america's first rap fued. unless you count the indians vs. smallpox or whatever.
Jake! I'm offended by the indian v smallpox reference!!! sorry just kidding.
now, why can't tom do his "i wanna be tupac"-thing?
From theatre, cinema, music, drag -- people have always been interested in adopting personae, and fascinated with other people doing it. there's some new karaoke make-over version of american idol on tv. oprah doing countless shows on wiggers. in art, it's not exactly a new thing either -- cindy sherman, nikki s lee etc etc
women can adopt a male personae and men can dress up like kylie minogue and get their wriggle on, or get get a sex-change even. ali g can pretend to be a sleazy russian tv host for laughs. why is there some line drawn when a white boy wants to try to be a black hiphop star and call it art? i think it's clear tom is not ridiculing tupac (niavely glorifying, sure...) or his race, so what's the problem?
it's interesting to see the reactions the tom's obsession is setting off. maybe that's the value of it...?
let me assume, you're all white? Let me tell you people something, you all judge this art before even knowing who tupac amaru shakur was, have you seen any of his poetry?, heard his politicial and life music? No...typical ignorant art critics.....and you'll take that ignorance till you see the dirt above you in your grave. Some people just dont change. As soon as someone relates art to a Black person and or rapper, its "bad art". You have to change, im not here to lecture, just to warn you about your ignorance and hope you realise this before we all face god.