T.I. On The Set Of "Pac's Life"
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November 28, 2006
New Tupac Video Has T.I., Ashanti, Unseen Footage Of Late Rapper
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Bridget Bland (MTV.com)
Over the past decade, Tupac Shakur's fans have wondered what the rapper would be doing if he were alive today. During the filming of a video for Shakur's posthumous single "Pac's Life" in Atlanta early this month, his family and friends had their answers.
Some say he would probably be the most prolific rapper today; some say he would have given up the mic altogether and gotten into politics; others say Tupac Shakur the author would have been a sure bet.
"I think 'Pac is limitless [with] movies, poetry, writing, rapping," Ashanti, who sings the hook on the song, said in her trailer in between shooting. "He probably would have developed another route for all of us. I think he would be versatile in anything and everything."
Also on "Pac's Life" is none other than the King of the South, T.I. The project was particularly special to him: Not only is 'Pac one of his favorite MCs, but the shoot took place in Tip's backyard, at ATL's Tupac Shakur Center.
"I heard it's some of his best work," Tip said of Pac's new LP, the just-released Pac's Life. "I was blessed to record the single. It's an honor and pleasure to be involved with such a monumental artist. If you grew up in the '70s, you grew up listening to James Brown and Marvin Gaye. This is my Marvin Gaye and my James Brown.
"If you gonna represent the urban community in a positive light as well as reflecting all the negatives instances, I think you gotta start with 'Pac," he added.
The video was directed by Gobi Rahmi, who worked with Tupac in the past. "The concept of the video is what 'Pac's mom wanted: using this organic environment to kinda do homage to her son," said Rahmi, standing in the middle of the trees and grass of the Shakur Center. "We created this unique environment in which people are traveling to this central area, which is the statue and the fountain to [the trees], which is the climax of the video. Throughout the video, we've got performances of T.I. and Ashanti, and we're gonna see some never-before-seen footage of 'Pac I shot myself."