Source: FILA and the Shakur Estate Launch Special-Edition Collection of Footwear, Apparel and Accessories
Tupac is no longer as relevant as he was. His albums remain in rotation amongst those who loved him during his life, but as more emcees arrive into Hip-Hop, Tupac’s light is diminished. The speed at which careers influenced by his problematic era of music pass across the radar of pop culture finds a new generation of people doubting just how important Tupac was socially and as an entertainer. When Tupac is discussed today, the dialogue tends to be around what he was with Death Row. “Hit em Up,” is the standard vs “Dear Mama, Brenda’s Got a Baby, and I Ain’t Mad At Cha.” Tupac’s poetry and Black Panther DNA isn’t seen as the connective tissue. The body of work from the emcee post death is as extensive as his work prior to his death, but today’s generation, the people utilized in the imagery from Fila for this collab, no longer include Tupac in their GOAT lists. Take a moment to type in the keyword phrase “Tupac disrespected by” and the articles are countless about those both supporting and those dissing the legendary entertainer.
His legacy lives on through these online debates and films still attempting to discover who murdered him but is that enough to carry a clothing collection rooted in his style of dress from the 90s? Fila dives into a relationship that is complex. To deliver a collaborative collection of apparel and footwear requires an extensive discussion on the man. The photography included in this introduction may be from an art display, but the youth and their faux aggressive stares into the camera do very little to capture the essence of Pac. Pac didn’t glower or frown at the camera, the camera worked to capture his essence. It’s understandable why Fila chose youth culture vs those who could convey with every word how important Pac was to their existence. Pac was our Eldridge, Malcolm and Martin. He was our future Poitier. Pac’s trajectory was unlike anything we ever witnessed as he transitioned from the mic to the big screen. He was only on the precipice of delivering his manifesto for change in the hood when he was taken. Unfortunately, today’s youth culture can’t convey the gravity of Tupac’s importance and because it doesn’t come across in these shots, this is just a collection of stuff Pac would have possibly worn, but it lacks the emotional connection needed to resonate.