On this day in 1996, Tupac Amaru Shakur and Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight, along with labelmates Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger, Hammer and R&B singer Danny Boy, attended the Brotherhood Crusade Rally in Los Angeles.
The late Tupac Shakur and artists from Death Row Records may be seen discussing the value of voting in an old video that surfaced in August 2015 on the Tupac Facts YouTube channel. Suge Knight was introduced to speak at the podium after a few welcome words. He spoke briefly about the Death Row musicians and the success they have attained as a result of their devoted fans.
He informed the gathering, "One thing I'd like to say, if it weren't for the community there would be no Death Row Records. And perhaps more significantly, without Snoop, Daz, Hammer, and Tupac, there would be no me.
Suge then called Snoop and Tupac to the stage. Tupac thanked his fans for purchasing his double album All Eyez on Me, which had sold more than 5 million copies since its debut on February 13, 1996. Tupac was wearing an all-white suit. He also pushed supporters to cast ballots because he understood that there is power in numbers.
At Death Row, "we just want y'all to know that we appreciate everything y'all doing for us," said 'Pac. "We sold 6 million copies of my record. Snoop got 4million, Dogg Pound got 3million and we continue.
That indicates that we represent that many votes, he said. If we are able to represent so many voters, we must make the politicians fear us.
That means anytime we drop something, y'all gotta pick it up. Every time y'all call for us, we gon' come."
After Tupac spoke, Snoop followed up with his own words on voting. He even showed the audience his voter registration documentation.
Sadly, Tupac died less than one month after his appearance at the voting rally. The late hip-hop icon succumbed to gunshot wounds suffered in a drive-by shooting on Sept. 7 in Las Vegas. He died on Sept. 13, 1996.
In the end, the vintage footage showed that Tupac Shakur was a man of the people.
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