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Tag: tupac

  • Kevin Hart and Ice Cube Join Conan O’Brien on Ride Along With Student Driver

    Kevin Hart and Ice Cube–the stars of Ride Along 2, joined late night host Conan O’Brien and a member of his staff on a ride along. The result was hilarious.

    It was on O’Brien’s show, Conan, that the ride along began. It started with Conan O’Brien and his employee Diana Chang, who is working toward getting her drivers license.

    Conan started by teaching Chang some of the rules of the road. When he brought in Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, however, the ride went from instructional to incredibly funny–almost instantly.

    “Rule no. 1: Don’t f–k this up,” Kevin Hart said.

    “We might need you to do a drive by so you gotta know how to slow down and bop bop bop bop,” Ice Cube explained, imitating the motion of firing a gun.

    When Conan O’Brien said, “bam bam bam bam,” Ice Cube told him he had it all wrong.

    “That’s a bonanza,” he said.

    When the whole gang encouraged Diana to put step on it, she wouldn’t do so until everyone buckled up.

    Kevin Hart refused.

    “Thug life,” he said.

    “Tupac [Shakur] was one of the biggest thugs I know,” Ice Cube said, “and he always wore his seatbelt.”

    Can you imagine how much fun it must have been for Diana Chang, doing an actual ride along with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube?

    Sorry, Conan, but driving with the late night host couldn’t possibly even begin to live up to the fun of driving with the Ride Along 2 stars.

  • Whitney Houston Headed Back Out on Tour–As A Hologram

    Whitney Houston is headed back out on tour. Now that’s something, given she passed away more than three years ago.

    All kidding aside, Whitney Houston is set to tour as a hologram, and make even more money for her estate.

    In a collaboration between Pat Houston, who is President of the Whitney Houston Estates, and Greek billionaire Alki David, who is CEO of Hologram USA, arrangements have been made for Whitney Houston to tour again.

    The performances will reportedly be similar to the one where Snoop Dogg interacted with Tupac at Coachella.

    Alki David assures fans that he will “maintain absolute authenticity” when bringing Whitney Houston back to the concert stage. It won’t just be her performing, either. There will be a lot of narrative taking place as well.

    Negotiations between Pat Houston and Alki David have been ongoing for about two years. David’s Hologram USA has created holograms shows for Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline, and Liberace.

    This doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that Cissy Houston–Whitney Houston’s mother–would appreciate. Yet she passed control of Whitney’s estate to Pat Houston, not believing she–in her later years–was up to such a responsibility.

    The Houston family was recently rocked by the passing of Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. It would certainly be interesting to learn their feelings–especially Cissy’s–about Whitney Houston “coming back” to tour as a hologram.

    What’s your take on these deceased performers like Whitney Houston being recreated in hologram form and going back out on tour?

    Does some part of this seem tasteless to you?

  • Popular Songs The CIA Used To Torture Detainees

    One of the most potent ways of torture is without touch: first, confine the detainee in a windowless 6 x 9 ft. solitary cell, shackle them to the wall, leave a bucket for defecating and urination, and blast the Sesame Street theme song on repeat for a full 24 hours.

    The Senate Intelligence Committee’s CIA torture report  revealed the agencies’ assortment of “enhanced interrogation techniques” used in detention facilities on detainees after the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

    In 2008, Mother Jones reported a “torture playlist”, based on a leaked interrogation log, chosen by guards and interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.

    The songs include:

    • Christina Aguilera: “Dirrty”
    • Drowning Pool: “Bodies”
    • Janeane Garofalo/Ben Stiller: chapter from the Feel This Audiobook
    • Matchbox Twenty: “Cold”
    • Rage Against the Machine: unspecified songs

    According to the CIA torture report, song repetition was an effective touch-less torture technique used to disorient detainees, induce sleep deprivation, signal the start of interrogations, create a “sense of hopelessness”, and drown out screams. White noise was also administered to manifest sensory deprivation and hallucinations.

    Although the recent CIA torture report itself never mentions specific songs, Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, details some of the most popular songs used against detainees. “Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears was one of them.

    “You lose the plot and it’s very scary to think that you might go crazy because of all the music, because of the loud noise, and because after a while you don’t hear the lyrics at all, all you hear is heavy banging,” Ruhal Ahmed, a released Guantanamo prisoner, explained to Worthington.

    Songs by Metallica, Eminem’s “Slim Shady” album, Nine Inch Nails, and Queen’s “We Will Rock You” were also mentioned in Worthington’s book.

    Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails wrote in a blog post condemning the use of his songs as a form of torture:

    “It’s difficult for me to imagine anything more profoundly insulting, demeaning and enraging than discovering music you’ve put your heart and soul into creating has been used for purposes of torture.”

    For more information on torture techniques, check out this ABC style comic featured on VICE, with text by Oscar Rickett, and illustrations by Krent Able.

  • B.I.G. Autopsy Report Leaked 15 Years After Death

    Famed rapper Notorious B.I.G. has been the subject of much speculation and rumor over the years after he was slain by an unidentified assailant in 1997 in L.A., and now that his autopsy report has been released, the unanswered questions are being raised once again.

    The report states that B.I.G.–real name Christopher Wallace–was hit by four bullets. The first three wouldn’t have been fatal, as they hit him in the forearm, the back (that bullet somehow missed every organ), and the thigh/scrotum. But the last bullet entered through his hip and struck several organs, including the colon, liver, heart, and lung. Three of the bullets were found on the gurney when he was taken to the hospital; doctors performed emergency surgery, but were unable to revive him.

    The detailed report shows exactly where each bullet hit and was republished by TMZ.

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    Biggie was famously involved in an East Coast/West Coast rivalry with fellow rapper Tupac, who claimed his old friend–along with Sean “P Diddy” Combs–had prior knowledge of a shooting and robbery that left Tupac injured and fighting for his life. Biggie and Combs denied the claim, but when Biggie’s shooting death followed Tupac’s by mere months, many wondered if the feud was to blame.

  • Tupac’s Shooter Confesses, Hopes For Plea Deal

    Before rapper Tupac Shakur was fatally shot, he was attacked in a robbery/shooting that almost left him dead. He later incorporated the story into a song, “Against All Odds”, in which he called out the man he said was responsible–James Rosemond.

    Now that man–who denied Tupac’s allegations for years–has admitted to his involvement in the crime in the hopes that it will help him get a reduced sentence for another, separate charge.

    Rosemond is a known drug kingpin, also known as “Jimmy Henchman”, secretly confessed his involvement in the shooting during a negotiation deal after he was busted for being at the head of a multi-million dollar crack ring that ran between New York and L.A., involving music studios and execs. His former best friend, Dexter Isaac, confessed that he had also been involved in the shooting after Rosemond paid him for the hit. His statement read:

    “In 1994, James Rosemond hired me to rob 2Pac at the Quad Studio. He gave me $2,500, plus all the jewelry I took, except for one ring, which he wanted for himself. It was the biggest of the two diamond rings that we took. He said he wanted to put the stone in a new setting for his girlfriend at the time, Cynthia Reed. I still have as proof the chain that we took that night in the robbery.”

    That attack set off a huge, bi-coastal gang war between Tupac’s people and his rival’s, Notorious B.I.G., who was also gunned down.

    Unfortunately, Rosemond will never face charges for the robbery, because the statute of limitations has long passed. The questions his confession bring up are big ones, the biggest being the most obvious: does this mean he also put out the hit that got Tupac killed? And if so, will he be punished for his crime, considering he’s already doing life for other crimes?

    Image credit: The Village Voice

  • Suge Knight Has Not Been Arrested for Killing Tupac: Twitter Reacts

    Suge Knight popped up a while back during the whole 2Pac hologram ordeal, during which the former mogul claimed that the deceased rapper might still be alive because “nobody has seen him dead”. That’s a sound enough theory, and actually has much more weight than some of the other conspiracies I’ve read on the subject.

    Today, however, has found Knight at the very top of Yahoo! trends, which prompted me to look into why, precisely, everyone was suddenly interested in him. Outside of an article detailing a recent episode of VH1’s “Behind the Music”, I couldn’t figure out why. Then I took to Twitter, which revealed a most interesting rumor: Suge Knight has been arrested for the murder of 2Pac, and he’s currently sweating bullets behind bars. As you may already have guessed, this is pretty far from the truth.

    Apparently a fabricated news clip from 2010 has confused the bejesus out of 2Pac fans, prompting many to believe that Knight had been tossed in the proverbial slammer. In fact, Twitter has been exploding with people curious about the validity of these rumors. The clip, which you can watch below, has been pieced together from various videos and news stories surrounding the late rapper’s untimely demise. The mention of Knight being arrested was lifted from an unrelated story and added to make it appear as though it was somehow related to 2Pac.

    In related news, Suge Knight recently paid a visit to a local radio program, where he suggested that 95% of rappers are closet homosexuals, including rap legend Dr. Dre. Now, given the storied history between Knight and Dre, everything the big guy says should be taken with a grain of salt.

    Curious to see what other folks have thought about the rumors? You can read through a small gathering of tweets below. And for the record, 2Pac is still dead, his murder is currently unsolved, and, as far as anyone can officially tell at this moment in time, Knight had nothing to do with it.

    However, feel free to leave your own theories in our comments section.

    (image)@Jb_For3
    Jb StayBallin    They arrest suge knight fa tupac murder I knew he had sum to do with it(image) 6 minutes ago via TweetCaster for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@UrbnRadioNation
    Urban Radio Nation    Suge Knight arrested Tupac’s murder is a rumor …don’t believe anything until @TMZ says its true …the most trusted source in news …lol(image) 9 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@B_Night
    Brandon Night    Suge Knight arrested for Tupac’s murder. Statement from LAPD says we caught Knight shooting at hologram yelling “I already killed you once!”(image) 48 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@alanadelberg
    Alan Adelberg    Gotta find someone to entertain these kids at a birthday party; anybody got Suge Knight’s number?(image) 2 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@LevnUMesmerized
    LeavingUMesmerized    AGAIN.. Suge Knight will NEVER be arrested and convicted of Biggie and Tupac’s murders because he has LAPD on his payroll.. #BehindTheMusic(image) 4 days ago via Plume for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Suge Knight Thinks Tupac Is Still Alive

    Maybe Marion “Suge” Knight is enjoying 420 day a little too much, or maybe he mistook the Tupac hologram for the real thing, but whatever the case, the once-CEO of Death Row Records thinks the return-to-trend-status rapper is still alive. Knight also poses some interesting theories on the subject.

    TMZ (who else?) snagged a recording of a radio interview Knight gave to 93.5 KDay in Los Angeles. During the interview, the suggestion that Shakur faked his death, saying no one has “seen Tupac dead.” The audio is embedded below:

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    It’s clear the hologram-that-wasn’t-a-hologram performance of Tupac at Coachella has put the rapper on the front burner again, which brings up the fun conspiracy theories as well.

    Many would cite the autopsy photo (NSFW) as evidence, but there are those who think that’s fake, too. As an aside, whatever your position on Tupac’s mortality, I would recommend reading that thread. It’s life-affirming. An example:

    …As you can see, the Autopsy Photo, has originally came from the video of california love at 06:42, where 2pac wakes up from his dream. which explains why half the other side of pacs face and body is missing. Because there isn’t alot of colour or light in that part of the video. So the author used to lack of colour and light to add in the cut in the skull and the open bloody chest.

    Which is followed by:

    you are phuckin genius

    Now, whether that is in jest or not is up to you. Whatever the case, thanks to the KDay interview, we now know what side of the fence Suge Knight stands on. Are you going to tell him he’s wrong? And just because it’s that kind of day, here’s perhaps the most overlooked Tupac song ever:

  • Internet Loves Hologram Tupac Memes

    It’s old news by now that a Hologram of Tupac performed at Coachella. Try telling the internet that. Memes are still cropping up featuring Hologram Tupac talking to Luke Skywalker via R2D2, Hangin out with Harry Potter’s parents in the vanishing mirror, even as Zordon from the Power Rangers. Interestingly, the actor who played Zordon, Robert L. Manahan, has also been dead for over a decade. Weird.

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    Scroll to the bottom for a full video of Tupac’s appearance on Star Wars.

    Luke Skywalker (discovering R2D2 video): “What is this?”
    Tupac: “You know what the f*** this is!”

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    Interestingly enough, Tupac isn’t technically a hologram. The image was created using a technique called “Pepper’s Ghost.” Chemist John Pepper used it in theater in the 19th century.

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  • Tupac Hologram Gets His Own Twitter Account, May Be Touring

    The big news this weekend (and beyond) has been legendary rapper Tupac Shakur’s amazing comeback. No, contrary to popular belief he’s not really still alive, but he was still able to perform at the Coachella music festival as a hologram.

    That’s right. Over 100,000 concert-goers were treated to the first “performance” from Tupac in over 15 years. Before being gunned down in Las Vegas in 1996, Tupac sold over 75 million albums and is one of the most beloved artists in music history. And on Sunday, he took the stage (virtually) with Snopp Dogg and Dr. Dre.

    You can check out the performance below (NSFW language):

    The hologram was the product of a partnership between technology solutions company AV Concepts and visual-effects studio Digital Domain Productions.

    “This show was by far one of the most exciting yet challenging projects we have ever worked on,” said Nick Smith, President of AV Concepts. “A highly choreographed, live, outdoor holographic production of this magnitude with hundreds of thousands of people watching gave us the added incentive, and pressure, to deliver” Nick said.

    Not only did Twitter explode over the holographic Tupac, but someone capitalized on its viral popularity and created an account for it. It already has over 20,000 followers. In the realm of parody accounts (which is far and wide on Twitter), it’s pretty funny (NSFW tweets):

    (image)@HologramTupac
    Hologram Tupac    Ah fuck! Anybody got a spare 54 AA sized batteries? I think Snoop done smoked my charger. #PlugLife(image) 16 hours ago via HootSuite ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@HologramTupac
    Hologram Tupac    They didn’t make no Biggie hologram cause there aint enough pixels for that fat motherfucker!(image) 19 hours ago via HootSuite ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@HologramTupac
    Hologram Tupac    Where I be living? You know they got me trapped in this prism of seclusion!(image) 14 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@HologramTupac
    Hologram Tupac    Just dropped the i-Phone that Suge bought me an hour ago. #BuryMeA3G(image) 9 hours ago via HootSuite ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    According to the Wall Street Journal, we might get to see more of holographic Tupac in the future. Dre and Snoop are reportedly considering the logistics of taking Tupac on tour with them.

    Now, if we can only bring Hendrix, Lennon, and some others back with a hologram – then we’ll really be in business.

  • Holographic Tupac Performs at Coachella

    Tupac has been dead for 15 years, or has he? Yes. Yes he has. But his hologram lives on. At Coachella on Sunday, the infamous rapper took the stage with Snoop Dogg (non-holographic Snoop Dogg) to perform “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”

    People have been talking about it everywhere, including Google exectives. Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice-President of Social Business (Google +), posted the video on his Google + page…

    Everyone is tweeting about it, including some hip-hop savvy celebrities, and people who can’t resist a good pun.

    (image)@PinkHigh_
    ?    “I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.”
    ? Tupac(image) 54 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@DepressedDarth
    Darth Vader    A Tupac Hologram performed at Coachella last night, thanks to R2-D2 for helping broadcast the image.(image) 57 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@PerezHilton
    Perez Hilton    I’m still tripping out over that #Tupac hologram at Coachella! http://t.co/0Ddwu7qd <—- So crazy & awesome!(image) 1 hour ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@CourtneyHall_
    Courtney Hall    I think Tupac should win a Hologrammy for his Coachella performance.(image) 1 hour ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@BlitznBeans
    Aaron Blitzstein    Poor Tupac, now he’s in prism.(image) 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@ConfusedLush
    Booty Whisperer    Not sure how I feel about this whole bastardization of Tupac let alone a purse company starting a music festival.(image) 1 hour ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@UncleRUSH
    Russell Simmons    what an amazing dream… dre and snoop bring out Tupac at Coachella >> http://t.co/qoG4CHIn(image) 1 hour ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@badbanana
    Tim Siedell    Put a shirt on, Hologram Tupac.(image) 35 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto