[ Not yet finished, feel free to help out ]

2Pac: I have something to offer, the business that hasn't been shown before I have a whole energy that represents not just black youth. But white youth, Mexican youth, youth! That change right before you go from being 18 and unresponsible
To when you go to being like 21-22 and the whole world's on your shoulders I believe strongly that my audience
empathize with me because I show that side, I show that emotion raw uncut good and bad. And so I think I can bring that more funneled more directed into screen plays, more albums producing managing if I can figure out just how to control it. I can use it in a lot of different levels
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I trip off, 'cause it happens outta nothing it just goes --
You know everybody just be screaming and happy and I just trip, I get uncomfortable. It's like I'm similar to a deer being caught in a headlight I just freeze you know, and I don't know what to do. don't know if I should be what they want me to be or I should make 'em hate me so they can just stop but I'm often just caught in the middle of it because you can't, I mean no one can do that police can't do that they can't stand in front all these people and control then with a gun and mace and all that so me with just words is like a battle to find the right words to say at the right time.

Gordon: I'm curious when you-- When you think about the idea that you do have that kind of control over so many people, in one sense the whole idea of being a role model comes up And the imagery and a lot of people tell me that I talked to with before hand suggested that "hey, you know when you meet him he's gonna be something entirely different than you imagine And what the media is portraying him" What about that idea that you have been portrayed and sometimes to be honest I mean you've like the portrayal of you just hard, thug, "don't step on me" "you're in trouble". Yet there's another side to you too what about that idea that you've gotta be able to figure out where you're going.

2Pac: To me it's like--
It is my sensitive side, that likes to blow up the hard side because
If my image or reputation could stop a confrontation before it happens I'm fine! You know what i'm saying? I know how it is day to day. It's a constant man ego check going on in these streets in this world so part of that is just like you knowing that's my resume. But as far as the media they look at it something different they don't about my resume they don't care about me not getting in trouble it's just another story you know and it's a real story they don't have to pay for it and they gon' milk it for all it's worth. As far as people they want me when they first see me to humble myself. They want me to be like this and, just because they're scared of me. But I don't feel like that's my job, to humble myself to show you that I'm not a threat. I'm not a threat, unless, you a threat to me. You know what I'm saying so when people say "when you meet Pac he's different than he is". Because when someone one on one anybody one on one. I believe honestly that I can talk. I believe that I have the ability to reason, I have logic, I have compassion, I have understanding, if we talk then there's no problems. You know what I'm saying but that's not what happens people use what they heard in the media and that's how they come at me and then you know we gotta clutch.

Gordon: One of the things that you read in the media is that you're angry. That you personify your generation that you just got some angry folks out there and you're one of them
I'll put it to you, are you angry? Are you angry with that you see society is about?

2Pac: Yeah. I'm extremely angry, confused you know.
A lot of the times that I sat up in court I couldn't defend myself you know what I'm saying. And it wasn't like the things they were saying about me were beyond my comprehension. Or, the things that could say weren't gonna help my case but because I mean I felt like being exiled you know from society. And that's how I feel. And this whole anger comes from I'm tired of waitin' for my past to get into society. All I ever wanted to do was make me and everybody around feel more comfortable about where we were you know what I'm saying about the places where we stayed where we -- this is our homebase. Let's build it up let's be happy about where we come from. You know what I'm saying instead of trying to simulate and get a passkey to where they at you know what im saying? Not to say that everything needs to be separate but we gotta find pride in ourselves you know what I'm saying and once you get the pride like damn near two seconds after the pride comes anger from being held like that for so long. And to be made to go through those changes you get mad you know what I'm saying as soon as --I believe soon as a black man receives his first 3 checks he starts getting mad. Because it's not about the necessity of having to have a job and having to pay and having to do that you don't care no more about you don't care no more about the smiles and the "yes my sir" Because you done got paid. You know what I'm saying, and now it's like you wanna save money and you see how far it is, how far you have to go to help anybody in your neighborhood. It's set-up for me when I get paid for me to exit the ghetto. And the only reasons I've had these problems is because I haven't left yet. And these problems don't come from a white man it comes from just, society and the problems that we have.

Gordon: Let me put this to you, a lotta people tell me "Tupac is for the most part a nice guy this whole thug thang hype good for record sales helps him identity with the young people who are out there and angry who would maybe label him a sellout like they did Hammer if he didn't have that hard side" What about that?

2Pac: First of all nobody can call me a sellout I'm not going for that I'm not looking for approval from the black community because we don't give a approval you know we don't really do nothing but exist so it's not like black people could tell me you a sellout or you true blue I'm not even caught up in that but I can see that you know what I'm saying the one thing we do have in common as black people is we share that poverty. So the thug side is more closer to the poverty than me being rich how could I come to any community center sporting a rolex presidential all these diamonds and be like look we gadda-gadda. But now when I say we I'm not saying I live this in this neighborhood or nothing but imma thug n they thugs they can relate I don't even have to say that when I come I don't have to say I'm real they already that from mex, from me being me from not pushing the thugness. But I know from the business that everybody in this business is always whispering in your ear about what you can't wear what you can't do what you can't say in this world and in this world it's two worlds a white world and a black world all I did was stand in the middle and say I'm living in both worlds I can go to the streets and survive and I can go out here and do my business out here.

Gordon: