Despite being murdered 16 years ago, on Sunday the 15th of April 2012, Tupac graced the stage with Dre and Snoop at Coachella. Perhaps what has lived on as his greatest legacy, is, besides a glorious career and dramatic exit, a devout following on the internet of people who claim he is still alive. At Tupacnet.org you’ll find a list of, as they state “suspicious facts” that debunk the idea that Tupac ever died, and was instead finding his way out of the rap game via a very public and mysterious death. His friends, notably Dre and Snoop have never shied away from adding his previously recorded lyrical touch to their tracks over the years. Tupac has become a sort of ethereal jedi-god in the rap realm, where his presence is used to lend weight to album releases and singles, much as being seen with Alec Guinness in his time would have made you infinitely cooler.
The Coachella appearance set the internet a blaze with Tupac “fandomonium,” and besides the initial phase of absolute wonder, was followed by internet commentary questioning the ethics of such a display. “We worked with Dr. Dre on this and it was Dre’s vision to bring this back to life,” said Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, the San Diego company that created the hologram. “It was his idea from the very beginning and we worked with him and his camp to utilize the technology to make it come to life.” Fans of the Gorillaz will recognize instantly this same technology in use for their live performances. Nick Smith’s company has also done work for Madonna in the same style. The hologram itself was said to have cost somewhere between 100,000 and 400,000 dollars to create, with a production time of four months. Smith hinted that this technology could put an artist at several venues, simultaneously around the country.
The New York times ran a quote from an anonymous festival goer, who noted that “I can’t even begin to imagine what this Tupac hologram is doing to all the people at Coachella that have been on acid for 3 days straight.” And for those of us who are increasingly sobered by the idea of resurrecting dead band mates in the event of their unprofitable early death, are left to ponder the reality in which soulless holographic cylons grace a stage once held by their human counterpart. Think of the band reunions, where much like American Idol, pitch perfect machines churn out synthetic pop and pseudo retro beats for the ever digitally devoted younger gen.
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