美国国家公共电台 NPR Tough Love: Kwame Alexander Remembers Tupac

Tough Love: Kwame Alexander Remembers Tupac

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This Tuesday marks 20 years since Tupac Shakur was killed after a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was a musician, a poet, a record producer and an actor who has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. Today, Tupac Shakur's life and artistry continue to resonate with fans. Among them, author Kwame Alexander.

KWAME ALEXANDER: Tupac Shakur was an enigma², a puzzle many of us could never piece together but enjoyed trying, a confusing amalgam³ of profound art and troubled reality. But he was ours. He presented himself like a gift offering - no ribbons, no bows, no paper. He came in a plain box and he came opened - "Me Against The World." And I think we embraced him for that much in the same way we embraced James Dean and Nina Simone and Miles Davis, wild and free and honest - cultural icons⁴ with startling contradictions who not only narrated⁵ the wonders and the woes⁶ of our world. They literally⁷ changed it.

2PAC: (Rapping) Come on, come on. I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself, is life worth living? Should I blast myself? I'm tired of being poor and even worse, I'm black. My stomach hurts, so I'm looking for a purse to snatch. Cops give...

ALEXANDER: We were both born at the inception⁸ of rap music amidst the rampant⁹ racism¹⁰ and police brutality¹¹ of 1970s New York City. Hip-hop was young people's resistance. It gave us words and beats to better understand the world, ourselves, to turn pain into joy, chaos¹² into community. These were the times that birthed Tupac. And by the early '90s, when rap music was exploding, he was primed to become its most charismatic and contradictory¹³ spokesperson.

His was a short life with a long, complex legacy¹⁴ left behind. But leaving doesn't always mean you're gone. I visit schools every week. And when I ask students to name their favorite rapper some say Kendrick Lamar, a few say Eminem, but many say Tupac. They quote lyrics¹⁵ from "Letter 2 My Unborn" and "California Love." They've seen "Juice" and "Poetic¹⁶ Justice," his breakout movies where he seemed to own the camera so brilliantly that it became hard to know where the characters ended and Tupac began.

The unwillingness¹⁷ to let go of Tupac Shakur, says Kierna Mayo, former editor-in-chief of Ebony magazine, rests not so much in the tragedy of his sudden death but in the very significance of his tumultuous life.

2PAC: (Singing) California knows how to party. California knows how to party. In the city of LA, in the city of good old Watts¹⁸.

ALEXANDER: Michael Datcher, a writer in Los Angeles, and I edited an anthology about the life of Tupac. We called it "Tough Love" because we were passionate¹⁹ about his brilliance²⁰ but clear-eyed in our understanding of where he fell short. (Reading) He was in part playing out the cards dealt to him, extending and experimenting with the script he was handed at birth. Some of his most brilliant raps are about those cards and that script - poverty, ghetto²¹ life, the narrowed choices for black men, the malevolent²² neglect of a racist²³ society - Michael Eric Dyson. Shakur served nine months in prison for sexual assault. Tupac walked a tightrope²⁴ between rampage and reflection, between bane and beauty.

2PAC: (Rapping) And now my son's getting older and older and cold from having the world on his shoulders. While the rich kids is driving Benz, I'm still trying to hold on to surviving friends. And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but please you've got to keep your head up.

ALEXANDER: Tupac Shakur captivated me, us - his voice, his rebelliousness²⁵, his confidence, his poetry. I spent a weekend with him in 1992, Charleston, S.C. I fashioned myself a concert promoter. 'Pac was my first booking. On the way to the venue²⁶, my teenage wannabe brother, Ade, played his demo tape for Tupac. Way past cool and hyped for the big show, he patiently listened, then extolled²⁷ the virtues²⁸ of education over the music business. Stay in school, little brother, Tupac said with that infectious smile. Be a black genius. If only Tupac Shakur had lived long enough for us to see more of his.

MARTIN: Author Kwame Alexander. His most recent young adult novel is called "Booked."

2PAC: (Rapping) I should've seen you was trouble right from the start. Taught me so many lessons, how not to mess with broken hearts. So many questions. When this began, we was the perfect match. Perhaps we had some problems but we working at it. And now the arguments are getting loud. I want to stay, but I can't help from walking out just a little way. Just take my hand and understand. If you could see I never planned to be a man, it just wasn't me. But now I'm searching for commitment in other arms. I want to shelter you from harm. Don't be alarmed.

MARTIN: Our theme music was written by BJ Leiderman.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHANGES")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CALIFORNIA LOVE")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "KEEP YA HEAD UP")

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DO FOR LOVE")

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。

3 amalgam   

n.混合物；汞合金

参考例句：

• To counter this myth,we explained that we're really an amalgam of little guys.为了打破这个神话，我们解释说，我们确实是由一群小小的老百姓所组成的混合体。
• American literature is to our eyes a curious amalgam of familiar and strange.我们认为，美国文学把我们所熟悉的和陌生的东西奇妙地结合起来了。

4 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

7 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

8 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

9 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

10 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

11 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

12 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

13 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

14 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

15 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

16 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

17 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

18 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

19 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

20 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

21 ghetto   

n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区

参考例句：

• Racism and crime still flourish in the ghetto.城市贫民区的种族主义和犯罪仍然十分猖獗。
• I saw that achievement as a possible pattern for the entire ghetto.我把获得的成就看作整个黑人区可以仿效的榜样。

22 malevolent   

adj.有恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒？
• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。

23 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

24 tightrope   

n.绷紧的绳索或钢丝

参考例句：

• The audience held their breath as the acrobat walked along the tightrope.杂技演员走钢丝时，观众都屏住了呼吸。
• The tightrope walker kept her balance by holding up an umbrella.走钢丝的演员举着一把伞，保持身体的均衡。

25 rebelliousness   

n. 造反，难以控制

参考例句：

• Any requirement that may be construed as 'compulsory' will evoke some rebelliousness. 任何可以解释成“必须做的”要求都会激起一些反动情绪。
• Obstinate or contemptuous resistance to authority; stubborn rebelliousness. '叛逆'。''性顽固的或藐视性的反抗权威；顽固的''。'叛逆'。''性。

26 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

27 extolled   

v.赞颂，赞扬，赞美( extol的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school. 他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Tessenow decried the metropolis and extolled the peasant virtues. 特森诺夫痛诋大都市，颂扬农民的美德。 来自辞典例句

28 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。