Beautiful Hip Hop.

To Live And Die In L.A.-Tupac Shakur

This song is the epitome of hip hop. The ugliness of Los Angeles was beautifully crafted into a popular hip hop song over a soulful beat that played into the ears of the youth. Tupac brought Los Angeles alive in a way that no other artist has been able to. No song dedicated to California or Los Angeles captured the real, unadulterated truth in these streets. Yes, Los Angeles is filthy and dangerous but we are all adapted to it and know where to find the beauty. I feel it's in the the general atmosphere of every Los Angelian in the whole county.

When this song came out, it provoked a higher sense of pride that still resonates within us today.

The music video makes me remember all the times I've visited the different places 'Pac shows. That Fatburger, Barbary Coast, Crenshaw Plaza, MLK Hospital and City Hall...This is all Los Angeles!

Tupac's intent was to show the unity of Los Angeles. Music is the medium through which our unity is spread.

"To live and die in LA, where everyday we try to fatten our pockets. Us niggas hustle for the cash so it's hard to knock it. Everybody got they own thang, currency chasing. Worldwide through the hard times, worrying faces."