February Artist Series: Tupac's Jada & Jason's Lyric
When I first came up with this idea to create an artist series on Black Love, I had already envisioned sharing an excerpt from my experience visiting the Tupac Shakur Exhibit in Los Angeles a couple years ago. I grew up seeing Tupac Shakur as a passionate artist that wears his heart on his sleeve so it was only right that I ran my love for his poetry back to close out this February centered in blackness and love. With all that’s happening in the news, leaning further in to what feels good is the most important practice we can do to show up for ourselves and others authentically so that is my intention to continue in this space from here on out.
A few weeks ago, during one of my many rabbit-hole deep dives, I came across Jada Pinkett Smith’s interview on Legacy Talk with Lena Waithe. While it was a great conversation where Lena gave Jada her flowers and expressed admiration for her artistry as an actress, what stood out to me was Jada’s practice of embodying certain characters. In this case, it was her work as Lyric in Jason’s Lyric. This scene beautifully captured the essence of leaning in and creating a moment that marks the beginning of a love story.
You may be thinking— okay where is she going with this? — and I want you to hear me out. Jason and Lyric’s interaction gave us an introduction to the possibilities of a new life and although she danced around the invitation, in the end she knew what she was feeling and gave him a chance to get to know her. I have to go back and watch the whole film now that I’m in my 30’s to understand the dynamic from my newfound perspective, however, this conception of love really resonates with me— taking a chance, leaning in, while also being protective of your heart.
Now back to this Tupac exhibit. While visiting, I got lost in the section where some of his notebook pages were on display and there I found the poem he wrote for Jada which appears in his 1999 poetry collection, The Rose That Grew From Concrete. I’ve always been fascinated by Jada and Tupac’s relationship and he described it so vividly, his love for her.
Oftentimes it can be hard to articulate how much someone can mean to you or how they make you feel— especially if it’s soul connection and regardless if the relationship is familial, platonic or romantic. Tupac is showing us just how true he was to his feelings and determined he was to express them on paper for a woman that was very significant in his life at the time. I can go off on tangents about how I don’t agree with some decisions Jada has made in her private life or how she navigated celebrity drama — were all human, right? — but one thing we can all take from this is that friendship is the foundation for the conception of love and their relationship illustrated that.
This concludes my February Artists Series!
I hope you enjoyed reading just as much as I enjoyed sharing my perspective on some really dope black artists. In case you missed it— check out the features and like, share and support below:
It’s been a whirlwind of a month so if you’ve made it this far, please know that I love and appreciate your time. I’m excited for what next month will bring so until next time, be well!
Love,
Reesa