The 2Pac song beloved by The Vatican
2Pac, often referred to as Tupac Shakur, was one of the most well-known rappers in the world and, during the 1990s, was the go-to artist if you wanted hardcore and passionate gangsta rap.
As the primary artist of Dr Dre and Suge Knight’s Death Row Records, Tupac undeniably made massive hits and, before his murder in 1996, was one of the most famous rappers in the world.
That said, he made some anthems while he was alive, such as ‘California Love’ and ‘I Get Around’, many 2pac fans also love his posthumous records. Aside from the famous ‘Ghetto Gospel’ featuring Elton John, one of 2pac’s most beloved posthumous singles is ‘Changes’ featuring the group Talent. It was so moving that even The Vatican, home of the Catholic Church, once promoted the song by adding it to their playlist on MySpace.
The song released in 1998 was, in fact, a remixed version of a similar song that the rapper had recorded in 1992 but never released. The song was initially produced by one of 2Pac’s producers, Big D The Impossible. However, the released version from the rapper’s posthumous Greatest Hits album was the Trackmasters remix of the original.
The song samples Bruce Hornsby’s 1986 song ‘The Way It Is’ and addresses racial tensions, poverty, homelessness, and violence on the streets, saying: “Some things will never change.” It was emotional and showed a different side to the ‘Thug Life’ emcee, who was known for being quite brash and sometimes unruly.
Although the track performed surprisingly poorly in the US, peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, it reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and did well across Europe, even becoming a number-one hit in Norway and the Netherlands. It also did well in Italy, and its positive message and optimistic framing made it a rap song that the Catholic church could endorse.
The song had such an impact that the Vatican surprisingly included it on their MySpace playlist. The other eleven songs include Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’, the Vatican’s own ‘Advocata Nostra’, featuring the voice of Pope Benedict XVI, Muse’s ‘Uprising’, and ‘After The Rain’ from Dame Shirley Bassey’s 2009 album, The Performance.
The Vatican released a statement concerning its MySpace playlist reading, “The genres are very different from each other, but all these artists share the aim to reach the heart of good-minded people.” Despite all of Shakur’s debacles, he was known for a deep love of his people and a desire for world peace.
Although he appeared on the playlist, it was made clear that the list was curated by the artistic director of St. Paul’s Multimedia, Father Giulio Neroni, and it was not confirmed whether or not the then-Pope Pope Benedict XVI.