u/FitEmergency8807

I remember when King Von’s autopsy photos came out, and seeing him like that genuinely bothered me. The images stayed in my head for about a week. But something about seeing Tupac like this feels completely different. Maybe it’s because with Pac, there was always this larger than life image surrounding him, and for years there was at least some mystery and distance around his death.
Now seeing an actual image of him after everything happened just makes the reality hit in a way that’s hard to explain. This was Tupac, the charismatic, energetic, larger than life guy we’re so used to seeing in music videos, interviews and performances and now you’re seeing him completely lifeless on an autopsy table. It’s a really unsettling contrast.

I know the images will probably fade from my mind eventually, but right now it’s hard to watch a Pac video or listen to his music without those images popping back into my head. I think that’s what makes it hit so hard. For nearly 30 years, his death has almost felt like this distant piece of history surrounded by stories, theories and mystery. Seeing those images makes it feel painfully real, Pac really is gone.

For me, it’s Tupac. Sometimes I’ll be listening to one of his songs and it randomly hits me like damn, this guy is really gone. Not in a “legend” kind of way, but in the sense that he was only 25 years old and had so much more left to do.

What makes it harder is that it felt like he was only getting better with each album. People talk about his music, but Pac was more than just a rapper. He was passionate, outspoken, and had a lot of interesting ideas about politics, poverty, race, and society in general. Whether you agreed with everything he said or not, he was someone who made people think.

I think that’s why his death still bothers me. You can’t help but wonder what he would’ve become if he’d made it to 35, 45, or even 55. More music, more films, more activism, who knows? It feels like we only got a glimpse of what he was capable of.
I feel the same way about Biggie. Both were taken way too young, right when they were entering their prime. Every time I go back and listen to their music, I can’t help but think about what could’ve been. Which artists death affected yall the most?

There’s been a lot of talk, especially on TikTok, about The Beatles treating woman terribly, Would you say the way they treated women was simply a reflection of how men were expected to behave at the time?

John Lennon allegedly became physically violent in his younger years, including hitting Cynthia and a previous girlfriend, while also cheating on Cynthia with women in show business, fans and prostitutes. Ringo is said to have been abusive towards Maureen during his struggles with alcoholism, while George Harrison was emotionally distant towards Pattie Boyd and repeatedly cheated on her. Paul McCartney was reportedly controlling towards his first girlfriend Dorothy, telling her how to dress and dye her hair, and he also repeatedly cheated on Jane Asher. However, it seems like he became more settled once he was with Linda. What are your thoughts on this subject?

Do you think longevity really matters when judging a band’s greatness?

I always see people online argue that the Rolling Stones are better than The Beatles because they’re still touring, have released more albums, and have lasted much longer. Personally, I don’t think that’s the best way to measure it.

I think it’s more about the quality of the music and the impact an artist had during their time. Nirvana were only at the top for a few years, Biggie released just two albums in his lifetime and he’s considered one of the GOATS of Hip Hop, and Jimi Hendrix’s career lasted only a handful of years, yet all three left an enormous mark on music. I can name even more artists.

Longevity is impressive for sure and definitely deserves credit, but I don’t think a band is automatically better just because they stayed together longer or released more material lol. I’d take a short, incredible run over decades of average output any day.
What are yall thoughts on this?

Honestly, I think The Beatles would still have been great without George Martin, but not as great.
The songwriting talent was already there, so I have no doubt they still would have made great music and been successful. But Martin brought something extra. He was classically trained, encouraged experimentation, and helped turn a lot of their ideas into reality.

I also think it’s telling that Let It Be is often seen as one of their weaker albums, and Martin wasn’t producing it in the same way as their other classics.
To me, The Beatles and George Martin were the perfect partnership. They’d still be a great band without him, but I don’t think they’d have reached the same heights.

Death Row Records is probably the most influential rap label of all time. They helped define West Coast hip-hop, sold millions of records, and at their peak were the biggest rap label in the world, even outperforming Bad Boy. They also helped popularize the idea of record labels having their own chains and branding, something that later became a huge part of hip-hop culture.

What do you think ultimately ended Death Row? Was it Tupac’s death? Suge Knight’s leadership and constant legal troubles? Dr. Dre leaving the label? Or was it a combination of all those factors? Could Death Row have survived if Pac had lived, or were the cracks already showing long before that?

I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but UFC felt more exciting back when PED use was a lot more common. I’m not saying steroids are good or that fighters should be taking them, but that era just seemed to have a different energy. Fighters looked bigger, stronger, more explosive, and they were competing at an insane pace compared to today. It felt like every division was filled with physical freaks and larger than life personalities.
A lot of the legendary fights and rivalries people still talk about came from that period. The sport felt more chaotic, unpredictable, and intense. Obviously stricter testing has made competition fairer and better for the long-term health of fighters, which is a good thing. But purely from an entertainment perspective, I can understand why some fans look back at that era and think the UFC was more exciting.

I was listening to some Beatles records yesterday after not really listening to them for a while, and one thing that really stood out to me was how Ringo seemed to play some of his best-ever drumming on John Lennon’s songs. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great Ringo performances on Paul’s songs too, but for some reason, I’ve always felt like his drumming really came alive on Lennon’s material.
I’m curious if anyone else has noticed this or has an explanation for why it seems to be the case. Maybe it was simply the chemistry between Ringo and John’s songwriting, but there’s something about the way Ringo played on Lennon’s tracks that always seems particularly distinctive to me.