'Original Gangstas' Author On Tupac's Legacy And Early Hip-Hop's Influence

The late Tupac Shakur will soon become the sixth hip-hop artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor Ben Westhoff says is well-deserved.

Westhoff (@ben_westhoff) is the author of “Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap,” as well as a recent article in The Guardian on Tupac’s legacy.

Westhoff talks with Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti about Tupac’s influence on modern rappers like Kendrick Lamar, and the inherent contradiction of gangsta rap glorifying violence while simultaneously calling for social change.

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