Our Revolutionary Braggarts: Ali vs. Pac

Hello again world and welcome back to my blog. For today's entry I've decided to do a compare and contrast between two of our culture's greatest anti-heroes, my definition of that term meaning that these two are individuals whose own specific ideals, actions, and dealings with their own unique opposition helped shape the societies in which they lived. These two anti-heroes, boxing legend Muhammad Ali and hip hop icon Tupac Shakur, are a generation apart but have striking similarities as well as outstanding differences both because of their rebellious legacies. I'll take it a step further and say that Ali and Pac symbolize being what could be known as a "revolutionary braggart", as their sociopolitical upbringings gave way to their defiant stances against conformity, prejudice and even traditional masculinity.

So how exactly are Ali and Pac "revolutionary"? You could start by evaluating them in their professional fields, where their legacies have reigning influence to this day. Since Ali, the main prototype of the modern black athlete has become more dominantly focused towards winning, thus becoming more unapologetic in determining the needs and surroundings they must have in order to win. Modern day hip hop has this sort of logic also, as it is verbally "athletic" due to its known competitive sparring- a facet of the genre that Pac would further influence (i.e "Hit 'Em Up"). But Pac's greatest contribution is allowing future hip hop artists to be more limitless in their musical and personal definitions, allowing them to be more multi-faceted and diverse within themselves than before.




Ali and Pac's professional legacies, of course, tie in to how they are culturally "revolutionary", but to appreciate the fullness of this particular aspect you must look at their own upbringings, as both came from and into social movements that were bred from modern anti-heroic, vigilante schools of thought. Cassius Clay's interpretation of the world became much broader due to his joining the Nation of Islam; and although they advocated total racial separation, Clay's devotion to this group informed him that there is a higher purpose and standard that he must fulfill, and he chose to display this through his celebrity and "rebirth" as Muhammad Ali. Tupac Shakur was literally born into the struggle as his mother, a Black Panther member, carried him during a short prison term and gave birth to him one month after her release. It is through his mother and her fellow radical allies and friends that Tupac began to gain awareness of his people, their struggle and a calling to make others socially and culturally aware.




So now that we've defined Ali and Pac in the "revolutionary" sense, how exactly are they "braggarts"? I think the most obvious answer is in how they both would never tire from proving their "righteousness" in their personal yet public battles. Ali and Pac would stop at nothing to make sure their presence and opinions were known through unconventional bravado that would resonate with their audiences yet intimidate their (chosen) opponents. In this spirit their bragging thus must come from the truths that represent themselves, their agendas and even their opponents. Both figures used this truthful bragging with great ability, but is here by their own personal usage of it that they begin to diverge. As an athlete, Ali figured out that he truly would have to incite his opponents through statements and antics that could be hurtful and insulting. This tactic would thus invoke his opponent with more emotional desire towards beating him; in doing it like this, Ali would perfect the art of "challenging entertainment". Pac, however, is more emotionally charged in his battles, as he sees his opposition more as the enemy that must be destroyed at all costs. Therefore, Pac's bragging uses the truth as a weapon that must vanquish those he deems unworthy in this challenge.

In all, I think that through their revolutionary bragging Muhammad Ali and Tupac Shakur became figures who represent a new kind of "eternal youth" that coupled fresh yet radical criticizing with a sort of sage wisdom that was beyond their years. Their courageous ability to stand for their convictions thus led them to condemning convictions, as Ali's draft refusal and Pac's murder, both at age 25 when these events occurred, robbed their audiences of truly seeing them go into their prime. It is because of this that their audiences helped shape their legacies as "the greatest" in their fields, as they inspired Ali to win professional and cultural victories past that prime, and they carried Pac's words, emotions, even (in remembrance of) his mistakes into their lifestyle and lexicon. Undoubtedly, these two revolutionary braggarts changed the expectations and capabilities that we set for ourselves and our future.

Well, that's about it for now folks. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and let me know what you think about this and other entries. Until then, peace out.