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Tupac, Apache, Nikki D and Stretch - Bootlegging PSA
In light of the man's recent passing, I was digging through youtube this weekend looking for old Apache videos when I came across the above Anti-Bootlegging PSA from Yo! MTV Raps featuring Tupac, Stretch of the Live Squad, Apache and Nikki D. It captures an interesting moment in time that must look like it came from an alternate universe to the 90's babies in the crowd, as it must be unbelievable to anyone that grew up in this age of broadband and zShare that there was a point in time when people would actually go out and pay for a bootleg copy of an album (let alone a cassette version). What I like most about this video is that, despite the fact that the whole point of the clip is to speak out against bootleggers, Apache can't help but keep it real and give props to their hustle. But ultimately it's hard to watch this without feeling a bit sad; when this video first came out, who could have guessed that two of them would be murdered within four years and a third would be dead before his 40th birthday?
While most of the tributes to Apache that I saw on the internet in the wake of his passing understandably focused on Gangsta Bitch, by far his biggest hit, my favorite song of his has always been 5 Deadly Venoms. The song appeared on Tupac's album Strictly 4 My... and featured Treach, Stretch and Stretch's brother Majesty. Peep:
2Pac, Apache, Stretch, Majesty and Treach - 5 Deadly Venoms
RIP to Apache, the man truly was a legend out here in Jersey.
1/31/2010 4:30:51 PM posted by Fresh