Tupac at Coachella was Unreal [Tupac's Alive]

Week 2 of Coachella is currently in action down in California.  However, the biggest event has already happened; Tupac has come back as a hologram.  It’s not really a hologram though, it is a 2-D projection.  For the sake of this article and to do what we saw justice we will call it a hologram.  What we saw was art, a recreation through the eyes of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre of what Tupac was.

Tupac rose from the floor in a realistic, but still digital looking form.  It was when he yelled, “What the fuck is up Coachella!” that we knew things were real.  What followed was a performance of “Hail Mary” from the album Makaveli and then “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted” from the album All Eyez on Me. 

You can tell the performance is still digital and computerized, but all the movements look completely real, even down to the chain Tupac is wearing.  Obviously the company who made the hologram can’t get away from anything other than the studio-recorded versions, but what was accomplished was absolutely astonishing.

The ending, Tupac’s exit, is also impressive.  Many of my friends texted me as it happened, discussing how it was as if Tupac himself came back for only a few minutes.  The performance was like experiencing Tupac was still alive, which is a big deal to many of us who were too young to realize what we were seeing when we first heard or saw of Tupac when he was alive.  We were experiencing something that was happening with the greatest rapper to ever live.

Instantly one of the first things I wanted to do was know when the hologram, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg were going on tour.  Maybe the Notorious B.I.G. could make the trip also, but the hologram already costs between $100,000 and $400,000.  The number of pixels required would just cost way too much.

Turns out this could be a reality.  Dr. Dre has been working on how to get the hologram on tour, because right now it is only a 2-D projection that is best when seen directly from the front.  So figuring out seating for a stadium would be problematic when only around 20% of the people would get the best experience.

Regardless, the holographic technology has almost peaked in its entertainment value by creating one of the best performances in recent memory, one that caused everyone who saw it on YouTube to stop what they’re doing, and then rewatch it again and again.  The greats of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and the Notorious BIG could all soon be back.  For now though, we are given a new image of the greatest rapper based on how his friends new him.

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