Music Video
In the video version of the song, the whole song was re-recorded with a live band. Featuring live horns and strings Kevyn Lewis commissioned a band featuring, Cornelius Mims, Warryn Campbell, Priest, Ricky Rouse, Darryl Crooks to replay the track. The new track was recorded at Can-am Studio by Conley Abrams, it was mixed at Larrabee North by Abrams. A cursory listen to the album version and video version shows it is completely different, there are no samples in the video version.
Like many rap songs the single had many explicit lyrics and was too profane to be shown on TV. Rather than have them blanked out, most these lines carried alternative words. For example:
Original lyrics: And I can see us after school, we'd bomb / on the first motherfucker with the wrong shit on
Censored lyrics: And I can see us after school, we'd bomb / on the first player haters with the wrong set on.
The music video begins with 2Pac and a friend of his (played by Bokeem Woodbine) leaving a hotel party at night time. While waiting for someone to arrive a hooded man comes up, pulls out a handgun, and starts shooting in their direction. As 2Pac pushes them out of the way, he gets hit by at least one bullet. In the ambulance his body gives in and he passes away. As an angel he goes back to Earth and watches his friend as he struggles through the next days away from his friend. While this is going on 2Pac is shown rapping to his friend, (who can't see or hear him) and at an elegant party in Heaven. Look-alikes of many deceased entertainers are revealed to be playing the beat in the party, featuring (among others), Redd Foxx, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, Florence Ballard, Sammy Davis Jr., and Louis Armstrong. Danny Boy is also present in Heaven as an angel.
In the censored version, the third verse of the song is completely replaced with new lyrics which talk about the struggles of living, God, and life after death. The video ends with the words "Dedicated to Mutulu Shakur and Geronimo Pratt" appearing on the screen. These individuals are 2Pac's stepfather and godfather, respectively. The music video was voted #33 on the "MTV Top 100 of 1996" ranking music videos. The concept of the video (showing 2Pac's death and him being on Earth as an angel) was used as evidence by many who believed in the 7 Day Theory that Tupac is still alive. The music video is available on the edition of Tupac: Live at the House of Blues.
Read more about this topic: I Ain't Mad At Cha
Famous quotes containing the words music and/or video:
“My love shall hear the music of my hounds.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“These people figured video was the Lord’s preferred means of communicating, the screen itself a kind of perpetually burning bush. “He’s in the de-tails,” Sublett had said once. “You gotta watch for Him close.””
—William Gibson (b. 1948)