Since the day his death made headlines in 1996, rumors have alleged that rapper Tupac Shakur was still alive. During Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s performances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2012 on April 13 and 20, fans witnessed an appearance by the dead rapper.
Headlining the final night of Coachella 2012, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg shocked fans at the festival and internet viewers across the world when they brought Tupac back from the dead. The resurrected rapper performed two of his hits (“Hail Marry” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”) with Snoop Dogg.
Is the famous rapper back from the dead? No. Tupac was simply resurrected for the performances with holographic technology. The image of the rapper was created by projecting light on a layer of glass. This technique allows the viewer to see the image through the glass, making this Tupac appear as a ghostly figure.
Shakur’s appearance was the climax of the performance — a performance that included live appearances by 50 Cent, Eminem, Warren G, Kendrick Lamar, Whiz Khalifa and Kurupt, as well as Nate Dogg and Frank Sinatra via video montages.
Tupac’s appearance allowed long-time fans (like myself) to finally see the dead rapper perform live, albeit via hologram. While seeing Tupac was a treat, I’ll admit his resurrection seemed a bit morbid. Seeing the rapper perform in his signature baggy jeans, Lugz boots and gold cross,  covered in tattoos sent odd, nostalgic, ghostly sentiments floating through the audience.
So why stop with Tupac? The media has talked about bringing back John Lennon and George Harrison for a Beatles reunion, or resurrecting Michael Jackson for the final tour that never happened.
It is all just a little much. The resurrection of Tupac is receiving far too much attention. It was so incredibly cool to see Tupac, even as a hologram, rap alongside Snoop Dogg, but he’s still gone. Using technology to bring back musicians from the past makes life and death seem less significant.
That said, get a Kurt Cobain hologram to team up with Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl for a Nirvana reunion and I may have some different opinions on the subject.