10 Great Quotes From One Of 2Pac’s Final Interviews

A previously unheard audio interview featuring Tupac Shakur and Jim Belushi recorded during a press roundtable for their 1997 film Gang Related has emerged (via Complex). According the the video's description, the 20 minute conversation took place on August 27, which was just three weeks before Tupac died of wounds incurred during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Pac takes up most of the air time, alternately cracking jokes and dropping wisdom. Below, we've pulled ten of our favorite quotes.

1. Tupac's New Year's resolution

"More pasta. And I'm gonna start doing like 300 pushups a day, starting January 1. I really want to push for the next generations of actors, people, rappers, entertainers, whatever. We need to be more physically fit—not slim, not buff, just physically fit. Whatever you have, just exercise it so you can use it."

2. On the difference between acting and rapping

"It's like asking a woman 'what do you get out of motherhood that you don't get out of your career?' It's another satisfaction, it's a whole 'nother joy."

3. On being humble

"To be perfectly honest, I'm very conceited. But how the world prevents it is by putting me in jail for a crime I didn't commit last year, that kind of humbles you out. But now that I'm out and I'm free, that keeps me humble, keeps my feet on the ground."

4. And on how the jail stint helped his acting

"You've been shot, you can go to jail—what actor can give you more truth than me right now. That's how it feels, so that's the positive."

5. If Tupac was better than The Beatles

"I don't want to sell more records than the Beatles, then I'll want to kill myself."

6. On being a Gemini

"That I'm one sided—all of us as human beings have a dominant and a quiet side. I happen to be a Gemini... [Belushi: You too?] ... and I am young and I'm black and I'm from the hood, so it's just, you got all these different facets. But I'm an artist, you know what I mean? And I'm hungry for knowledge. There's no pigeon hole to put me in, so they'd rather just make it look like I'm crazy."

7. On playing the game of life

"We are in the midst of war. Nobody wants me to live longer than [them]/ Nobody's ever going to give me the breath out of their mouth for me to live longer, so therefore I'm not giving anybody the breathe out of my mouth for them to live longer. I just breath deeply, and go through this life by myself without bothering anybody. Without pushing anybody over. But on the same token, nobody will ever move me from where I'm standing."

8. On the consequences of fame and greedy fans

"Our job is only to come to work, give you the best job we can give you, and then move away from the picture. We're not supposed to suck your dick while you watch the movie, or put my finger in your ass while you watch the movie or play my record and i'm fingering nah it's only you buy my record and that's it.

9. On the power of asking for more

"You'll never see me in any more movies where i'm not directly involved with the soundtrack. I looked up power in the dictionary, and I'm down with that one."

10. On embracing your inner darkness

"But make no mistake, the darkness dwells within everyman and no one knows how to reach it any faster than the next man. Some of us just are comfortable being honest about saying, this is my dark side. The other ones of us put on masks, or white sheets, or suits, or uniforms, and exhibit their darkness behind closed doors."

Lead photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images