There is often much debate about where 2Pac is “from.” This has been a hard thing to pin down because he was born in New York, raised in Baltimore and Marin City, came up in Oakland, and called LA home. All of these cities have their righteous claim to him and his legacy, but in the video below, he lets the world know that he’s riding with Oakland.

When Pac shares that he was only in Oakland for about two years, the interviewer asks why it’s played such a central role in his music. Pac responds, “Cuz that’s where I got the game from.” He goes on to describe Oakland as a place where everyone is about, “the game.” He doesn’t specify what the game entails, but my guess is that he is referring to a brand of hustle that spans the dope game, music game, and whatever other grind you can find in The Town.

“I give all my love to Oakland. If I claim somewhere, I’ma claim Oakland.” He goes onto say that the Bay Area has it’s own unique flavor and a landscape full of unique artists who speak from their hearts. Asked if the Bay had what it takes to be successful, Pac responded, “It’s all it take is for a muhfucka to be original. That’s where everybody be biting from. That’s who gave me the game. So everything I do, you can give it to Oakland. You can give all my Grammys and shit to Oakland.”

Interestingly enough, he also admits that he had to leave Oakland “due to some funk.” So for all you Bay artists that feel like home doesn’t show you any love, just remember that there are legendary artists that have been forced to leave town. And yet despite all of that, they claim Oakland for all it made them. There are Oakland expats all over the map, and they’ll all tell you that “the game” came from The Town. Word to 2Pac.

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