Earlier this year..Friday April 19 1996, Tupac Shakur graced the airwaves of KMEL Radio's Westside Radio program in San Francisco. Here, in an historic interview he let the entire Bay Area know exactly what he was feeling and thinking at that point in time.

For those who weren't up on the backdrop at the time that interview aired, 2Pac had not spoken to anyone extensively since joining Death Row. His album, 'All Eyes On Me' was the album of choice for more then a few headz especially here in the Bay Area. The Bad Boy/ Death Row conflict was at an all time high... No one from the Death Row camp had spoken on co-founder Dr Dre's departure. More importantly, 2Pac had not been through the Bay in what seemd like years...My boy Sway of The Wake Up Show was the person asking the questions...

First of all 2Pac congratulations on your success...Most people from the Bay Area couldn't be there by your side..but we felt like with every episode you went through we were there..we saw you through the media and we were right there. Brothers gotta a lotta love for you here in the Bay Area and we wanna know when you're planning on coming back?

I'm comin' back for sure..and I love the Bay. Everywhere I go..and every episode I've been through, I always felt like I was sharing it..both the good times and the bad times with the Bay Area. I felt like whatever I am the Bay Area had something to do with making me. So if I'm bad they had something to do with making me and if I'm good they had something to do with making me. Between the east coast, the Bay Area and LA and Baltimore, those places made me....I owe them everything. It's not like I just got love for one block. I got love for those communities.. I got love for those areas because everything about those areas made me who I am... From the crack heads to biggest ballers to the teachers to the principals in schools to the police that pulled me by the arm to the mammas on the block. To everybody who help raise me and I appreciate it...With all my fans I got a family again. When I started rappin' I was talkin' about broken homes and now everybody is alright again just because of my fans being behind me..they made it more then just an artist thing..instead it was like them saying 'hey that's our homeboy and we support him. I appreciate that... I went to jail and they made me number one.. I appreciate them stickin' up for me when everyone was kickin me when I was down... That's love and I'll never trade that..so for the Bay and Philly and all those areas and all those ghettos and towns..I love y'all..don't let this east coast west coast thing get to you... I love you with all my heart with everything. I do this for y'all....

It seems like every time you come up something happens to bring you back down... When you're caught up like that what is it that goes through your mind when you got millions of fans wondering about you?

It hurts me in one way because they be lookin' at me saying 'Damn you got everything why are you doing this?' In my heart I'll be saying 'Damn you know I don't wanna go to jail..I'm trying to live.' On the other hand, I can't really take it personal because I'm a reflection of the community... All young Black males are going through that..It's happening with a lot of young Black females also young white males... A lot of minorities are going through that where they try to come up and get pulled back five steps... To me it's not personal because they're all going through it. The only thing that makes it different and original with me is that people get to watch it from beginning to end like it's a soap opera. You get to watch mine and with everyone else they get to hide and go to their homes and get over it. With me you see me dealing with my greatest pains. You see me get over things....

What went through your head when you got shot in New York and that whole complication?

I can't front. It slowed me down. What went through my mind was 'like damn I'm shot'. I used to believe I could never be touched. So now I'm more careful. Some people may say I'm disrespectful..but I'm more cautious because I have been shot. I know what that feels like. I'm not trying to be in that predicament. I know we all have choices to make and my choices have already been made even if I wanna change it. What I learned in jail is that I can't change. I can't live a different lifestyle..this is it. This is the life that they gave and this is the life that I made. You know how they say 'you made your bed now lay in it? I tried to move... can't move into some other bed. This is it. Not for the courts. Not for the parole board. Not for nobody. All I'm trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me.

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