The Inaugural SLP 2Pac Friday: June 16, 2023

Why has this date been carefully chosen for the first-ever SLP celebrating of 2Pac Friday?

1) It would have been 2Pac’s 52 birthday.

2) It is the 4th anniversary of the Jerry Foxhoven being fired from heading Iowa’s DHS for being a 2Pac fan, evidently a crime in one state of the 50 in America—Iowa. The four years represents the four years of the political cycle.

The Song for This Very Special Inaugural SLP 2Pac Friday:

Still Ballin’

This song, released posthumously, is ever-so appropriate for the first ever SLP 2Pac Friday. It reminds us that while 2Pac left this earth back in 1996, his music still resonates and he is spiritually “Still Ballin” with us today. This is why, after much thought and deliberation, we chose this track over a more “traditional” 2Pac song released while he was alive, which may have been the safer choice.

But 2Pac Fridays, just like 2pac, is all about taking chances.

“Still Ballin’” further demonstrates that while 2pac superfan Jerry Foxhoven could be fired from his Iowa political post potentially partially for holding 2Pac Fridays, his vision of 2Pac Fridays for Iowa, for America, and for the world has not died–it is very much alive, a fire that cannot be doused; in fact, it is“Still Ballin.”

And while people may still be suffering from the pandemic hangover, feeling drained emotionally, spiritually, financially, energetically, and physically, you yourself are Still Ballin’--at least after listening to this song.

When we were in college, my friend G.R. (we use his initials to maintain his privacy and prevent him from having retribution at his workplace and suffering the fate of 2Pac Fridays pioneer Jerry Foxhoven) and I used to play this song if we were still partying at 3:00 AM. College was fun, so we played it often. While I would love to say this wonderful “Still Ballin’” 3:00 AM tradition was my brainchild, the credit goes to G.R., now forever properly immortalized here in the scrolls (virtual, to save on paper and scribe fees) of the Sweeter Alternative to the Other Internet.

It is no longer that time in my life where I am often still partying at 3:00 AM. But no matter what time it is, what season of the year it is, what season of life it is, or even what 2Pac Friday on the calendar it is, you can be Still Ballin’ with this song.

Everyone has their own precise meaning for “ballin’,” a word with much elasticity–yet always retaining some shade of success, “ballin”” is steeped in positivity. “Still” has a much more stagnant meaning across users. Whatever ballin’ means for you, you are still doing it when you are listening to this song.

Everybody in every corner of the earth balled at some point in their life. Don’t dwell on your old, dusty ballin’ so much that you are living in the past like Springsteen’s “Glory Days,” ball in the present with 2Pac and all of us as we collectively raise the spiritual vibrations of the world by pulling all of our past ballin’ into the now, into today, into this wonderful 2Pac Friday by listening to “Still Ballin.”

Live in the moment.