Yesterday, the Pollock Rec Room was decorated as a shrine to the late rapper/actor/poet Tupac Shakur, as Groove Phi Groove got ready to start its tribute to him.

Posters adorned with Shakur and his lyrics, "Only God can judge me" and "Shed so many tears," graced the walls and his music played on a stereo while videos of him were shown on a TV.

MTV was on hand, videotaping at the event, and members of Shakur's family were supposed to be in attendance but could not make it to the event due to the weather.

Groove Phi Groove started off the event saying that they wanted to remember Tupac mostly for the positive aspects of his life, but some negative aspects are hard to ignore, such as his multiple arrests and hard-living lifestyle.

Shakur's rap was about catharsis, getting out the emotion inside oneself in a positive way. In that respect, dance troupe NOMMO performed in Shakur's cathartic tradition. The dancers, amidst an intense tribal beat by a percussion ensemble, expressed how they felt in their fluid motions and catcalls.

Next in the program came some readings from Shakur's poetry book, The Rose that Grew From Concrete, as well as original spoken word and rapping.

Assata Richards(graduate-sociology)read a selection about Shakur by Nikki Giovanni and a song from Shakur's album 2Pacalypse Now.

Shakur's lyrics in the song showcase his anger and intensity.

"The problem is the black youth of the ghetto ... " Richards read. "The masses, the lower classes, the ones left out ... Pledge Allegiance to a flag that forgets us."

A video, compiled by Groove Phi Groove, was shown honoring the life of Shakur. Included in the video were Shakur's lyrics, parts from his music videos and footage of friends talking about Shakur.

Following the video, an open group discussion was held on how Shakur influenced individual's lives, why people feel he had the biggest impact on the hip-hop community, the conspiracy theories over Shakur's death, how he addressed women in his music and the contradictions in his music and the way he lived.

John Matthews (junior-speech communications) said he felt that the tribute to Shakur was very informative and positive.

"He was the greatest rapper of all time. He refused to live in a shell," Matthews said. "He knew the consequences beforehand and it wasn't going to stop him. It shows you can do whatever you want but there are certain pros and cons."

Richards said she felt the tribute showed students are thinking critically about Shakur's life.

"It shows the power of Tupac's impact on people, what he means to us now," she said. "He dealt with issues we are still facing now."