Synopsis
Shot from a first-person perspective, the video follows 2Pac after he is reportedly shot and taken to a mysterious nunnery in the fictional town of Rukahs, New Mexico. He is cared for by Black nuns before setting out on a strange journey through an otherworldly version of America. Along the way, he encounters historical and cultural figures, rides with a mysterious driver, and visits a diner where an unexpected transformation gives the journey an emotional, spiritual conclusion.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was produced after 2Pac's death and turns the song's questions about heaven, violence, and inequality into a surreal afterlife narrative.
- "Rukahs," the name of the fictional New Mexico town, is "Shakur" spelled backward.
- The video deliberately keeps 2Pac off camera for most of its running time. The viewer sees the journey through his eyes, making the experience feel like a posthumous first-person account.
- The story includes a bus carrying figures such as Jimi Hendrix, Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis Presley, and Mother Teresa. Another version of the concept also included Rasputin.
- The final diner sequence transforms the waitress into 2Pac's mother, Afeni Shakur. Afeni was involved with the production and approved the personal symbolism built into the video.
- The deliberately cryptic imagery helped fuel speculation that 2Pac had survived the shooting, an idea that circulated widely among fans after the video's release.
- The song itself predates the posthumous single. An earlier version, titled "I Wonda If Heaven's Got a Ghetto," appeared as the B-side of the 1993 "Keep Ya Head Up" single.
- The 1997 release contains two different versions of the song, while the video accompanied the posthumous version from *R U Still Down? (Remember Me)*.
- Several lines from the song were later reused in 2Pac's "Changes," linking the track to one of his most enduringly recognized songs.