Tupac
Amaru Shakur is the best selling hip-hop artist, with over 75
million albums sold worldwide including over 50 million in the
United States alone. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing
up around violence and hardship in ghettos, racism and problems
in society. Shakur's work is known for supporting political,
economic, social, and racial equality as well as his raw descriptions
of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and conflicts with the law.
Many fans, critics, and rappers rank him as the greatest rapper
ever.
Early life and Family
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York
City. He was named after Túpac Amaru II, an Incan revolutionary who led
a Peruvian uprising against Spain and was subsequently sentenced to death. "Shakur" comes
from the Arabic word: ”thankful (to God)”. His mother, Afeni Shakur,
was an active member of the Black. Afeni supposedly feared her enemies would
attack her son, and disguised their relation using a different last name, only
to change it three months or a year later, following her marriage to Mutulu Shakur.
Difficulties surrounded Tupac from an early age. Shakur's godfather, Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt,
a high ranking Black Panther, was convicted of murdering a school teacher during
a 1968 robbery. His stepfather, Mutulu Shakur was in the FBI's Ten Most Wanted
Fugitives list in 1982, when Tupac was a pre-teen. Mutulu was wanted in part
for having helped his sister Assata Shakur, Tupac's godmother, to escape from
prison in New Jersey. Mutulu was caught in 1986 and imprisoned for robbery of
a Brinks armored car in which two police officers and a guard were killed. Tupac
had a half-sister, Sekyiwa, two years his junior, and an older step-brother,
Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, who appeared on many of his recordings.
Early career
Shakur's professional entertainment career began in early 1991,
when he debuted his rap skills on the single "Same Song" from
the Digital Underground album. Also in 1991, he appeared in
the music video for "Same Song". In late 1991, after
his rap debut, Tupac Shakur performed with Digital Underground
again on the album Sons Of The P. Later that year, he released
his first solo album, 2Pacalypse Now. Shakur claimed his first
album was aimed at the problems facing young black males, but
it was publicly criticized for its graphic language and images
of violence by and against police. In one incident, a young
man claimed his killing of a Texas trooper was inspired by
the album. Former Vice President Dan Quayle publicly denounced
the album as having "no place in our society". 2Pacalypse
Now did not do as well on the charts as future albums.
His second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., was released in
1993. Heavily produced by Stretch and the Live Squad, the album
generated two hits, "Keep Ya Head Up" and "I Get
Around", , the latter featuring guest appearances by members
of the Digital Underground. It was originally going to be a Digital
Underground track but instead Shock G gave it to Shakur.
Acting career
Shakur made his first film appearance in the 1991 film Nothing
But Trouble with a small role. His first starring role was
in the 1992 movie Juice as Bishop, a trigger happy teen, for
which he was hailed by Rolling Stone's Peter Travers as "the
film's most magnetic figure." He went on to star in Poetic
Justice (with Janet Jackson) and Above the Rim. After his death
in 1996, three of his completed films Bullet, Gridlock'd and
Gang Related were released.
Thug Life
In late 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life with a few of
his friends, including Big Syke, Macadoshis, his step-brother
Mopreme Shakur, and Rated R. The group released their first and
only album Thug Life Vol. 1 on September 26, 1994.
The concept of "Thug Life" was viewed by Shakur as
a philosophy for life. Shakur developed the word into an acronym
standing for "The Hate U Gave Little Infants Fucks Everybody".
Problems with the law
Despite his career as a rapper and actor, Shakur also gained
notoriety for his conflicts with the law. On October of 1991
he filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department,
alleging they brutally beat him over a jaywalking incident.
The suit was later settled for $42,000.
In October 1993, in Atlanta, Georgia, Shakur shot two off-duty
police officers (one in the leg, one in the buttocks) who were
harassing a black motorist. Charges against Shakur were dismissed
when it was discovered that both officers were drunk and were
in possession of stolen weapons.
In December 1993, Shakur was charged with sexually abusing a
woman in his hotel room. According to the complaint, Shakur sodomized
the woman and then encouraged his friends to sexually abuse her.
Shakur firmly denied the charges. He had prior relations days
earlier with the woman who was pressing the charges against him.
She performed oral sex on him on a club dance floor and the two
later had sex in his hotel room. The allegations were made after
she revisited his hotel room for the second time where she engaged
in sexual activity with his friends and claimed Shakur's entourage
had gang-raped her, saying to him while leaving, "How could
you do this to me?" Shakur stated he had fallen asleep shortly
after she arrived and later awoke to her accusations and legal
threats. He later said he felt guilty for leaving her alone,
and did not want anyone else to go to jail, but at the same time
he did not want to go to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Shakur
was convicted of "sexual abuse and sentenced to one-and-a-half
years in prison.
In 1994, he was convicted of attacking a former employer while
on a music video set. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail with
additional days on a highway work crew, community service, and
a $2000 fine. In 1995, a wrongful death lawsuit was brought against
Shakur for a 1992 shooting that left Qa'id Walker-Teal, a six-year
old of Marin City, California dead. The child had been the victim
of a stray bullet in a shootout between Shakur's entourage and
a rival group.
November 1994 shooting
On the night of November 30, 1994, the day before the verdict
in his sexual abuse trial was to be announced, Shakur was shot
five times(twice in the head, twice in the groin and once through
the arm and thigh) in the lobby of the Quad Recording Studios
in Manhattan by two black men in an apparent robbery attempt.
He would later accuse Puff Daddy and Notorious B.I.G. — whom
he saw after the shooting — of setting him up. He checked
out of the hospital, against doctor's orders, three hours after
surgery. The day following the incident, December 1, 1994,
Shakur entered the courthouse in a wheelchair and was found
guilty of three counts of sexual abuse, but innocent of six
others, including sodomy.
In Prison
Tupac Amaru Shakur began serving his prison sentence at Clinton
Correctional Facility on February 14, 1995. Shortly afterwards,
he released his multi-platinum album Me Against the World.
Shakur is the only artist ever to have an album at #1 on the
Billboard 200 while serving a prison sentence. The album made
its debut on the Billboard 200 and stayed at the top of the
charts for 5 weeks. The album had first week sales of 240,000
copies which was the record for highest first week sales for
a solo male rap artist at the time. He married his long-time
girlfriend, Keisha Morris, while serving his sentence. This
marriage was later annulled. While in prison Shakur read many
books by Niccolò Machiavelli, Sun Tzu's The Art of War
and other works of political philosophy and strategy. He also
wrote a screenplay titled Live 2 Tell while incarcerated.
In October 1995, Shakur's case was on appeal but due to all of
Shakur's legal fees he could not raise the $1.4 million bail.
After serving eleven months of his one and a half year to four
and a half year sentence, Shakur was released from prison, due
in large part to the help and influence of Marion "Suge" Knight,
CEO of Death Row Records. Knight posted $1.4 million bail pending
appeal of the conviction, in exchange for which Shakur was obligated
to release three albums for the Death Row label.
In Outlawz
After his release from prison, Shakur immediately went back to
work recording. He began a new group, The Outlawz, and with
them released the notorious "diss track" "Hit
'Em Up", a scathing lyrical attack on The Notorious B.I.G
and others associated with him. In the track, Shakur claims
to have had sex with Faith Evans, Biggie's wife at the time,
and attacks Wallace's street cred. Though there is no hard
evidence suggesting that they did, Tupac was convinced that
P.Diddy and Notorious B.I.G had known about the shooting beforehand.
In Death Row
In February 1996, Shakur released his fourth solo album, All
Eyez on Me. This double album was the first and second of his
three-album commitment to Death Row Records. It sold over 9
million copies. Shakur continued his recordings despite increasing
problems at the Death Row label (Dr. Dre left his post as house
producer to form his own label, Aftermath. CEO Suge Knight
was under investigation for illegal and unethical activities
and business practices).He produced hundreds of tracks during
his time there, most of which would be released on posthumous
albums such as Better Dayz and Until the End of Time. He also
began the process of recording an album with the Boot Camp
Clik and their label Duck Down Records, both New York-based,
entitled One Nation. The goal of this project was to bring
closure to the East Coast-West Coast feud by bringing together
what Shakur thought were the best rappers from both coasts.
Unfulfilled ideas
By the end of his life, Tupac was in the middle of starting his
film development company Euphanasia, and was going to start
writing and directing films. Tupac wanted to host concerts
that would be free for students who get a C or above, and wanted
to build community centers and start baseball and football
leagues for inner-city children. Tupac and Johnny "J" were
starting up 24/7 Productions and Tupac was starting up Non-Stop
Productions. Thug Passion was a drink that Tupac was planning
on bottling and selling; the song "Thug Passion" was
made to be a theme song for the drink. Tupac was going to step
back from rapping by releasing albums every five years or so
on his new record label, Makaveli Records, which would have
been distributed by Death Row Records. Tupac and Suge Knight
were in the process of expanding Death Row to the East, establishing
a Death Row East. Tupac died before this could be fulfilled.
September 1996 shooting
September 7, 1996, Shakur attended the Mike Tyson - Bruce Seldon
boxing match in Las Vegas. After the boxing match, Shakur spotted
21 year-old Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a member
of the Southside Crips. Shakur rushed him and knocked Anderson
down, and Shakur's entourage beat him. After the fight with
Anderson, Shakur met up with Suge Knight to go to Death Row-owned
Club 662. Shakur rode with Knight in Knight's 1996 black BMW
750i sedan, as part of a larger convoy of cars including some
of Shakur's friends, The Outlawz, and bodyguards.
At approximately 11:10 PM, Suge pulled over to an intersection
by another vehicle so Shakur could exchange words with the two
unidentified women in the other vehicle and invite them to go
to the club with them. At approximately 11:15 p.m., while stopped
at the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, Shakur
was shot several times in a drive-by shooting. Shakur was struck
by four bullets out of the twelve shots that were fired at him;
he was hit twice in the chest, and once each in his left arm
and thigh, while Knight was grazed in the head by a piece of
flying glass.
At the time of the shooting, Shakur was riding alongside with
Suge Knight, with his bodyguard following behind in a vehicle.
The bodyguard, Frank Alexander, stated that when he was about
to ride along with the rapper in Suge Knight's car, Shakur asked
him to drive Kidada Jones' car instead just in case they were
too drunk and needed additional vehicles from Club 662 back to
the hotel. Shortly after the shootings, the bodyguard reported
in his documentary, Before I Wake, that one of the convoy's cars
drove off after the assailant but he never heard back from the
occupants.
After arriving on the scene, police and paramedics took Shakur
and Knight to the University Medical Center. Shakur was placed
on life support until his death six days later, on September
13, 1996, at 4:03 PM PDT at the age of 25. The official cause
of death was respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. After his
death, Shakur's body was cremated. His ashes were spread over
Los Angeles, the Pacific Ocean.
Shakur's work has influenced many modern rap artists. Eminem,
Nas, Lloyd Banks, Rick Ross, Ja Rule, The Game, and 50 Cent all
acknowledge his influence on their work. The likes of Snoop Dogg,
Diddy, Pharrell, Ghostface Killa, Lil' Scrappy, DMX, Lil' Jon,
Mary J. Blige, Juvenile, Outkast, Jermaine Dupri, WC, Sean Paul,
Ice Cube, Missy Elliot, Mike Tyson and Nelly have all named songs
by Shakur that they personally enjoyed.
Legacy
Tupac Shakur has one of the largest personal legacies of any
music artist in history. The music and messages in his work
have a great effect on the styles of the following generations
and his music had great impact all over the nation and world.
Shakur's work has influenced many modern rap artists. Eminem,
Nas, Lloyd Banks, Rick Ross, Ja Rule, The Game, and 50 Cent all
acknowledge his influence on their work. The likes of Snoop Dogg,
Diddy, Pharrell, Ghostface Killa, Lil' Scrappy, DMX, Lil' Jon,
Mary J. Blige, Juvenile, Outkast, Jermaine Dupri, WC, Sean Paul,
Ice Cube, Missy Elliot, Mike Tyson and Nelly have all named songs
by Shakur that they personally enjoyed.
To preserve Shakur's legacy, his
mother founded the Shakur Family Foundation (later re-named the
Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation or TASF) in 1997. The TASF's stated
mission is to "provide training and support for students
who aspire to enhance their creative talents." The TASF
sponsors essay contests, charity events, a performing arts day
camp for teenagers and undergraduate scholarships. The Foundation
officially opened the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts
(TASCA) in Stone Mountain, Georgia on June 11, 2005.
Awards
During his lifetime, and since his death, Tupac's body of work
has always been highly regarded by his fans and entertainment
industry insiders alike. Here are some of the industry and fan
awards Tupac has received for his work:
At the 1994 American music awards, he was nominated for favorite
rap/hip hop artist.
At the American music awards held on January 29, 1996, he was
awarded favorite rap/hip hop artist.
His Album Me Against the World was nominated for a 1996 Grammy
Award for Best Rap Album.
He was also nominated for Best Solo performance at 1996 Grammy's
for his hit song, "Dear Mama".
In 1996, his chart topping album, All Eyez on Me was nominated
for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.
Also in 1997, his hits "California Love," featuring
Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman, and "How Do You Want It",
featuring KC and JoJo, were both nominated for the 1997 Grammy
for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
His moving track, "Changes" was nominated for the
2000 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002.
In 2003, MTV's "22 Greatest MCs" countdown listed Tupac
as the "number 1 MC", as voted by the viewers.
In 2004, at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors Shakur was honored along with
DJ Hollywood, Kool Herc, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Rock
Steady Crew, and Sugarhill Gang.
Also in 2004, a VIBE magazine poll rated Shakur "the greatest
rapper of all time" as voted by fans.
Again in 2004, he was nominated a Black Reel award, for his song
Runnin' Dying To Live from the movie about his life, Tupac Resurrection.
In 2005, Top Soundtrack Song of the Year: "Runnin' (Dying
To Live)" from Tupac: Resurrection by Shakur featuring The
Notorious B.I.G. at the 18th Annual [SCAP Rhythm and Soul Music
Awards].
Also in 2005, MTV listed Tupac's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day
Theory (released under the pseudonym "Makaveli") as
one of the "Top 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time."
In 2006, MTV.com ranked him the second greatest rapper of all
time only after Jay-Z.
At the First Annual Turks & Caicos International Film Festival
held on Tuesday, October 17, 2006, Tupac Shakur was honored for
his undeniable voice and talent and as a performer who crossed
racial, ethnic, cultural and medium lines, his mother, Afeni
Shakur accepted the award on Tupac's behalf.
Discography
Although Tupac Shakur's life was cut short in 1996, he still
manages to hold and break new records even to this day.
Studio albums
1991: 2Pacalypse Now (Gold)
1993: Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (Platinum)
1994: Thug Life: Volume 1 (Gold)
1995: Me Against the World (2x Platinum)
1996: All Eyez on Me (1x Diamond)
1996: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (7x Platinum) (28
million worldwide)
Posthumous studio albums
1997: R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (4x Platinum)
1999: Still I Rise (Platinum)
2001: Until the End of Time (4x Platinum)
2002: Better Dayz (3x Platinum)
2004: Loyal to the Game (Platinum)
2006: Pac's Life (Gold)
Other albums
1998: Greatest Hits (9x Platinum)
2000: The Rose that Grew from Concrete
2003: Nu-Mixx Klazzics (Gold)
2004: 2Pac Live
2005: The Rose, Vol. 2
2005: Tupac: Live at the House of Blues (Platinum)
2007: Beginnings: The Lost Tapes 1988-1991
2007: Evolution: Duets & Remixes
Top 10 Billboard singles
1991: Brenda's Got a Baby (#3 Rap)
1991: If My Homie Calls (#3 Rap) 1993: I Get Around (#5 Hip-Hop,
#8 Rap)
1993: Keep Ya Head Up (#2 Rap, #7 Hip-Hop)
1995: Dear Mama (#1 Rap, #3 Hip-Hop, #9 US)
1995: Old School (#1 Rap, #9 US)
1995: So Many Tears (#6 Rap)
1996: California Love (#1 US, #1 Rap, #1 Hip-Hop)
1996: How Do You Want It (#1 US, #1 Rap)
1997: To Live & Die In LA (#10 US)
1997: Made Niggaz (#1 Rap)
1997: Do For Love (#2 Rap, #10 Hip-Hop) 1998: Changes (#3 Rap,
#3 Hip-Hop, #5 US)
2002: Thugz Mansion (#4 Rap, #10 Hip-Hop)
2003: Runnin' (Dying to Live) (#5 Rap)
2005: Ghetto Gospel (#1 UK)
2006: Pac's Life (#1 Lithuania)
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1991 Nothing But Trouble Himself (Brief appearance)
1992 Juice Bishop First starring role 1993 Poetic Justice Lucky
Co-starred with Janet Jackson
1994 Above the Rim Birdie
1996 Bullet Tank Released one month after Shakur's death.
1997 Gridlock'd Ezekiel 'Spoon' Whitmore Released several months
after Shakur's death.
1997 Gang Related Detective Rodríguez Shakur's last performance
in a film.
2003 Tupac: Resurrection Himself Official documentary
2008 Live 2 Tell (Screenwriter) Expected 2008
Documentaries
Main article: Tupac Shakur documentaries Tupac Shakur's life
has been recognized in big and small documentaries Tupac: Resurrection
released in 2003.
1997: Tupac Shakur: Thug Immortal
1997: Tupac Shakur: Words Never Die (TV)
2001: Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake...
2002: Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw
2002: Biggie & Tupac
2003: 2Pac 4 Ever
2003: Tupac: Resurrection 2004: Tupac vs.
2004: Tupac: The Hip Hop Genius (TV)
2006: So Many Years, So Many Tears
Biographical books
Tupac: Resurrection (2003)
Tupac Shakur Legacy (2006)
Thru My Eyes: Thoughts on Tupac Shakur in Pictures and Words
Rebel for the Hell of It: The Life of Tupac Shakur
Death Rap Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur (They Died Too Young)
Got Your Back : The Life of a Bodyguard in the Hardcore World
of Gangsta Rap Back in the Day: My Life andTimes With Tupac Shakur
The Killing of Tupac Shakur
Jesus and the Hip-Hop Prophets: Spiritual Insights from Lauryn
Hill and Tupac Shakur
How Long Will They Mourn Me?: The Life and Legacy of Tupac Shakur
Holler If You Hear Me
Dear 2Pac
All Eyez on Me: The Life and Times of Tupac Shakur
Tupac (Hip Hop)
Tupac: A Thug Life
Tough Love: Cultural Criticism & Familial Observations on
the life and death of Tupac Shakur (Black Words eries) Tupac
Shakur (Just the Facts Biographies)
Tupac Shakur (People in the News)
Tupac Shakur (Rock Music Library)
Tupac and Elvis (Inevitably Restless)
Tupac Shakur (Hip-Hop Stars)
Static: My Tupac Shakur Story
Tupac Shakur: 2Pac in the Studio (The Studio Years (1989 - 1996))
Poetry books
The Rose That Grew From Concrete (1999) |
