Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in New York City on June 16, 1971, under the name Parish Lesane Crooks. His mother, Afeni Shakur, and biological father, Billy Garland, were members of the Black Panther Party. Afeni renamed him after Túpac Amaru II, the Peruvian revolutionary, when he was a year old. Shakur's childhood was shaped by political activism, financial hardship, frequent moves, and his mother's struggle with drug addiction.

After the family moved to Baltimore, Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. He performed in Shakespeare productions and The Nutcracker, competed in rap performances, and formed a close friendship with Jada Pinkett, who later became an actor. He subsequently moved to Marin City, California, where he attended Tamalpais High School and became involved with the street life that later informed his lyrics.

Shakur began attending poetry classes led by Leila Steinberg in 1989, and she became his manager. Steinberg helped connect him with Atron Gregory, who placed him with Digital Underground as a roadie and backup dancer in 1990. He made his recording debut with the group on "Same Song," which appeared on the soundtrack to Nothing but Trouble, and he also appeared with Digital Underground in the film.

Shakur's debut solo album, 2Pacalypse Now, was released in 1991. Its songs addressed racism, poverty, police brutality, gang violence, teenage pregnancy, and drug abuse. The album attracted controversy after its lyrics were cited in connection with the killing of a Texas highway patrol officer, and U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle publicly criticized its release. Despite the controversy, the album was certified Gold and established Shakur as a politically outspoken West Coast rapper.

His second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., arrived in 1993 and reached number 24 on the Billboard 200. It continued his social and political commentary while producing more commercially successful songs, including "I Get Around" and "Keep Ya Head Up." The latter became an anthem of support for Black women and showed the compassionate side of Shakur's writing alongside his harder-edged material.

Shakur's acting career developed alongside his music. He played Roland Bishop in Juice in 1992, Lucky opposite Janet Jackson in John Singleton's Poetic Justice in 1993, and Birdie in Above the Rim in 1994. He also appeared in the Digital Underground film Nothing but Trouble, and later completed performances in Bullet, Gridlock'd, and Gang Related, which were released around or after his death.

Shakur faced several legal problems during the period when his public profile was expanding. He received a 15-day jail sentence for assaulting film director Allen Hughes, and he was convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse in 1994. He served eight months in prison while appealing the conviction. His incarceration coincided with the release of Me Against the World in March 1995.

Me Against the World became Shakur's first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 and made him the first solo male rapper to set the then-record for first-week sales by a solo male rap artist. The album combined anger, vulnerability, and reflection, with "Dear Mama" serving as a widely recognized tribute to Afeni Shakur. It won the award for best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards.

After Suge Knight arranged his release from prison, Shakur signed with Death Row Records. His first album for the label, All Eyez on Me, was released in February 1996 as rap's first double album. It reached number one and included the chart-topping singles "California Love" and "How Do U Want It." The album marked a shift toward celebratory, aggressive gangsta rap and featured contributions from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and the Outlawz.

Shakur's relationship with The Notorious B.I.G. changed from friendship to hostility after Shakur was shot at Quad Studios in Manhattan in 1994. He interpreted the song "Who Shot Ya?" as a provocation and responded with "Hit 'Em Up," a diss track directed at B.I.G., Sean Combs, Bad Boy Records, and other East Coast figures. The conflict became one of the defining episodes of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry.

On September 7, 1996, Shakur attended the Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon boxing match in Las Vegas with Suge Knight. Later that night, a gunman in a white Cadillac fired into the BMW carrying Shakur and Knight at a stoplight. Shakur suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada.

Shakur died from complications related to the gunshot wounds on September 13, 1996, in Las Vegas. He was 25. His body was cremated, and his mother later arranged for his ashes to be moved to Soweto, South Africa, in a memorial observance connected to the tenth anniversary of his death.

The killing generated extensive speculation because no perpetrator was identified for many years. Duane "Keffe D" Davis was arrested and charged with murder in 2023, and he pleaded not guilty. The case also remained linked in public discussion to the earlier conflict involving Shakur, Death Row Records, the South Side Compton Crips, and The Notorious B.I.G.

Shakur's posthumous body of work included The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, recorded under the name Makaveli, as well as R U Still Down?, Until the End of Time, Better Dayz, Loyal to the Game, and Pac's Life. His poetry collection The Rose That Grew from Concrete was published after his death and brought together handwritten poems exploring identity, Black liberation, race, masculinity, and personal struggle.

His song "Dear Mama" was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2010. Shakur was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, in his first year of eligibility, and received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. He was also inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002.

Shakur's influence extended beyond recordings. His music was studied in university courses and academic symposia, while his image appeared in murals, memorials, exhibitions, documentaries, and stage productions around the world. The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, founded by Afeni Shakur, supported students pursuing creative education and helped preserve his artistic legacy.