Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the
best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.
Shakur was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to parents who were both political activists and
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...
members. Raised by his mother,
Afeni Shakur
Afeni Shakur Davis (born Alice Faye Williams; January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016) was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded t ...
, he relocated to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
in 1984 and to the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
in 1988. With the release of his debut album ''
2Pacalypse Now
''2Pacalypse Now'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991, by Interscope and Jive Records. ''2Pacalypse Now'' is Tupac's commentary on contemporary social issues facing American society, such as ra ...
'' in 1991, he became a central figure in
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast region of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the ea ...
for his
conscious rap
Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that was developed in the 1980s as a way of turning hip hop into a call for political and/or social action and a form of social and/or political activism. Inspired by 1970s political artists su ...
lyrics.
Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums ''
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...'' (1993) and ''
Me Against the World
''Me Against the World'' is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope and Jive Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and pove ...
'' (1995).
His
Diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
certified album ''
All Eyez on Me
''All Eyez on Me'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Snoo ...
'' (1996), the first double-length album in hip-hop history, abandoned his introspective lyrics for volatile
gangsta rap
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...
.
In addition to his music career, Shakur also found considerable success as an actor, with his starring roles in ''
Juice
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...
'' (1992), ''
Poetic Justice
Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, henc ...
'' (1993), ''
Above the Rim
''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina.
The film stars Duane Martin, Tupac ...
'' (1994), ''
Bullet
A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...
'' (1996), ''
Gridlock'd
''Gridlock'd'' is a 1997 American black comedy crime film written and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, Lucy Liu, and Thandiwe Newton. It was the directorial debut of Curtis-Hall, who also has a small role in th ...
'' (1997), and ''
Gang Related
''Gang Related'', alternatively known as Criminal Intent, is a 1997 American action crime thriller film written and directed by Jim Kouf starring James Belushi, Tupac Shakur, Dennis Quaid, Lela Rochon, David Paymer and James Earl Jones. The film ...
'' (1997).
During the later part of his career, Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio and experienced legal troubles, including incarceration. In 1995, Shakur served eight months in prison on sexual abuse charges, but was released pending an appeal of his conviction. Following his release, he signed to
Marion "Suge" Knight's label
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ('' ...
and became heavily involved in the growing
East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was
shot four times by an unidentified assailant in a
drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrator(s) to quickly strike their target and flee the scene before ...
in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
; he died six days later. Following his murder, Shakur's friend-turned-rival,
the Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
, was at first considered a suspect due to their public feud, but was also murdered in
another drive-by shooting six months later in March 1997 while visiting Los Angeles.
Shakur's double-length posthumous album
''Greatest Hits'' (1998) is one of his two releases—and one of only nine hip hop albums—to have been certified
Diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
in the United States. Five more albums have been released since Shakur's death, including his critically acclaimed posthumous album ''
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'' (1996) under his stage name Makaveli, all of which have been certified
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
in the United States. In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.
In 2017, he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
in his first year of eligibility.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' ranked Shakur among the
100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Early life
Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, in the
East Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...
section of
Upper Manhattan, New York City
Upper Manhattan is the most northern region of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary has been variously defined, but some of the most common usages are 96th Street, the northern boundary of Central Park ( 110th Street), ...
. While born Lesane Parish Crooks,
at age one he was renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur.
He was named after
Túpac Amaru II
José Gabriel Condorcanqui ( – May 18, 1781)known as Túpac Amaru II was an indigenous Cacique who led a large Andean rebellion against the Spanish in Peru. He later became a mythical figure in the Peruvian struggle for independence and in ...
, the descendant of the last
Incan
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
ruler, who was executed in Peru in 1781 after his
failed revolt against
Spanish rule. Shakur's mother
Afeni Shakur
Afeni Shakur Davis (born Alice Faye Williams; January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016) was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded t ...
explained, "I wanted him to have the name of revolutionary, indigenous people in the world. I wanted him to know he was part of a world culture and not just from a neighborhood."
Shakur had an older stepbrother,
Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, and a half-sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, two years his junior.
Panther heritage
Shakur's parents, Afeni Shakur—born Alice Faye Williams in North Carolina—and his biological father, Billy Garland, had been active
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...
members in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A month before Shakur's birth, his mother was tried in New York City as part of the
Panther 21
The Panther 21 is a group of twenty-one Black Panther members who were arrested and accused of planned coordinated bombing and long-range rifle attacks on two police stations and an education office in New York City in 1969, who were all acquitte ...
criminal trial. She was acquitted of over 150 charges.
Other family members who were involved in the
Black Panthers
The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. New ...
'
Black Liberation Army
The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was a far-left, black nationalist, underground Black Power revolutionary paramilitary organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981. Composed of former Black Panthers (BPP) and Republic of Ne ...
were convicted of serious crimes and imprisoned, including Shakur's stepfather,
Mutulu Shakur
Mutulu Shakur (born Jeral Wayne Williams; August 8, 1950) is an American activist and former member of the Black Liberation Army, sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a 1981 robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which a guar ...
, who spent four years among the
FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William K ...
. Mutulu Shakur was apprehended in 1986 and subsequently convicted for a 1981
robbery of a Brinks armored truck, during which police officers and a guard were killed.
Shakur's
godfather,
Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, a high-ranking Black Panther, was convicted of murdering a school teacher during a 1968 robbery. After spending 27 years in prison, his conviction was overturned due to the prosecution's having concealed evidence that proved his innocence.
Shakur's godmother,
Assata Shakur
Assata Olugbala Shakur (born JoAnne Deborah Byron; July 16, 1947; also married name, JoAnne Chesimard) is an American political activist who was a member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA). In 1977, she was convicted in the first-degree murder ...
, is a former member of the
Black Liberation Army
The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was a far-left, black nationalist, underground Black Power revolutionary paramilitary organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981. Composed of former Black Panthers (BPP) and Republic of Ne ...
, who was convicted of the
first-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
of a
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
State Trooper and is still wanted by the FBI.
Education
In the 1980s, Shakur's mother found it difficult to find work and she struggled with drug addiction. In 1984, his family moved from New York City to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland.
He attended eighth grade at Roland Park Middle School, then ninth grade at
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
He transferred to the
Baltimore School for the Arts
The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is a public performing arts high school located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Established in 1979, The Baltimore School for the ...
in the tenth grade, where he studied acting, poetry,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
, and ballet.
He performed in
Shakespeare's plays
Shakespeare's plays are a canon of approximately 39 dramatic works written by English poet, playwright, and actor William Shakespeare. The exact number of plays—as well as their classifications as Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy, Shakespearean ...
—depicting timeless themes, now seen in gang warfare, he would recall
—and as the Mouse King role in ''
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...
'' ballet.
At the Baltimore School for the Arts, Shakur befriended actress
Jada Pinkett
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (; née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show '' Red Table Talk'', for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. ''Time'' named ...
, who would become a subject of some of his poems. With his friend Dana "Mouse" Smith as
beatbox
Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. , he won competitions as reputedly the school's best rapper. Also known for his humor, he could mix with all crowds. He listened to a diverse range of music that included
Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...
,
Culture Club
Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...
,
Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...
, and
U2.
Upon connecting with the Baltimore
Young Communist League USA
The Young Communist League USA (YCLUSA) is a communist youth organization in the United States. The stated aim of the League is the development of its members into Communists, through studying Marxism–Leninism and through active participation ...
, Shakur dated the daughter of the director of the local chapter of the
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...
.
In 1988, Shakur moved to
Marin City, California
Marin City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 2,993, up from 2,666 in 2010. It is located northwest of downtown Sausalito, ...
, an impoverished community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In nearby
Mill Valley
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 census.
Mill Valley is located on the western and ...
, he attended
Tamalpais High School
Tamalpais High School (often abbreviated as Tam) is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named after nearby Mount Tamalpais, which rises almost above Mill Valley.
Tamalpais High Scho ...
, where he performed in several theater productions. Shakur did not graduate from high school, but he later earned his
GED
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
.
Music career
MC New York
Shakur began recording under the stage name MC New York in 1989. That year, he began attending the poetry classes of
Leila Steinberg
Leila Steinberg (born December 18, 1961) is an American manager, business woman, educator, writer, poet, and founder of AIM4TheHeART, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth find their voice using an emotional literacy curricul ...
, and she soon became his manager.
Steinberg organized a concert for Shakur and his rap group Strictly Dope. Steinberg managed to get Shakur signed by Atron Gregory, manager of the rap group
Digital Underground
Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty Hu ...
.
In 1990, Gregory placed him with the Underground as a
roadie
The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This catc ...
and
backup dancer
A backup dancer also known as background dancer is a performer who dances with or behind the lead performers in a live musical act or in a music video. Their movements (especially where there are many moving together) improve the visual aesthetic ...
.
Digital Underground
In January 1991 Shakur debuted under the stage name 2Pac on
Digital Underground
Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty Hu ...
, under a new record label,
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
, on the group's January 1991 single "
Same Song". The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 1991 film ''
Nothing but Trouble'', starring
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...
,
John Candy
John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' ser ...
,
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
, and
Demi Moore
Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Bra ...
.
The song opened the group's January 1991 EP titled ''
This Is an EP Release'',
while Shakur appeared in the music video.
Shakur's early days with
Digital Underground
Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty Hu ...
made him acquainted with
Randy "Stretch" Walker, who along with his brother, dubbed Majesty, and a friend debuted with an EP as a rap group and production team,
Live Squad
Live Squad was an American hip hop group and production team from Hollis, Queens, New York consisting of brothers Stretch (Randy Walker) and Majesty (Christopher Walker) and DJ K-Low, best known for their early collaborations with Tupac Shaku ...
, in the
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, New York.
Stretch was featured on a track of the Digital Underground's 1991 album ''
Sons of the P
''Sons of the P'' is the second album by American rap group Digital Underground, released in 1991. The album contained two hit singles, "No Nose Job" and "Kiss You Back," both of which were written by and featured the lead vocals of Greg Jacobs (a ...
''. Becoming fast friends, Shakur and Stretch recorded and performed together often.
''2Pacalypse Now''
Shakur's debut album, ''2Pacalypse Now''—alluding to the 1979 film ''
Apocalypse Now
''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella ''Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph Conr ...
''—arriving in November 1991, would bear three singles. Some prominent rappers—like
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
, and
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
—cite it as an inspiration.
Aside from "If My Homie Calls", the singles "
Trapped" and "
Brenda's Got a Baby
"Brenda's Got a Baby" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his debut album, '' 2Pacalypse Now'' (1991). The song was first released as a promotional CD single a month prior to album's release and then, in February 1992, it was re-released as a ...
" poetically depict individual struggles under socioeconomic disadvantage.
US Vice President
Dan Quayle
James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republic ...
said, "There's no reason for a record like this to be released. It has no place in our society." Tupac, finding himself misunderstood,
explained, in part; In any case, ''2Pacalypse Now'' was
certified Gold
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
, half a million copies sold. The album addresses urban Black concerns said to remain relevant to the present day.
''Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...''
Shakur's second album, ''Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...'', was released in February 1993.
A critical and commercial advance, it debuted at No. 24 on the pop albums chart, the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...
.
An overall more hardcore album, it emphasizes Tupac's sociopolitical views, and has a metallic production quality. The song "Last Wordz" features
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
, co-writer of
N.W.A's "
Fuck tha Police
"Fuck tha Police" is a protest song by American hip hop group N.W.A that appears on the 1988 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' as well as on the ''N.W.A's Greatest Hits'' compilation. The lyrics protest police brutality and racial profilin ...
", who in his own solo albums had newly gone militantly
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
, and
gangsta rap
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...
per
Ice-T, who in June 1992 had sparked controversy with his band
Body Count
A body count is the total number of people killed in a particular event. In combat, a body count is often based on the number of confirmed kills, but occasionally only an estimate. Often used in reference to military combat, the term can also r ...
's track "
Cop Killer".
In its vinyl release, side A, tracks 1 to 8, is labeled the "Black Side", while side B, tracks 9 to 16, is the "Dark Side". Nonetheless, the album carries the single "
I Get Around
"I Get Around" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys and the opening track from their 1964 album '' All Summer Long''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the autobiographical lyrics describe the group's reaction to their newfound f ...
", a party anthem featuring Digital Underground's
Shock G
Gregory Edward Jacobs (August 25, 1963 – April 22, 2021), known professionally as Shock G and by his alter ego Humpty Hump, was an American rapper and musician who was best known as the lead vocalist of the hip hop group Digital Underground. ...
and
Money-B
Ronald Brooks, better known by his stage name Money-B, is an American rapper, best known for being a member of the funk and rap group Digital Underground. He is a member of Raw Fusion with DJ Fuze whom they had two albums, ''Live From the Stylee ...
, which would render Shakur's popular breakthrough, reaching No. 11 on the pop singles chart, the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
And it carries the optimistic compassion of another hit, "
Keep Ya Head Up
"Keep Ya Head Up" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his second studio album, '' Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...''(1993). It was released on October 28, 1993 as the album's third single. The song features R&B singer Dave Hollister and is dedicate ...
", an anthem for
women's empowerment
Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...
. This album would be certified
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
, with a million copies sold. As of 2004, among Shakur albums, including of posthumous and compilation albums, ''Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...'' was 10th in sales at about 1,366,000 copies.
Thug Life
![2Pac_-_Dear_Mamma-Old_School_(test_pressing_single)_(Side_A)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/2Pac_-_Dear_Mamma-Old_School_%28test_pressing_single%29_%28Side_A%29.jpg)
In late 1993, Shakur formed the group
Thug Life
Thug Life was an American hip hop group that consisted of Tupac, Big Syke, Mopreme, Macadoshis, and The Rated R. They released one album, 1994's '' Thug Life: Volume 1'', before disbanding in 1995.
Etymology
According to Tupac, the name orig ...
with Tyrus "
Big Syke
Tyruss Gerald Himes (November 22, 1968 – December 5, 2016), better known by his stage names Big Syke and Mussolini, was an American rapper best known for his work with the American hip-hop groups Thug Life and Outlawz. His stage name "Big Syk ...
" Himes, Diron "Macadoshis" Rivers, his stepbrother
Mopreme Shakur
Maurice Harding (born August 16, 1967), better known by his stage name Mopreme Shakur, originally known as Wycked, is an American rapper. He was a member of the hip-hop group Thug Life and is the stepbrother of Tupac Shakur. He was also a member o ...
, and Walter "Rated R" Burns. Thug Life released its only album, ''
Thug Life: Volume 1'', on October 11, 1994, which is certified Gold. It carries the single "Pour Out a Little Liquor", produced by
Johnny "J" Jackson, who would also produce much of Shakur's album ''All Eyez on Me''. Usually, Thug Life performed live without Tupac.
The track also appears on the 1994 film ''
Above the Rim
''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina.
The film stars Duane Martin, Tupac ...
''
's soundtrack. Due to
gangsta rap
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...
being under heavy criticism at the time, the album's original version was scrapped, and the album redone with mostly new tracks. Still, along with Stretch, Tupac would perform the first planned single, "Out on Bail", which was never released, at the 1994 Source Awards.
Biggie and Junior M.A.F.I.A.
In 1993, while visiting Los Angeles,
the Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
asked a local drug dealer to introduce him to Shakur and they quickly became friends. The pair would socialize when Shakur went to New York or Biggie to Los Angeles.
During this period, at his own live shows, Shakur would call Biggie onto stage to rap with him and Stretch.
Together, they recorded the songs "
Runnin' from tha Police
"Runnin" (commonly referred to as "Runnin' from tha Police") is a 1995 song by rappers 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Stretch, Dramacydal (later known as Outlawz) and Buju Banton. The song is significant, being one of very few compo ...
" and "House of Pain".
Reportedly, Biggie asked Shakur to manage him, whereupon Shakur advised him that
Puffy
Puffy can refer to:
* Puffy, stage name of Sean Combs (born 1969), American rapper and entrepreneur
* Puffy, nickname of Mike Bordin (born 1962), American drummer for the rock band Faith No More
* Puffy, nickname of Jeff Dubay (born 1968), Minneso ...
would make him a star.
Yet in the meantime, Shakur's lifestyle was comparatively lavish to Biggie who hadn't established himself yet.
Shakur welcomed Biggie to join his side group Thug Life, but he would instead form his own side group, the
Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Junior M.A.F.I.A. was an American hip hop group from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. The backronym M.A.F.I.A. stands for Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes. They were formed and mentored by New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G ...
, with his Brooklyn friends
Lil' Cease
James Lloyd (born August 20, 1977), better known by his stage name Lil' Cease, is an American rapper and former member of hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Early life, family and education
James Lloyd was born in New York City.
Career
As pa ...
and
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include:
*
*
*
*
* better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...
. Shakur had a falling out with Biggie after he was shot at Quad Studios in 1994.
''Me Against the World''
Shakur's third album, ''Me Against the World,'' was released while he was incarcerated in March 1995.
It is now hailed as his
magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
, and commonly ranks among the greatest, most influential rap albums.
The album debuted at No. 1 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and sold 240,000 copies in its first week, setting a then record for highest first-week sales for a solo male rapper.
The lead single, "
Dear Mama
"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, ''Me Against the World'' (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, ...
", was released in February 1995 with "Old School" as the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
. It is the album's most successful single, topping the
Hot Rap Singles
Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
chart, and peaking at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In July, it was certified Platinum.
It ranked No. 51 on the
year-end charts. The second single, "
So Many Tears
"So Many Tears" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, ''Me Against the World'' (1995). It was released on June 13, 1995, as the album's second single. It was produced by Shock G, who used a sample of Stevie Wonder's That ...
", was released in June 1995, reaching No. 6 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and No. 44 on Hot 100.
The final single, "
Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...
", was released in August 1995. It reached No. 68 on the Hot 100, No. 35 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
, and No. 13 on the Hot Rap Singles.
Several celebrities showed their support for Shakur by appearing in the music video for "Temptations."
Shakur won best rap album at the
1996 Soul Train Music Awards. In 2001, it ranked 4th among his total albums in sales, with about 3 million copies sold in the US.
''All Eyez on Me''
While Shakur was imprisoned in 1995, his mother was about to lose her house. Shakur had his wife Keisha Morris contact
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ('' ...
founder
Suge Knight
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (; born April 19, 1965) is a American former music executive, convicted felon, and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight is considered a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in ...
in Los Angeles.
Reportedly, Shakur's mother promptly received $15,000.
After an August visit to
Clinton Correctional Facility
Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannem ...
in northern New York state, Knight traveled southward to New York City to attend the 2nd Annual Source Awards ceremony. Meanwhile, an
East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
was brewing between Death Row and
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records (or Bad Boy Entertainment) is an American record label founded in 1993 by rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs. It operates as an imprint of Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. It has been home to many artists, including ...
. In October 1995, Knight visited Shakur in prison again and posted $1.4 million bond.
Shakur returned to Los Angeles and joined Death Row with the appeal of his December 1994 conviction pending.
Shakur's fourth album, ''All Eyez on Me'', arrived on February 13, 1996. It was rap's first double album—meeting two of the three albums due in Shakur's contract with Death Row—and bore five singles. The album shows Shakur
rapping about the gangsta lifestyle, leaving behind his previous political messages. With standout production, the album has more party tracks and often a triumphant tone.
Music journalist
Kevin Powell
Kevin Powell (born April 24, 1966) is an American writer, activist, and television personality. Powell is the author of 14 books, including ''The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood'' and ''When We Free the World'' publis ...
noted that Shakur, once released from prison, became more aggressive, and "seemed like a completely transformed person".
As Shakur's second album to hit No. 1 on both the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
chart and the pop albums chart, the ''Billboard'' 200,
it sold 566,000 copies in its first week and was it was
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
5× Multi-Platinum in April. The singles "
How Do U Want It
"How Do U Want It" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album, ''All Eyez on Me'' (1996). It was released on June 4, 1996 as a double a-sided single with "California Love" from the same album and was his final single to be rel ...
" and "
California Love
"California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper-producer Dr. Dre and American singer Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first sin ...
" reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Death Row released Shakur's diss track "
Hit 'Em Up
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by hip hop music, hip hop artist 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast hip hop, East C ...
" as the non-album B-side to "How Do U Want It." In this venomous tirade, the proclaimed "Bad Boy killer" threatens violent payback on all things Bad Boy—Biggie, Puffy, Junior M.A.F.I.A., the company—and on any in New York's rap scene, like rap duo
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
and rapper
Chino XL
Derek Keith Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper, and actor. He has released four solo studio albums, in which his most recent – ''Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary'' – won the 2012 HHU ...
, who allegedly had commented against Shakur about the dispute.
''All Eyez on Me'' won R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year at the
1997 Soul Train Music Awards. At the
1997 American Music Awards
The 24th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 27, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1996.
Performances
Winners and nominees
Referen ...
, Shakur won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. The album was certified 9× Multi-Platinum in June 1998, and 10× in July 2014.
Posthumous albums
At the time of his death, a fifth and final solo album was already finished, ''
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'', under the stage name Makaveli. It had been recorded in one week in August 1996 and released that year. The lyrics were written and recorded in three days, and mixing took another four days. In 2005, MTV.com ranked ''The 7 Day Theory'' at No. 9 among hip hop's greatest albums ever, and by 2006 a classic album.
Its singular poignance, through hurt and rage, contemplation and vendetta, resonate with many fans.
According to George "Papa G" Pryce, Death Row Records' then director of
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...
, the album was meant to be "underground", and was not intended for release before the artist was murdered. It peaked at No. 1 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
's
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
chart and on the ''Billboard'' 200, with the second-highest debut-week sales total of any album that year. On June 15, 1999, it was certified 4× Multi-Platinum.
Later posthumous albums are archival productions, these albums are:
* ''
R U Still Down?'' (1997)
* ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' (1998)
* ''
Still I Rise'' (1999)
* ''
Until the End of Time'' (2001)
* ''
Better Dayz
''Better Dayz'' is the eighth studio album and fourth posthumous album by the late American rapper 2Pac, and is his last to be a double-album.
It was released on November 26, 2002, debuting at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200. This album ...
'' (2002)
* ''
Loyal to the Game
''Loyal to the Game'' is the ninth studio album and fifth posthumous studio album by American rapper Tupac. The album was produced by Eminem and consists of remixes of previously unreleased music recorded by Tupac before his death in 1996. Release ...
'' (2004)
* ''
Pac's Life
''Pac's Life'' is the tenth and final studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It is also his seventh posthumous album, released on November 21, 2006, in the United States, on Amaru Entertainment. Its 2006 release date was intended to commemorate t ...
'' (2006)
Film career
Shakur's first film appearance was in the 1991 film ''
Nothing but Trouble'', a
cameo by the Digital Underground. In 1992, he starred in ''
Juice
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...
'', where he plays the fictional Roland Bishop, a militant and haunting individual. ''Rolling Stone''s
Peter Travers
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
calls him "the film's most magnetic figure".
In 1993, Shakur starred alongside
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
in John Singleton's romance film, ''
Poetic Justice
Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, henc ...
''. Singleton later fired Shakur from the 1995 film ''
Higher Learning
''Higher Learning'' is a 1995 American drama, drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (Om ...
'' because the studio wouldn't finance the film following his arrest.
For the lead role in the eventual 2001 film ''
Baby Boy'', a role played by
Tyrese Gibson
Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...
, Singleton originally had Shakur in mind. Ultimately, the
set design
Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...
includes a Shakur mural in the protagonist's bedroom, and the film's score includes Shakur's song "
Hail Mary
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
".
Director
Allen Hughes
Allen Hughes (28 December 1921 – 16 November 2009) was an American dance and music critic.
Born in Brownsburg, Indiana, Hughes started his career as a critic in 1950 when he joined the staff of ''Musical America''. In 1955, he became a music c ...
had cast Shakur as Sharif in the 1993 film ''
Menace II Society
''Menace II Society'' (pronounced ''Menace to Society'') is a 1993 American teen drama film directed by the Hughes Brothers in their directorial debut. The film is set in Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and follows the life of K ...
'', but replaced him once Shakur assaulted him on set due to a discrepancy with the script. Nonetheless, in 2013, Hughes appraises that Shakur would have outshone the other actors "because he was bigger than the movie".
Shakur played a gangster, the fictional Birdie, in the 1994 film ''
Above the Rim
''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina.
The film stars Duane Martin, Tupac ...
''. By some accounts, the role Birdie, played by Shakur in the 1994 film ''Above the Rim'', had been modeled after former New York drug dealer
Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant,
who managed and promoted rappers. Shakur was introduced to him at a Queens nightclub.
Reportedly, Biggie advised Shakur to avoid him, but Shakur disregarded the warning.
Through Haitian Jack, Shakur met
James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, also a drug dealer who doubled as music manager.
Soon after Shakur's death, three more films starring him were released, ''
Bullet
A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...
'' (1996), ''
Gridlock'd
''Gridlock'd'' is a 1997 American black comedy crime film written and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, Lucy Liu, and Thandiwe Newton. It was the directorial debut of Curtis-Hall, who also has a small role in th ...
'' (1997), and ''
Gang Related
''Gang Related'', alternatively known as Criminal Intent, is a 1997 American action crime thriller film written and directed by Jim Kouf starring James Belushi, Tupac Shakur, Dennis Quaid, Lela Rochon, David Paymer and James Earl Jones. The film ...
'' (1997).
Personal life
In his 1995 interview with ''Vibe'' magazine, Shakur listed
Jada Pinkett
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (; née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show '' Red Table Talk'', for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. ''Time'' named ...
,
Jasmine Guy
Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'', ...
,
Treach
Anthony Criss (born December 2, 1970), better known by his stage name Treach, is an American rapper and actor. He is perhaps best known as the lead rapper of the hip hop group Naughty by Nature.
Career
With Naughty by Nature, Treach worked ...
and
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films.
During the star of the 1980s, Rourke played supporting roles i ...
among the people who were looking out for him while he was in prison.
Shakur also mentioned that
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
was a supportive friend.
Madonna later revealed that they had dated in 1994.
Shakur met Jada Pinkett while attending the Baltimore School for the Arts.
She appeared in his music videos "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Temptations."
She also came up with the concept for his "California Love" music video and had intended to direct it, but she removed herself from the project. In 1995, Pinkett contributed $100,000 towards Shakur's bail as he awaited an appeal on his sexual abuse conviction.
Speaking about Pinkett, Shakur stated: "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life"; and Pinkett said he was "one of my best friends. He was like a brother. It was beyond friendship for us. The type of relationship we had, you only get that once in a lifetime."
After Shakur was shot in 1994, he recuperated at Jasmine Guy's home.
They had met during his guest appearance on the sitcom ''
A Different World
''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of ''The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...
'' in 1993.
Guy appeared in his music video "Temptations" and later wrote his mother's 2004 biography, ''Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary''.
Shakur befriended Treach when they were both roadies on Public Enemy's tour in 1990. He made a cameo in
Naughty by Nature's music video "
Uptown Anthem
"Uptown Anthem" is a 1992 song by hip-hop group Naughty by Nature. It was made for the soundtrack for the movie ''Juice''. Naughty by Nature rapper Treach had a cameo acting role in the movie. Rapper 2Pac, who stars in the film, is featured in t ...
" in 1992. Treach collaborated with Shakur on his song "5 Deadly Venomz" and appeared in his music video "Temptations."
Treach was also a speaker at a public memorial service for Shakur in 1996.
Shakur and Mickey Rourke formed a bond while filming the movie ''
Bullet
A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...
'' in 1994. Rourke recalled that Shakur "was there for me during some very hard times."
Shakur had friendships with other celebrities, including
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped creat ...
,
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...
, and
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
. In April 1996, Shakur said that he, Morrissette, Snoop Dogg, and Suge Knight were planning to open a restaurant together.
On April 29, 1995, Shakur married his then girlfriend Keisha Morris, a
pre-law
In the United States, pre-law refers to any course of study taken by an undergraduate in preparation for study at a law school.
The American Bar Association requires law schools to admit only students with an accredited Bachelor's Degree or its ...
student. Their marriage was annulled ten months later.
In a 1993 interview published in ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'', Shakur criticized record producer
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
for his
interracial marriage
Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different races or racialized ethnicities.
In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United States, Nazi Germany and apartheid-era South Africa as miscegenation. In 19 ...
to actress
Peggy Lipton
Margaret Ann Lipton (August 30, 1946 – May 11, 2019) was an American actress, model, and singer. She made appearances in many of the most popular television shows of the 1960s before she landed her defining role as flower child Julie Barnes ...
. Their daughter
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series ''Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and as ...
responded with an irate open letter. Shakur later apologized to her sister
Kidada Jones
Kidada Ann Jones ( ; born March 22, 1974) is an American actress, model, and fashion designer. Jones works as a designer for The Walt Disney Company, where she has a line known as Kidada for Disney Couture. Jones is the daughter of record produc ...
, who he began dating in 1996.
Shakur and Jones attended
Men's Fashion Week
Men's Fashion Week, typically held twice a year in January and June, is a series of international Fashion, fashion industry events where menswear collections are shown to buyers, stylists, the media, and in some cases, the general public.
Internat ...
in Milan and walked the runway together for a
Versace
Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...
fashion show. Jones was at their hotel in Las Vegas when Shakur was shot.
Legal issues
Sexual assault case, prison sentence, appeal and release
In November 1993, Shakur and two other men were charged in New York with
sodomizing a woman in Shakur's hotel room. The woman, Ayanna Jackson, alleged that after she performed oral sex on Shakur at the public dance floor of a Manhattan nightclub, she went to his hotel room a later day, when Shakur, record executive
Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant, Shakur's road manager Charles Fuller and an unidentified fourth man apprehended forced her to perform non-consensual oral sex on each of them.
Shakur was also charged with
illegal possession of a firearm
Criminal possession of a weapon is the unlawful possession of a weapon by an individual.
Many societies both past and present have placed restrictions on what forms of weaponry private citizens (and to a lesser extent police) are allowed to pur ...
as two guns were found in the hotel room.
Interviewed on ''
The Arsenio Hall Show
''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall.
There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...
'', Shakur said he was hurt that "a woman would accuse me of taking something from her", as he had been raised in a female household and surrounded by women his whole life.
On December 1, 1994, Shakur was acquitted of three counts of sodomy and the associated gun charges, but convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse for "forcibly touching the woman's buttocks" in his hotel room.
Jurors have said the lack of evidence stymied a sodomy conviction.
In February 1995, he was sentenced to 18 months to years in prison by a judge who decried "an act of brutal violence against a helpless woman".
Shakur's lawyer characterized the sentence as "out of line" with the groping conviction and the setting of bail at $3 million as "inhumane". Shakur's accuser later filed a civil suit against Shakur seeking $10 million for punitive damages which was subsequently
settled
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer.
Settle ...
.
After Shakur had been convicted of sexual abuse, Jacques Agnant's case was separated and closed via misdemeanor plea without incarceration.
A. J. Benza reported in ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' Shakur's new disdain for Agnant who Shakur theorized had set him up with the case.
Shakur reportedly believed his accuser was connected to and had sexual relations with Agnant and
James Rosemond
James Rosemond often known as Jimmy Henchman or sometimes Jimmy Henchmen, is an American entertainment record executive and convicted drug trafficker.
Early life
Rosemond was born in 1965, in Harlem, New York and grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn ...
behind his
1994 Quad Studios shooting.
Shakur began serving his prison sentence on sexual abuse charges at
Clinton Correctional Facility
Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannem ...
on February 14, 1995; he also spent a few months recuperating at
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but has ...
. While imprisoned, he began reading again, which he had been unable to do as his career progressed due to his marijuana and alcohol habits. Works such as ''
The Prince
''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...
'' by Italian philosopher
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...
and ''
The Art of War
''The Art of War'' () is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is com ...
'' by Chinese military strategist
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu ( ; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period of 771 to 256 BCE. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of ''The ...
sparked Shakur's interest in
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
,
philosophy of war
The philosophy of war is the area of philosophy devoted to examining issues such as the causes of war, the relationship between war and human nature, and the ethics of war. Certain aspects of the philosophy of war overlap with the philosophy of h ...
and
military strategy
Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek word '' strategos'', the term strategy, when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow s ...
. On April 4, 1995, Shakur married his girlfriend Keisha Morris; the marriage was later annulled. While in prison, Shakur exchanged letters with celebrities such as
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...
and
Tony Danza
Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for co-starring in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983) and '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award a ...
among others. He was also visited by
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic ...
, who helped Shakur get released from
solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...
.
By October 1995, pending judicial appeal, Shakur was incarcerated in New York.
On October 12, he bonded out of the maximum security
Dannemora Clinton Correctional Facility in the process of appealing his conviction,
once
Suge Knight
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (; born April 19, 1965) is a American former music executive, convicted felon, and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight is considered a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in ...
, CEO of Death Row Records, arranged for posting of his $1.4 million bond.
1993 shooting in Atlanta
On October 31, 1993, Shakur was arrested in Atlanta for shooting two off-duty police officers, brothers Mark Whitwell and Scott Whitwell.
The Atlanta police claimed the shooting occurred after the brothers were almost struck by a car carrying Shakur while they were crossing the street with their wives.
As they argued with the driver, Shakur's car pulled up and he shot the Whitwells in the buttocks and the abdomen.
However, there are conflicting accounts that the Whitwells were harassing a black motorist and uttered racial slurs.
According to some witnesses, Shakur and his entourage had fired in self-defense as Mark Whitwell shot at them first.
Shakur was charged with two counts of aggravated assault.
Mark Whitwell was charged with firing at Shakur's car and later with making false statements to investigators. Scott Whitwell admitted to possessing a gun he had taken from a
Henry County police evidence room.
Prosecutors ultimately dropped all charges against both parties.
Mark Whitwell resigned from the force seven months after the shooting.
Both brothers filed civil suits against Shakur; Mark Whitwell's suit was settled out of court, while Scott Whitwell's $2 million lawsuit resulted in a default judgment entered against the rapper's estate in 1998.
1994 Quad Studios shooting
On November 30, 1994, while in New York recording verses for a mixtape of Ron G, Shakur was repeatedly distracted by his beeper.
Music manager
James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, reportedly offered Shakur $7,000 to stop by Quad Studios, in Times Square, that night to record a verse for his client
Little Shawn
Tyrone Shawn Wilkins, (born December 21, 1969) better known as Little Shawn and Shawn Pen, is an American hip hop artist, rapper, songwriter and producer from East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
He released a single in 1986 My girl Mother (Select Records ...
.
Shakur was unsure, but agreed to the session as he needed the cash to offset legal costs. He arrived with Stretch and one or two others. In the lobby, three men robbed and beat him at gunpoint; Shakur resisted and was shot.
Shakur speculated that the shooting had been a set-up.
Against doctor's advice, Shakur checked out of
Metropolitan Hospital Center
Metropolitan Hospital Center (MHC, also referred to as Metropolitan Hospital) is a hospital in East Harlem, New York City. It has been affiliated with New York Medical College since it was founded in 1875, representing the oldest partnership bet ...
a few hours after surgery and secretly went to the house of the actress
Jasmine Guy
Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'', ...
to recuperate.
The next day, Shakur arrived at a Manhattan courthouse bandaged in a wheelchair to receive the jury's verdict for his sexual abuse case.
Shakur posted a $25,000 bond and spent the next few weeks being cared for by his mother and a private doctor at Guy's home.
The
Fruit of Islam
The Fruit of Islam (FOI) is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI). It has also been described as its paramilitary wing. The Fruit of Islam wear distinctive blue, brown or white uniforms and caps and have units at all N ...
and former members of the Black Panther Party stood guard to protect him.
Setup accusations involving the Notorious B.I.G.
In a 1995 interview with ''
Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'', Shakur accused
Sean Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
,
Jimmy Henchman
James Rosemond often known as Jimmy Henchman or sometimes Jimmy Henchmen, is an American entertainment record executive and convicted drug trafficker.
Early life
Rosemond was born in 1965, in Harlem, New York and grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, ...
,
and
the Notorious B.I.G
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
, among others, of setting up or being privy to the November 1994 robbery and shooting. ''Vibe'' alerted the names of the accused.
The accusations were significant to the East-West Coast rivalry in hip-hop, the accusation was because Sean Combs and Biggie were at Quad Studios at the time and in 1995, months later, Combs and Biggie releasing song "
Who Shot Ya?
"Who Shot Ya"Bad Boy Entertainment, advertisement, ''Vibe'', 2004 Aug;12(875 or often "Who Shot Ya?"Sound recording"The Notorious B.I.G.—Who Shot Ya? (official audio)" ''The Notorious B.I.G.'' "Official Artist Channel" @ YouTube, 20 Sep 2019. (Th ...
", whereas the song made no direct reference or naming of Shakur, Shakur mistakenly took it as a mockery of his shooting and thought they could be responsible, so he released a
diss song
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...
, "
Hit 'Em Up
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by hip hop music, hip hop artist 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast hip hop, East C ...
", in which he targeted B.I.G., Combs,
their record label,
Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Junior M.A.F.I.A. was an American hip hop group from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. The backronym M.A.F.I.A. stands for Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes. They were formed and mentored by New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G ...
, and at the end of "Hit 'Em Up", he mentions rivals
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
and
Chino XL
Derek Keith Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper, and actor. He has released four solo studio albums, in which his most recent – ''Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary'' – won the 2012 HHU ...
.
In March 2008,
Chuck Philips
Charles Alan Philips (born October 15, 1952) is an American writer and journalist. He is best known for his investigative reporting in the ''Los Angeles Times'' on the culture, corruption, and crime in the music industry during the 1990s and ...
, in the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', reported on the 1994 ambush and shooting.
The newspaper later retracted the article since it relied partially on FBI documents later discovered forged, supplied by a man convicted of fraud. In June 2011, convicted murderer Dexter Isaac, incarcerated in Brooklyn, issued a confession that he had been one of the gunmen who had robbed and shot Shakur at Henchman's order.
Philips then named Isaac as one of his own, retracted article's unnamed sources.
Other criminal or civil cases
1991 Oakland Police Department lawsuit
In October 1991, one month before the release of ''2Pacalypse Now'', two
Oakland Police Department
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is a law enforcement agency responsible for policing the city of Oakland, California, United States. As of May 2021, the department employed 709 sworn officers and 371 civilian employees. The department is div ...
officers stopped Shakur for
jaywalking
Jaywalking is the act of pedestrians walking in or crossing a roadway that has traffic, other than at a designated crossing point, or otherwise, in disregard of traffic rules. The term originated in the United States as a derivation of the phras ...
. The officers allegedly asked for his name since it did not sound American, he answered them and they
brutalized him scratching his face over the street. Shakur filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department. The case was
settled
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer.
Settle ...
for about $43,000.
Misdemeanor assault convictions
On April 5, 1993, charged with felonious assault, Shakur allegedly threw a microphone and swung a baseball bat at rapper Chauncey Wynn, of the group M.A.D., at a concert at
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
. Shakur claimed the bat was a part of his show and there was no criminal intent.
Nonetheless, on September 14, 1994, Shakur pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...
, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, twenty of them suspended, and ordered to 35 hours of community service.
Slated to star as Sharif in the 1993
Hughes Brothers
Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes (born April 1, 1972), known together professionally as the Hughes brothers, are American film directors and producers. The pair, who are twins, are known for co-directing visceral, and often violent, movies, inclu ...
' film ''Menace II Society'', Shakur was replaced by actor Vonte Sweet after allegedly assaulting one of the film's directors, Allen Hughes. In early 1994, Shakur served 15 days in jail after being found guilty of the assault. The prosecution's evidence included a ''
Yo! MTV Raps
''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dough ...
'' interview where Shakur boasts that he had "beat up the director of ''Menace II Society''".
Concealed weapon case
In 1994, Shakur was arrested in Los Angeles, when he was stopped by police on suspicion of speeding. Police found a semiautomatic pistol in the car, a felony offense because a prior conviction in 1993 in Los Angeles for carrying a concealed firearm. On April 4, 1996, Shakur was sentenced to 120 days in jail for violating his release terms and failing to appear for a road cleanup job, but was allowed to remain free awaiting appeal. On June 7, his sentence was deferred via appeals pending in other cases.
1995 wrongful death suit
On August 22, 1992, in Marin City, Shakur performed outdoors at a festival. For about an hour after the performance, he signed autographs and posed for photos. A conflict broke out and Shakur allegedly drew a legally carried
Colt Mustang
The Colt Mustang is a line of two lightweight, single-action pocket pistols chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge, produced by Colt's Manufacturing Company. The firearm line was produced from 1983 to 1996 as the Colt Mustang and from 2011 to presen ...
but dropped it on the ground. Shakur claimed that someone with him then picked it up when it accidentally discharged.
About 100 yards (90 meters) away in a schoolyard, Qa'id Walker-Teal, a boy aged 6 on his bicycle, was fatally shot in the forehead. Police matched the bullet to a
.38-caliber pistol registered to Shakur. His stepbrother Maurice Harding was arrested in suspicion of having fired the gun, but no charges were filed. Lack of witnesses stymied prosecution. In 1995, Qa'id's mother filed a
wrongful death suit
Wrongful death claim is a claim against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute. In wrongful death cases, survivors are compensated for the harm, l ...
against Shakur, which was settled for about $300,000 to $500,000.
C. Delores Tucker lawsuit
Civil rights activist and fierce rap critic
C. Delores Tucker
Cynthia Delores Tucker (née Nottage; October 4, 1927 – October 12, 2005) was an American politician and civil rights activist. She had a long history of involvement in the American Civil Rights Movement. From the 1990s onward, she engaged in a ...
sued Shakur's estate in federal court, claiming that lyrics in "How Do U Want It" and "Wonda Why They Call U Bitch" inflicted emotional distress, were slanderous, and invaded her privacy. The case was later dismissed.
Death
![Las Vegas, Platinum Hotel 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Las_Vegas%2C_Platinum_Hotel_01.jpg)
On the night of September 7, 1996, Shakur was in Las Vegas, Nevada, to celebrate his business partner Tracy Danielle Robinson's birthday and attended the
Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson
Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson, billed as ''Liberation'', was a professional boxing match fought on September 7, 1996 for the WBA heavyweight championship.
The fight was part of a pay-per-view event produced by Don King Productions and carried o ...
boxing match with Suge Knight at the
MGM Grand. Afterward in the lobby, someone in their group spotted
Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, an alleged Southside Compton
Crip, whom the individual accused of having recently tried to snatch his neck chain with a Death Row Records medallion in a shopping mall. The hotel's
surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...
footage shows the ensuing assault on Anderson. Shakur soon stopped by his hotel room and then headed with Knight to his Death Row nightclub, Club 662, in a black
BMW 750iL
The BMW Generation E38 is the third generation of the BMW 7 Series luxury cars and was produced from 1994 until 2001. The E38 replaced the E32 7 Series and was produced with petrol and turbo-diesel straight-six and V8 engines, along with a petrol ...
sedan, part of a larger convoy.
At about 11 pm on
Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas Boulevard is a major road in Clark County, Nevada, United States, best known for the Las Vegas Strip portion of the road and its casinos. Formerly carrying U.S. Route 91 (US 91), which had been the main highway between Los Angel ...
, bicycle-mounted police stopped the car for its loud music and lack of license plates. The plates were found in the trunk and the car was released without a ticket.
At about 11:15 pm at a stop light, a white, four-door, late-model
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
sedan pulled up to the passenger side and an occupant rapidly fired into the car. Shakur was struck four times: once in the arm, once in the thigh, and twice in the chest with one bullet entering his right lung.
Shards hit Knight's head. Frank Alexander, Shakur's bodyguard, was not in the car at the time. He would say he had been tasked to drive the car of Shakur's girlfriend,
Kidada Jones
Kidada Ann Jones ( ; born March 22, 1974) is an American actress, model, and fashion designer. Jones works as a designer for The Walt Disney Company, where she has a line known as Kidada for Disney Couture. Jones is the daughter of record produc ...
.
Shakur was taken to the
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMCSN) is a non-profit (teaching) government hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the only government run hospital owned and operated by the Clark County Commission.
Overview
The hospital was founded i ...
where he was heavily sedated and put on life support.
In the
intensive-care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...
on the afternoon of September 13, 1996, Shakur died from
internal bleeding
Internal bleeding (also called internal hemorrhage) is a loss of blood from a blood vessel that collects inside the body. Internal bleeding is usually not visible from the outside. It is a serious medical emergency but the extent of severity depen ...
.
He was pronounced dead at 4:03 pm.
The official causes of death are
respiratory failure
Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...
and
cardiopulmonary arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
associated with multiple gunshot wounds.
Shakur's body was cremated the next day. Members of the
Outlawz
Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American hip hop group founded by rapper Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they were best known for their association with Shakur. Most of the group m ...
, recalling a line in his song "Black Jesus", (although uncertain of the artist's attempt at a literal meaning chose to interpret the request seriously) smoked some of his body's ashes after mixing them with
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
.
In 2002, investigative journalist
Chuck Philips
Charles Alan Philips (born October 15, 1952) is an American writer and journalist. He is best known for his investigative reporting in the ''Los Angeles Times'' on the culture, corruption, and crime in the music industry during the 1990s and ...
,
after a year of work, reported in the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' that Anderson, a Southside Compton Crip, having been attacked by Suge and Shakur's entourage at the MGM Hotel after the boxing match, had fired the fatal gunshots, but that Las Vegas police had interviewed him only once, briefly, before his death in an unrelated shooting. Philips's 2002 article also alleges the involvement of
Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace and several within New York City's criminal underworld. Both Anderson and Wallace denied involvement, while Wallace offered a confirmed alibi.
Music journalist John Leland, in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', called the evidence "inconclusive".
In 2011, via the
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request:
* Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act
* ...
, the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
released documents related to its investigation which described an extortion scheme by the
Jewish Defense League
The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a Jewish far-right religious-political organization in the United States and Canada, whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary". It has been classified as "a right w ...
that included making death threats against Shakur and other rappers, but did not indicate a direct connection to his murder.
Legacy and remembrance
![MARTa Paolo Chiasera www](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/MARTa_Paolo_Chiasera_www.tupacproject.it.jpg)
Shakur is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. He is widely credited as an important figure in
hip hop culture
Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping, DJing and turntablis ...
, and his prominence in
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
in general has been noted.
Dotdash
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
, formerly About.com, while ranking him fifth among the greatest rappers, nonetheless notes, "Tupac Shakur is the most influential hip-hop artist of all time. Even in death, 2Pac remains a transcendental rap figure." Yet to some, he was a "father figure" who, said rapper
YG, "makes you want to be better—at every level."
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
described Shakur as "the unlikely martyr of
gangsta rap
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...
", with Shakur paying the ultimate price of a criminal lifestyle. Shakur was described as one of the top two American rappers in the 1990s, along with
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
. The online rap magazine ''
AllHipHop
AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998.
History
The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...
'' held a 2007 roundtable at which New York rappers
Cormega
Cory McKay (born December 3, 1970), better known by his stage name Cormega, is an American rapper who attained notice when he was shouted out by Nas on his song "One Love", from the critically acclaimed 1994 album ''Illmatic''. The album was re ...
, citing tour experience with New York rap duo
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
, imparted a broad assessment: "Biggie ran New York. 'Pac ran ''America''."
In 2010, writing ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine's entry on Shakur at No. 86 among the "100 greatest artists", New York rapper
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
appraised; According to music journalist
Chuck Philips
Charles Alan Philips (born October 15, 1952) is an American writer and journalist. He is best known for his investigative reporting in the ''Los Angeles Times'' on the culture, corruption, and crime in the music industry during the 1990s and ...
, Shakur "had helped elevate rap from a crude street fad to a complex art form, setting the stage for the current global hip-hop phenomenon."
Philips writes, "The slaying silenced one of modern music's most eloquent voices—a ghetto poet whose tales of urban alienation captivated young people of all races and backgrounds."
Via numerous fans perceiving him, despite his questionable conduct, as a
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
, "the downsizing of martyrdom cheapens its use",
Michael Eric Dyson
Michael Eric Dyson (born October 23, 1958) is an American academic, author, ordained minister, and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. Described by Michael A. Fletch ...
concedes.
But Dyson adds, "Some, or even most, of that criticism can be conceded without doing damage to Tupac's martyrdom in the eyes of those disappointed by more traditional martyrs."
In 2014,
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
explained that "his confounding mixture of ladies' man, thug, revolutionary and poet has forever altered our perception of what a rapper should look like, sound like and act like. In
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
,
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single "Holla Holla". Durin ...
,
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
, newcomers like
Freddie Gibbs
Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper from Gary, Indiana. After initially being signed to Interscope Records in 2006, Gibbs recorded his debut studio album under the label ...
and even his friend-turned-rival Biggie, it's easy to see that Pac is the most copied MC of all time. There are murals bearing his likeness in New York, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Bulgaria and countless other places; he even has statues in Atlanta and Germany. Quite simply, no other rapper has captured the world's attention the way Tupac did and still does."
More simply, his writings, published after his death, inspired rapper YG to return to school and get his GED.
In 2020, former California Senator and current Vice-president
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...
called Shakur the "best rapper alive", which she explained because "West Coast girls think 2Pac lives on".
Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation
In 1997, Shakur's mother founded the Shakur Family Foundation. Later renamed the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, or TASF, it launched with a stated mission 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. In June 2005, the TASF opened the
Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, based in Stone Mountain, Georgia, was a performing arts center supported through the Shakur Family Foundation. The Shakur Center's mission was to provide opportunities for young people through the arts, ...
, or TASCA, in
Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome Inselberg, monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the small city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state o ...
, Georgia. It closed in 2015.
Academic appraisal
In 1997, the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, offered a course led by a student titled "History 98: Poetry and History of Tupac Shakur". In April 2003,
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
cosponsored the symposium "All Eyez on Me: Tupac Shakur and the Search for the Modern Folk Hero".
The papers presented cover his ranging influence from entertainment to sociology.
[ on April 16, 2006.] Calling him a "Thug Nigga Intellectual", an "organic intellectual", English scholar
Mark Anthony Neal
Mark Anthony Neal is an American author and academic. He is the Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African-American Studies at Duke University, where he won the 2010 Robert B. Cox Award for Teaching. Neal has writt ...
assessed his death as leaving a "leadership void amongst hip-hop artists", as this "walking contradiction" helps, Neal explained, "make being an intellectual accessible to ordinary people."
Tracing Shakur's
mythical
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
status, Murray Forman discussed him as "O.G.", or "Ostensibly Gone", with fans, using digital mediums, "resurrecting Tupac as an ethereal life force."
Music scholar Emmett Price, calling him a "Black folk hero", traced his persona to Black American folklore's
trickster
In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...
s, which, after
abolition
Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to:
* Abolitionism, abolition of slavery
* Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment
* Abolition of monarchy
*Abolition of nuclear weapons
*Abol ...
, evolved into the urban "bad-man". Yet in Shakur's "terrible sense of urgency", Price identified instead a quest to "unify mind, body, and spirit."
Multimedia releases
In 2005, Death Row released on DVD, ''
Tupac: Live at the House of Blues'', his final recorded live performance, an event on July 4, 1996. In August 2006, ''
Tupac Shakur Legacy'', an "interactive biography" by
, arrived with previously unpublished family photographs, intimate stories, and over 20 detachable copies of his handwritten song lyrics, contracts, scripts, poetry, and other papers. In 2006, the Shakur album ''
Pac's Life
''Pac's Life'' is the tenth and final studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It is also his seventh posthumous album, released on November 21, 2006, in the United States, on Amaru Entertainment. Its 2006 release date was intended to commemorate t ...
'' was released and, like the previous, was among the recording industry's most popular releases. In 2008, his estate made about $15 million.
On April 15, 2012, at the
Coachella Music Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
, rappers Snoop Dogg and
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
joined a Shakur "hologram" (Although the media referred to the technology as a hologram, technically it was a projection created with the
Musion Eyeliner
The Musion Eyeliner is a proprietary high definition video projection system that allows moving images to appear within a live stage setting. The system is patented. The Musion eyeliner was invented by Uwe Maass the owner of the original patent.
...
), and, as a partly virtual trio, performed the Shakur songs "
Hail Mary
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
" and "
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album, ''All Eyez on Me'' (1996). The song features fellow West Coast rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and was produced by Dat Nigga Daz. The song was released as a prom ...
".
There were talks of a tour, but Dre refused. Meanwhile, the ''Greatest Hits'' album, released in 1998, and which in 2000 had left the pop albums chart, the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...
, returned to the chart and reached No. 129, while also other Shakur albums and singles drew sales gains.
Film and stage
The documentary film ''
Tupac: Resurrection'' was released in November 2003. It was nominated for
Best Documentary at the
2005 Academy Awards.
In 2014, the play ''Holler If Ya Hear Me'', based on Shakur's lyrics, played on Broadway, but, among Broadway's worst-selling musicals in recent years, ran only six weeks.
In development since 2013, a Shakur biopic, ''
All Eyez on Me
''All Eyez on Me'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Snoo ...
'', began filming in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
in December 2015. It was released on June 16, 2017, on Shakur's 46th birthday, albeit to generally negative reviews.
In August 2019, a
docuseries
Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries.
Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film.
*Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...
directed by
Allen Hughes
Allen Hughes (28 December 1921 – 16 November 2009) was an American dance and music critic.
Born in Brownsburg, Indiana, Hughes started his career as a critic in 1950 when he joined the staff of ''Musical America''. In 1955, he became a music c ...
, ''Outlaw: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur'', was announced.
Unpublished works
On March 30, 2022, one of Shakur's earliest pieces of writing, an unpublished booklet of
haiku poetry, was auctioned by
Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
estimated at $200,000 to $300,000 and hammered down at $302,400 plus buyer premium. Shakur was 11 years old when he wrote and illustrated the booklet for
and three other
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...
members while they were incarcerated at
Leavenworth Prison
The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth (USP Leavenworth) is a medium security U.S. penitentiary with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp in northeast Kansas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the Unite ...
. Even at his young age, Shakur's writing dealt with themes such as
black liberation, mass incarceration, race, and masculinity. The booklet features a self-portrait of Shakur sleeping, pen in hand, dreaming of the Black Panthers being freed from prison, and signed with a heart and the phrase “''Tupac Shakur, Future Freedom Fighter''."
Awards and honors
In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2004, Shakur was among the honorees at the first
Hip Hop Honors
The Hip Hop Honors is an annual event that airs on VH1. The television special honors old school and golden age hip hop rappers and contributors for their long-term influence and importance in the history of hip hop culture. It features live p ...
.
In 2006, Shakur's close friend and classmate Jada Pinkett Smith donated $1 million to their high school alma mater, the Baltimore School for the Arts, and named the new theater in his honor. In 2021, Pinkett Smith honored Shakur's 50th birthday by releasing a never before seen poem she had received from him.
In 2009, drawing praise, the Vatican added "
Changes
Changes may refer to:
Books
* ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series
* ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel
* ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...
", a
1998 posthumous track, to its online playlist. On June 23, 2010, the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
added "
Dear Mama
"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, ''Me Against the World'' (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, ...
" to the
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...
, the third rap song.
In 2015, the
Grammy Museum The Grammy Museum is any of a group of museums containing exhibits relating to winners of the Grammy Award for achievement in recording.
The museums in this group include:
*The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live, which opened in 2008 in Los Angeles, Califo ...
opened an exhibition dedicated to Shakur.
In his first year of eligibility, Shakur was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 7, 2017.
In January 2022, the exhibition ''Tupac Shakur: Wake Me When I'm Free'' opened at The Canvas at
L.A. Live
L.A. Live is an entertainment complex in the South Park District of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It is adjacent to the Crypto.com Arena and Los Angeles Convention Center.
L.A. Live was developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), Wach ...
in Los Angeles.
Rankings
* 2002: ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' magazine ranked Shakur at 10th among top-earning dead celebrities.
* 2003: MTV's viewers voted Shakur the greatest MC.
* 2005: Shakur was voted No.1 on Vibe's online poll of "Top 10 Best of All Time".
* 2006: MTV staff placed him second on its list of "The Greatest MCs Of All Time".
* 2012: ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'' magazine ranked him No. 5 among "The Top 50 Lyricists".
* 2007: the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
placed ''All Eyez on Me'' at No. 90 and ''Me Against the World'' at No. 170.
* 2010: ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine placed Shakur at No. 86 among the "100 Greatest Artists".
* 2020: ''All Eyez on Me'' was ranked No. 436 on ''Rolling Stone''
's list of the
"500 Greatest Albums Of All Time."
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
2Pacalypse Now
''2Pacalypse Now'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991, by Interscope and Jive Records. ''2Pacalypse Now'' is Tupac's commentary on contemporary social issues facing American society, such as ra ...
'' (1991)
* ''
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...'' (1993)
* ''
Me Against the World
''Me Against the World'' is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope and Jive Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and pove ...
'' (1995)
* ''
All Eyez on Me
''All Eyez on Me'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Snoo ...
'' (1996)
;Posthumous studio albums
* ''
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'' (1996)
* ''
R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
''R U Still Down? (Remember Me)'' is the sixth studio album and second double album by American rapper, 2Pac, released on November 25, 1997. It is his second posthumous release and the first to be released without his creative input and contains p ...
'' (1997)
* ''
Until the End of Time'' (2001)
* ''
Better Dayz
''Better Dayz'' is the eighth studio album and fourth posthumous album by the late American rapper 2Pac, and is his last to be a double-album.
It was released on November 26, 2002, debuting at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200. This album ...
'' (2002)
* ''
Loyal to the Game
''Loyal to the Game'' is the ninth studio album and fifth posthumous studio album by American rapper Tupac. The album was produced by Eminem and consists of remixes of previously unreleased music recorded by Tupac before his death in 1996. Release ...
'' (2004)
* ''
Pac's Life
''Pac's Life'' is the tenth and final studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It is also his seventh posthumous album, released on November 21, 2006, in the United States, on Amaru Entertainment. Its 2006 release date was intended to commemorate t ...
'' (2006)
;Collaboration albums
* ''
This Is an EP Release''
with Digital Underground (1991)
* ''
Thug Life: Volume 1''
with Thug Life (1994)
;Posthumous collaboration album
* ''
Still I Rise''
with Outlawz (1999)
Filmography
Portrayals in film
Documentaries
Shakur's life has been explored in several documentaries, most notably the Academy Award-nominated ''Tupac: Resurrection'' (2003).
* 1997: ''Tupac Shakur: Thug Immortal''
* 1997: ''Tupac Shakur: Words Never Die'' (TV)
* 2001: ''Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake...''
* 2001: ''Welcome to Deathrow''
* 2002: ''Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel''
* 2002: ''
Biggie & Tupac
''Biggie & Tupac'' is a 2002 feature-length documentary film about the murdered American rappers Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace and Tupac Shakur by Nick Broomfield.
Broomfield suggests the two murders were planned by Suge Knight, head of ...
''
* 2002: ''Tha Westside''
* 2003: ''2Pac 4 Ever''
* 2003: ''Tupac: Resurrection''
* 2004: ''Tupac vs.''
* 2004: ''Tupac: The Hip Hop Genius'' (TV)
* 2006: ''So Many Years, So Many Tears''
* 2015: ''Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders''
* 2017: ''Who killed Tupac?''
* 2017: ''Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?''
* 2018: ''Unsolved: Murders of Biggie and Tupac?''
* 2021: ''The Life & Death of Tupac Shakur''
See also
*
List of best-selling music artists
The following list of best-selling music artists includes those music acts from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. This information cannot be listed officially, as there is no organization t ...
*
List of best-selling music artists in the United States
This is the list of the highest-certified music artists in the United States based on certifications of albums and digital singles (but not physical singles) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). RIAA certifications are based ...
*
List of murdered hip hop musicians
This is a list of rappers and hip hop musicians murdered since 1987.
Two studies in the mid-2010s concluded that murder was the cause of 51.5% of hip hop musician deaths. The average age of death is between 25–30 years of age. Hip hop has a ...
*
List of number-one albums (United States)
This is a list of number-one albums in the United States by year from the main '' Billboard'' albums chart, currently called the ''Billboard'' 200.
''Billboard'' first began publishing an album chart on March 24, 1945. The chart expanded to 20 ...
*
List of number-one hits (United States)
This is a list of songs that have peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the magazine's national singles charts that preceded it. Introduced in 1958, the Hot 100 is the pre-eminent singles chart in the United States, currently mon ...
*
List of awards and nominations received by Tupac Shakur
This is a list of awards and nominations received by the late American rapper and actor Tupac Shakur.
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards is an annual American music awards show.
, -
, 1994
, rowspan="2" , Tupac Shakur
, ...
*
List of artists who reached number one in the United States
This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on ''Billboard'' magazine's weekly singles chart(s). This list spans from the issue dated January 1, 1955 to the present. Prior to the creation of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, ''Bill ...
Notes
References
External links
*
Amaru Shakur Foundation for the Arts"Expressing Myself, Silencing the Demons", interview with Chuck Philips
*
FBI Records: The Vault – Tupac Shakurat FBI.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakur, Tupac
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