Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur, also known as 2pac and temporarily Makaveli, is considered by many as one of the best rappers of all time. Shakur was born June 16th 1971 in East Harlem. His parents were Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland, both members of the Black Panther Party. Shortly before Shakur’s birth, his father was charged with 150 charges of conspiracy against the United States of America. In Shakur’s early years he was surrounded with high ranking Black Panther members, many of whom were charged with criminal offenses.

By June 1988 Shakur moved with his family to Marin City, California where he attended Tamalpias High school. Shakur took part in several drama productions here and was also exploring poetry at the time. Shakur states in early interviews that he then switched over to rap because it was more respected and listened to over poetry. This allowed him to follow his passion while also gaining a following. Shakur’s poetry teacher Leila Steinberg organized a concert for his early rap group “Stickly Dope” during his senior year. This concert resulted in Shakur being signed by Atron Gregory. From here he started as a roadie.

Shortly after in the 1990s Shakurs career took off with features in Digital Underground and his first album 2Pacalypse Now. From here he gained publicity in music as well as his acting career. In 1992 Shakur played a lead role in hit movie “Juice”. He was also in seven other movies in his career.

Shakur’s second album “Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z.” had much more success and is considered to be his breakout album. For this reason it is slightly ironic that I am writing about this. The album didn’t only have success in the black community but also with white people all over the U.S. and world. The album even remains successful as it is still widely listened to and played on the radio.

Shakur went one to release other equally successful albums that are still enjoyed by many today. He was killed in Las Vegas in September 1996. He was survived by his record label Death Row and will always be known as one of the best rappers of all time.