2pac amaru shakur biography

Tupac Shakur

• Born June 16 , 1971 · East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
• Died September 13 , 1996 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (homicide)
• Birth name Lesane Parish Crooks
• Height 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
• Born in New York City, Tupac grew up primarily in Harlem. In 1984, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett Smith . His family moved again in 1988 to Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital Underground. In the same year he received individual recognition for his album "2Pacalypse Now," but this album was also the beginning of his notoriety as a leading figure of the gangster permutation of hip-hop, with references to cop killing and sexual violence. His solo movie career also began in this year with Juice (1992) , and in 1992 he co-starred with Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice (1993) . However, law confrontations were soon to come: A 15-day jail term in 1994 for assault and battery and, in 1995, a conviction for sexual assault of a female fan. After serving 8 months pending an appeal, Shakur was released from jail. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Bruce Cameron <[email protected]>
• Notorious 25-year-old gangsta MC and actor Tupac Shakur was shot and killed before he had a chance to fulfill the promise of a successful career in both fields. He was born in New York City and his mother, Afeni Shakur , was a member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur spent much of his youth in Harlem, then Baltimore, Maryland. In 1988 his family moved to Oakland, California, where he first gained notice as an MC in 1991 with the group Digital Underground. Later that year, he released a solo album, "2Pacalypse Now." Filled with violent lyrics that promoted cop killing and misogyny, it earned both notoriety and acclaim for fans of the genre. Shakur began his acting career in the late 1980s with an appearance on the television series A Different World (1987) . He made his feature film debut in 1992 with the film Juice (1992) and followed it up, co-starring with Janet Jackson , in Poetic Justice (1993) in 1993. Shakur had a certain charisma that always made him stand out in his films. This was especially true in Gridlock'd (1997) which proved that the versatile young artist had the makings of being a major star. Unfortunately, he was murdered during a drive-by shooting outside a Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel a few months before its release. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gilbert Lee
• Tupac Amaru Shakur (born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His double-disc albums All Eyez on Me (1996) and his Greatest Hits (1998) are among the best-selling albums in the United States. Shakur is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, and he has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of any genre by many publications, including Rolling Stone, which ranked him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. On April 7, 2017, Shakur was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Shakur began his career as a roadie, backup dancer and MC for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground, eventually branching off as a solo artist. Most of the themes in Shakur's songs revolved around the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, and other social issues. Both of his parents and several other people in his family were members of the Black Panther Party, whose ideals were reflected in his songs. During the latter part of his career, Shakur was a vocal participant during the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry, becoming involved in conflicts with other rappers, producers, and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and his label, Bad Boy Records. Aside from his career in music, Shakur was also an actor, starring in six films and one TV show in the 1990s, including Poetic Justice (1993), Gang Related (1997) and Gridlock'd (1997). On September 7, 1996, Shakur was fatally shot four times in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was taken to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died from his injuries six days later. Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, into an African-American family in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. His birth name was Lesane Parish Crooks. The following year, he was renamed after Túpac Amaru II, the 18th-century Peruvian revolutionary who was executed after leading an indigenous uprising against Spanish rule. His parents, Afeni Shakur (born Alice Faye Williams in North Carolina) and Billy Garland, were active members of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Lesane was born a month after his mother was acquitted of more than 150 charges of "Conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks" in the New York Panther 21 trial. Many people in Shakur's life were involved with the Black Liberation Army; some were convicted of serious criminal offenses and imprisoned, including his mother. His godfather, Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, a high-ranking Black Panther, had been convicted of murdering a school teacher during a 1968 robbery, although his sentence was later overturned. His stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, spent four years at large on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, beginning in 1982. Mutulu was wanted for having helped his friend (no relation) Assata Shakur (also known as Joanne Chesimard), Tupac's godmother, to escape from a penitentiary in New Jersey in 1979. She had been imprisoned since 1977 for killing a state trooper in 1973. She lived as a fugitive for several years before gaining asylum in Cuba in 1985. Mutulu was caught in 1986 and eventually convicted and sentenced to prison for the 1981 robbery of a Brinks armored truck, during which two police officers and a guard were killed. Shakur had an older stepbrother, Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, and a half-sister, Sekyiwa, two years his junior. Mopreme performed in many of his recordings. In 1986, the family moved from New York to Baltimore, Maryland. After completing his second year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Shakur transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts. There he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. He performed in Shakespeare plays and in the role of the Mouse King in the ballet The Nutcracker. Shakur, accompanied by one of his friends, Dana "Mouse" Smith, as his beat box, won many rap competitions and was considered to be the best rapper in his school. He was remembered as one of the most popular kids in his school because of his sense of humor, superior rapping skills, and ability to mix with all crowds. Shakur developed a close friendship with Jada Pinkett Smith that lasted until his death. In the documentary Tupac: Resurrection, Shakur says, "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life." Pinkett Smith calls him "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." A poem written by Shakur titled "Jada" appears in his book, The Rose That Grew from Concrete, which also includes a poem dedicated to Pinkett Smith called "The Tears in Cupid's Eyes." During his time in art school, Shakur became affiliated with the Baltimore Young Communist League USA. He began dating the daughter of the director of the local chapter of the Communist Party USA. In 1988, Shakur and his family moved from Baltimore to Marin City, California, a small unincorporated suburban community located 5 miles north of San Francisco. He attended Tamalpais High School in nearby Mill Valley. Before using his first name as his rap name, Shakur went by the alias MC New York when starting his career in Baltimore. Although Shakur began recording in 1987, his professional entertainment career did not take off until the early 1990s when he debuted in Digital Underground's "Same Song" from the soundtrack to the 1991 film Nothing but Trouble, and also appeared with the group in the film. The song was later released as the lead song of the Digital Underground extended play (EP) This Is an EP Release, the follow-up to their debut hit album Sex Packets. Shakur appeared in the accompanying music video. After his rap debut, he performed with Digital Underground again on the album Sons of the P. Shakur went on to feature Shock G and Money-B from Digital Underground in his track "I Get Around", which ranked #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In November 1991, Shakur released his debut solo album, 2Pacalypse Now. Though the album did not generate any hit singles, 2Pacalypse Now has been acclaimed by many critics and fans for its underground feel, with many rappers such as Nas, Eminem, Game, and Talib Kweli having pointed to it as inspiration. Although the album was originally released on Interscope Records, the rights to its distribution are now owned by Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by Shakur's mother. The album's name is a reference to the 1979 film Apocalypse Now. In late 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life with a number of his friends, including Big Syke (Tyruss Himes), Macadoshis (Diron Rivers), his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur, and the Rated R (Walter Burns). The group released their only album Thug Life: Volume 1 on September 26, 1994, which went gold. The album featured the single "Pour Out a Little Liquor", produced by Johnny "J" Jackson, who went on to produce a large part of Shakur's album All Eyez on Me. The group usually performed their concerts without Shakur. The album was originally released by Shakur's label Out Da Gutta Records, though Amaru Entertainment has since gained the rights to it. Among the notable tracks are "Bury Me a G", "Cradle to the Grave", "Pour Out a Little Liquor" (which also appears on the soundtrack to the 1994 film Above the Rim), "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" and "Str8 Ballin'". As a result of criticism of gangsta rap at the time, the original version of the album was scrapped and re-recorded with many of the original songs being cut. The album contains ten tracks because Interscope Records felt many of the other recorded songs were too controversial to release. Although the original version of the album was not completed, Shakur performed the planned first single from the album, "Out on Bail" at the 1994 Source Awards. Thug Life: Volume 1 was certified Gold. The track "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" later appeared on 2Pac's posthumous Greatest Hits album. Shakur's third album, Me Against The World, was released in March 1995 and was very well-received, with many calling it the magnum opus of his career. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop albums of all time. It is Shakur's fourth-best-selling album with 3,524,567 copies sold in the United States as of 2011. Me Against the World won best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards. All Eyez On Me was the fourth studio album by 2Pac, recorded in October 1995 and released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album is frequently recognized as one of the crowning achievements of 1990s rap music. Steve Huey of AllMusic stated that "despite some undeniable filler, it is easily the best production 2Pac's ever had on record". It was certified 5× Platinum after just 2 months in April 1996 and 9× platinum in 1998. The album featured the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles "How Do U Want It" and "California Love". It featured five singles in all, the most of any 2Pac album. Moreover, All Eyez on Me (which was the only Death Row release to be distributed through PolyGram by way of Island Records) made history as the first double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption. It was issued on two compact discs and four LPs. Chartwise, All Eyez on Me was the second album from 2Pac to hit number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It sold 566,000 copies in the first week of its release and was charted in the top 100 for one-week Soundscan sales since 1991. By the end of 1996, the album had sold 5 million copies. The album won the 1997 Soul Train R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year Award. Shakur also won the Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at the 24th Annual American Music Awards. In October 1995, Shakur was released from prison after serving nine months of a sentence for sexual assault and formed a new group called Outlaw Immortalz. Shakur joined the Death Row label, under which he released the single "California Love". On February 13, 1996, Shakur released his fourth solo album, All Eyez on Me. This double album was the first and second of his three-album commitment to Death Row Records. It sold more than nine million copies. The record was a general departure from the introspective subject matter of Me Against the World, being more oriented toward a thug and gangsta mentality. Shakur continued his recordings despite increasing problems at the Death Row label. Dr. Dre left his post as in-house producer to form his own label, Aftermath. Shakur continued to produce hundreds of tracks during his time at Death Row, most of which would be released on his posthumous albums Still I Rise, Until the End of Time, Better Dayz, Loyal to the Game and Pac's Life. He also began the process of recording an album, One Nation, with the New York-based Boot Camp Clik and their label Duck Down Records. On June 4, 1996, he and Outlawz released the diss track "Hit 'Em Up", a scathing lyrical assault on The Notorious B.I.G. and others associated with him. In the track, Shakur claimed to have had sexual intercourse with Faith Evans, the wife of Wallace, Shakur's former friend and rival, and attacked Bad Boy's street credibility. Shakur was convinced that some members associated with Bad Boy had known about the 1994 attack on him due to their behavior that night and the information that his sources gave to him. According to a 2005 interview with Jimmy Henchman, in Vibe magazine, after the attack, Shakur immediately accused Henchman, an associate of Bad Boy CEO Sean Combs, of orchestrating the attack. Shakur, therefore, aligned himself with Suge, Death Row's CEO, who was already bitter toward Combs over a 1995 incident at the Platinum Club in Atlanta, Georgia, which culminated in the death of Jake Robles, the friend and bodyguard of Suge Knight; Knight was adamant in voicing his suspicions about Combs' involvement. In the years following their killings, associates of both Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. made comments indicating the pair, were it not for their deaths, would have reconciled. When Shakur recorded "Hit 'Em Up", a diss song toward Biggie, he recruited three members from the former group, Dramacydal, with whom he had worked previously and was eager to do so again. Shakur, with the three New Jersey rappers and other associates, formed the original lineup of the Outlawz. When 2Pac signed to Death Row after his release from prison, he recruited step brother Mopreme Shakur and Big Syke from Thug Life. Hussein Fatal, Napoleon, E.D.I. Mean, Kastro, Yaki Kadafi, and Storm (the only female Outlaw) were also added, and together they formed the original lineup of the Outlaw Immortalz that debuted on 2Pac's Multi-Platinum smash All Eyez on Me. They later dropped the Immortal part of their name after the untimely deaths of 2Pac and Yaki Kadafi and moved on as Outlawz without the members of Thug Life. Young Noble was later added and appeared on 2Pac's second Death Row release The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. It was on 2Pac's Makaveli album that Outlawz first came to the greater rap community's notice, appearing on a few songs. The idea behind the group was for each member to have a rap name coinciding with the names of various tyrants or enemies of America, past, and present. Outlawz chose in later years to make a backronym out of the letters of their group name Operating Under Thug Laws as Warriorz although it does not stand for the group's name and is used infrequently. - IMDb Mini Biography By: ahmetkozan
• Spouse Keisha Morris (April 29, 1995 - 1996) (annulled)
• Parents Afeni Shakur Billy Garland Mutulu Shakur
• Relatives Sekyiwa Shakur (Half Sibling) Mopreme Shakur (Sibling) Nzingha Shakur (Niece or Nephew) Malik Shakur (Niece or Nephew) Billy Lesane (Cousin) Greg Lesane (Cousin) Kenny Lesane (Cousin) Scott Lesane (Cousin) Dante Powers (Cousin) Rose Belle (Grandparent) Walter Williams Jr. (Grandparent) N'Neka Garland (Half Sibling) Gloria Cox (Aunt or Uncle) Jamala Lesane (Cousin)
• Socially conscious lyrics
• Shaved head and goatee
• 'Thug Life' tattoo across stomach
• Wearing a bandana tied at the front
• Nostril piercing
• Recorded close to 150 songs during the final year of his life, and often completed three songs per day in the same period. Shakur also wrote lyrics in the studio and often performed his verses in one take. He felt that rappers who could not perform their verses properly on the first take weren't ready to be rappers. R&B music, on the other hand, was worthy of multiple takes for the vocal tracks, he felt.
• He read for the role of Bubba Blue in Forrest Gump (1994) , which went to Mykelti Williamson .
• 10 albums have been released after his 1996 death; all have gone platinum.
• Shakur renamed his publishing company to "Joshua's Dream" in honor of a young, terminally ill child whose dying wish was to meet him.
• A huge fan of Tim Roth , Shakur was excited when he found out he was going to be in a movie with Roth. However, Roth didn't like the idea of a rapper being in the movie with him, as he didn't know he was an actor before he became a rapper. Roth's attitude changed, when they tested together and the two were very good friends until Shakur's death.
• Everybody's at war with different things...I'm at war with my own heart sometimes". In Vibe interview 2/96
• Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.
• The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.
• The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothing to get out of who I am and go into somebody else.
• I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.

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Tupac Amaru Shakur

Step into the world of the 90s gangsta-rap scene, where Tupac Shakur reigned supreme as both a talented rapper and versatile actor. Even after leaving this world, his musical legacy continues to inspire, with an astonishing 75 million records sold worldwide! Come and celebrate the life of an icon who embodied the spirit of noble struggle.

Who Was Tupac Shakur

The enigmatic Tupac Shakur, a gifted yet tormented artist, met a tragic end in a hail of bullets on the fateful night of September 7, 1996. His untimely death left an unsolved mystery and a gaping hole in the world of music.

Tupac’s groundbreaking career began as a passionate crusader, giving voice to the struggles and injustices faced by African Americans. His powerful message and artistry cemented him as a beacon of hope for generations, transcending time and uniting those seeking equality.

However, the turbulent battle within himself led him down a dangerous path of gangsta rap and into the dubious embrace of Death Row Records’ infamous Suge Knight. As the lines between Tupac’s art and life blurred, his fate steered towards a devastatingly tragic conclusion.

The Early Life of Tupac

Born Lesane Parish Crooks, Tupac’s name change was deeply rooted in activism and revolution, inspired by a Peruvian revolutionary and his sister’s father, who were both influential Panthers. His mother, Alice Faye Williams, experienced her own personal transformation, becoming Afeni Shakur after joining the Black Panther Party, even defending herself in court while pregnant with Tupac. Sharing her passion for oration, Tupac and Afeni’s legacy, both symbolically and literally, carry on the Shakur name, even after Afeni’s passing in 2016 at age 69.

Did you know that the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur grew up without the guidance of his father or a father figure? Billy Garland, his biological dad and a Panther member, disappeared from his life when Tupac was only five. Tupac was convinced his father was dead until a surprising reunion at age 23. His mother Afeni had another child, Sekiya. Tupac’s upbringing lacked the presence of a “daddy” to show him the ropes, yet he still managed to rise to stardom.

Escaping the crime-infested streets of Baltimore, Tupac’s family relocated to Marin City, California, only to find it as a “mean little ghetto,” as described in a 1997 Vanity Fair feature. The vicious cycle continued, with Afeni, Tupac’s mother, developing a crack addiction, and young Tupac eventually selling the same drug on the streets where she had scored her fix.

However, fate had a different path for Tupac, with the melody of hip-hop guiding him towards a brighter future, at least for a while. At age 17, he crossed paths with an older woman, Leila Steinberg, in a park. Sharing a connection over a conversation on Winnie Mandela, Steinberg would fondly remember the captivating aura of Tupac, marveling at his “overflowing charisma” and “infectious laugh.”

When Tupac and Steinberg crossed paths, Tupac’s poetic prowess led him to persuade Steinberg to manage his musical ambitions, despite Steinberg’s lack of experience in the industry. Their journey led them to Atron Gregory, a music manager who introduced Tupac to the world by featuring him as a roadie, dancer, and later, a recording artist for the hip hop crew, Digital Underground. Not long after, Tupac soared to new heights as a solo artist, with Gregory at the helm, landing a deal with Interscope Records and releasing his iconic debut album, 2Pacalypse Now.

Tupac’s Run-ins with the Law

On a fateful day in August 1992, Tupac Shakur found himself in a dangerous altercation with envious rivals in Marin City. Chaos ensued, his own pistol slipping from his grasp amid the chaos. In a tragic twist of fate, the weapon fired, claiming the life of an innocent 6-year-old bystander, Qa’id Walker-Teal. Tupac was never charged for the young boy’s death, but the heartache weighed heavily on his conscience. In 1995, Walker-Teal’s family sought justice in the form of a civil case, but ultimately settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, rumored to be between $300,000 and $500,000, courtesy of a mysterious benefactor – believed to have ties with Death Row Records.

In a thrilling twist of fate back in October 1993, Tupac found himself in a showdown with two off-duty cops in Atlanta. Amidst the chaos, he ended up shooting and injuring them—one in the stomach, the other in the rear. The case took an unexpected turn when it was revealed that the officers, who had been intoxicated at the time, had actually instigated the altercation, with one even threatening Tupac with a stolen gun.

This shocking event highlighted the very issues of misrepresentation of African American males and biased police attitudes that Tupac had been passionately addressing in his music. Initially branded as a “gangster” for his actions, Tupac’s reputation was ultimately vindicated as the truth of his self-defense came to light. Through it all, the young rapper’s fame only continued to skyrocket.

Back in 1995, famed rapper Tupac faced a serious legal battle. Accused of sexually abusing a woman in his swanky New York hotel suite, he was hit with a one and a half to four and a half years sentence. While fiercely protesting his innocence, Tupac did express regret to journalist Kevin Powell, admitting he could’ve stepped in and protected the fan. Reflecting on this intense chapter in the star’s life, it’s a chilling reminder of the vulnerability some face in the presence of fame.

Tupac and The Shooting at Quad Studios

In late 1994, Tupac Shakur was shot multiple times while entering the lobby of a Manhattan recording studio. This violent outreach came after weeks of speculation that his rap rivalry with Biggie Smalls had escalated to dangerous levels and it seemed possible that either he or his label boss Sean “Diddy” Combs could be behind it. The attack marked an unfortunate end for what began as healthy competition between East and West Coast hip hop, culminating in June 1996 when Tuppac released “Hit ‘Em Up” – a fiery diss track aimed at both rivals.

Despite Biggie Smalls’ continuous denial regarding any involvement in Tupac’s shooting, a twist emerged in 2011. Dexter Isaac, a notorious New York inmate, confessed that music industry tycoon James “Henchman” Rosemond paid him to not only rob, but ultimately shoot Tupac.

The Other Women in Tupac’s Life

The young Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett-Smith, met back in their high school days at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland, forming a bond that had everything to do with survival. Their connection would later be commemorated when Jada made a cameo in Tupac’s music video, ‘Strictly 4 My Niggaz.’

Many years later he was framing a love story in the midst of chaos, Tupac Shakur tied the knot with 20-year-old Keisha Morris in 1995, despite being behind bars. The couple’s electric encounter at a nightclub a few months prior set the stage for a short-lived, yet unforgettable union. As fate intervened, Tupac’s release from prison led to the marriage’s annulment, yet their friendship remained unshaken until his untimely passing.

In a twist of irony, Tupac soon found love in Kidada Jones, daughter of the legendary Quincy Jones. Their first meeting unfolded when Tupac humbly apologized for a previous insult. Their connection grew stronger, with Kidada becoming an unwavering presence in Tupac’s life – even during his final moments in Las Vegas.

Tupac and Death Row Records

When Tupac found himself imprisoned on rape charges, Suge Knight, the infamous head of Death Row Records, appeared like a guardian angel. Knight offered to foot the hefty $1.3 million dollar bail bill, but only under the condition that Tupac joined his controversial label. Needless to say, Tupac didn’t hesitate to sign the deal, and by October 1995, he was a free man again.

While Death Row had a notorious reputation, Tupac didn’t let it define him. Underneath his tough exterior, he secretly supported at-risk youth initiatives, sponsored sports teams in South Central, and even established a helpline for troubled youngsters. His generous contributions to society were revealed posthumously in a Vanity Fair article by Robert Sam Anson, revealing the complex layers of Tupac’s life beyond his outlaw persona.

The Death of Tupac Shakur

In a whirlwind of events, legendary rapper Tupac met his tragic end on September 13, 1996, after succumbing to injuries sustained in a mysterious shooting in Las Vegas just six days earlier. The fateful night commenced with Tupac and his friend, Knight, enjoying a Mike Tyson fight at the glamorous MGM Grand hotel. Little did they know that a post-bout altercation with a member of the notorious Crips gang would set off a chain reaction leading to Tupac’s untimely demise. As the night unfolded, a surprise attack at a traffic stop found Tupac riddled with bullets, paving the way for an agonizing final chapter with his girlfriend, Kidada, and mother, Afeni, providing solace in his dwindling hours. The haunting enigma of Tupac’s unsolved murder continues to captivate and intrigue fans to this day.

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Tupac shakur (1971-1996).

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Tupac Shakur, the son of two Black Panther members, William Garland and Afeni Shakur, was born in East Harlem, New York on June 16, 1971, and named after Jose Gabriel Tupac Amaru II, an 18th century political leader in Peru who was executed after leading a rebellion against Spanish rule. Tupac’s parents separated before he was born.  At the age of 12, Shakur performed in A Raisin in the Sun with the 127th Street Ensemble. Afeni and Tupac later moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he entered the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts as a teenager.  While at the school, he began writing raps and poetry.  He also performed in Shakespearian plays and took a role in The Nutcracker.

In June 1988, Shakur and his family moved to Marin City, California where he joined the Ensemble Theater Company (ETC) to pursue a career in entertainment. Seventeen-year-old Shakur became an avid reader absorbing books such as J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Jamaica Kincaid’s At the Bottom of the River , Herman Melville’s Moby Dick , and the feminist writings of Alice Walker and Robin Morgan.

Shakur’s professional career began in 1991 with his hit single “Same Song.”  Later that year he appeared in Sons of the P , the first of his eight films.  He also recorded his first solo album 2Pacalypse Now .  In 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life with a few of his friends and his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur.  The group released their only album, Thug Life: Thug Life Vol 1 on September 26, 1994.  Despite his short five-year professional career (1991-1996) Shakur became the best selling hip-hop artist in the world with over 75 million albums sold including 44 million in the U.S.

Tupac Shakur also gained notoriety for his violent life and his conflicts with the law. In October 1993, in Atlanta, Georgia, Shakur shot two off-duty police officers who he claimed were harassing a black motorist.  The case was dropped when it was disclosed that the officers were intoxicated.  The following year he was convicted of assaulting a former woman employer while on a music video set. The day before the guilty verdict was handed down on December 1, 1994, Shakur was shot five times in a Manhattan recording studio.  Entering the courthouse in a wheelchair, he was sentenced to 15 days in jail with additional days on a highway work crew as community service, and a $2,000 fine. In April, 1996 he served 120 days in jail for violating the terms of his probation.  On September 7, 1996, shortly after attending the Mike Tyson –Bruce Seldon boxing match in Las Vegas, Nevada Shakur was wounded in a drive-by shooting. He died of his wounds six days later at the age of 25.

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Jonathan Jones, T upac Shakur Legay (New York: Atria Books, 2006; Jacob Hoye, Tupac: Resurrection (New York: Atria Books, 2003; Jonathan Jones, “Tupac Comes to Life for Bay Area Teens”. Northgate News Online , U.C.-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Nov. 18, 2003. Retrieved from http://journalism.berkeley.edu/ngno/stories/001588.html on Apr. 9, 2006; “Rapper Is Sentenced To 120 Days in Jail”. New York Times . April 5, 1996;.

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5 Facts About Tupac Shakur

Tupac's last name means 'thankful'

The rapper’s name descends from the Incas of Peru and the Arabic language. Túpac Amaru was the last leader of Peru’s Incan Empire and the name translates to “shining serpent.” “Shakur” comes from Arabic origins and means “thankful” or “appreciative.”

The rapper related to Shakespeare

In a 1994 interview from PBS’ Blank on Blank web series, Shakur said, “I feel like a tragic hero in a Shakespeare play, you know what I'm saying?" The quote rings true considering his rise to fame from poverty, his violent death and posthumous success.

He's immortalized in wax

Ten years after Tupac’s death, Madame Tussauds debuted an eerily life-like wax figure of the artist. The creators of the wax Tupac researched hours of videos of the rap star, his personal measurements and photos provided by his mother. They even hand-painted his tattoos to capture the uncanny resemblance.

Tupac was resurrected as a hologram

Although the rap legend died in 1996, he returned to the stage at the 2012 Coachella Music Festival via hologram. Tupac's hologram is one of several digitally projected deceased stars like Michael Jackson , Ol' Dirty Bastard and Easy-E . His hologram and music sales continue to generate major earnings posthumously.

His reported last words were profanity

Tupac's tragic death, shrouded in conspiracy theories, continues to fascinate fans. What really happened? Chris Carroll, a retired sergeant with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, was the first officer on the scene after Tupac’s fateful shooting on the strip. In a 2014 interview with Vegas Seven , a local newspaper, he describes the mayhem and reveals what could have been the rapper’s last words. After struggling to get a fatally wounded Shakur out of the vehicle, the officer tried to obtain information from him to identify the shooter. The officer recounts, “He looked at me and he took a breath to get the words out, and he opened his mouth, and I thought I was actually going to get some cooperation. And then the words came out: 'F**k you.' After that, he started gurgling and slipping out of consciousness." Shakur died six days later at the age of 25.

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Tupac Shakur Biography

The digital biography of Tupac Amaru Shakur - from Hip Hop Scriptures virtual Hip Hop Museum!

Tupac Shakur Digital Bio

GOVERNMENT NAME: TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR

Sun sign: gemini, birthday: june 16, hometown: harlem, nyc, ny, hologram performance:.

Hip-Hop Bio:

Tupac Amaru Shakur was an inspiration to millions.

While  2Pac was most famous for his rap career,  he was also a gifted actor, poet and thoughtful while outspoken advocate for the poor and the overlooked in America. During his life, he produced an immense amount of artistic work, which included studio albums, major Hollywood feature films, and published works.  He was most prolific in the music industry, selling over 75 million albums. 2Pac’s unapologetic lyrics were relevant, important, and reflective of the hard lives led by many. His music earned attention and respect through a poetic style that embraced street vocabulary while being innovative. Today, 2Pac is still considered by many to be one of the biggest influences on modern hip-hop.

2Pac’s career has earned him six Grammy nominations and three MTV Video Music Award nominations. In 1997, Shakur was honored by the American Music Awards as the Favorite Hip Hop Artist.

Born on June 16 1971 in New York City, Shakur’s parents were both members of the Black Panther Party whose militant style and provocative ideologies for civil rights would come to influence 2Pac’s music. 

Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. He was named after Túpac Amaru, an 18th-century South American revolutionary who was executed after leading an indigenous uprising against Spanish rule. Subsequent to Shakur's death, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (as well as the official coroner's report, which lists "Crooks" as an aka) released his name as Lesane Parish Crooks.

His mother, Afeni Shakur, and his father, Billy Garland, were active members of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The infant boy was born a month after his mother was acquitted of more than 150 charges of "Conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks" in the New York "Panther 21" court case.

Shakur lived from an early age with people who were convicted of serious criminal offences and who were imprisoned. His godfather, Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, a high ranking Black Panther, was convicted of murdering a school teacher during a 1968 robbery, although his sentence was later overturned. His stepfather, Mutulu, spent four years at large on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list beginning in 1982. Mutulu was wanted for having helped his sister Assata Shakur (also known as Joanne Chesimard) to escape from a penitentiary in New Jersey. She had been imprisoned for killing a state trooper in 1973. Mutulu was caught in 1986 and imprisoned for the robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which two police officers and a guard were killed. Shakur had a half-sister, Sekyiwa, two years his junior, and an older stepbrother, Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, who appeared in many of his recordings.

At the age of twelve, Shakur enrolled in Harlem's 127th Street Repertory Ensemble and was cast as the Travis Younger character in the play A Raisin in the Sun, which was performed at the Apollo Theater. In 1986, the family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland. After completing his second year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, he transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. He performed in Shakespeare plays, and in the role of the Mouse King in the ballet The Nutcracker. Shakur, accompanied by one of his friends, Dana "Mouse" Smith, as his beatbox, won many rap competitions and was considered to be the best rapper in his school. He was remembered as one of the most popular kids in his school because of his sense of humor, superior rapping skills, and ability to mix with all crowds. He developed a close friendship with a young Jada Pinkett (later Jada Pinkett Smith) that lasted until his death.

In the documentary Tupac: Resurrection, Shakur says, "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life." Pinkett Smith calls him "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." A poem written by Shakur titled "Jada" appears in his book, The Rose That Grew From Concrete, which also includes a poem dedicated to Pinkett Smith called "The Tears in Cupid's Eyes". During his time in art school, Shakur became affiliated with the Baltimore Young Communist League USA, and began dating the daughter of the director of the local Communist Party USA.

In June 1988, Shakur and his family moved to Marin City, California, a residential community located 5 miles (8.0 km) north of San Francisco, where he attended Tamalpais High School in nearby Mill Valley. He began attending the poetry classes of Leila Steinberg in 1989. That same year, Steinberg organized a concert with a former group of Shakur's, "Strictly Dope"; the concert led to him being signed with Atron Gregory. He set him up as a roadie and backup dancer with the young rap group Digital Underground in 1990.

At an early age, Tupac’s love for performance and the arts began to show, as he began acting at age 13 and later enrolled in the Baltimore School of the Arts before dropping out at 17. Shakur broke into the music business with rap group Digital Underground as a back-up dancer and roadie. Eventually Shakur released his first solo album in ’91,  2pacalypse Now . 2Pac’s music career began to grow as his second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z  included two top 20 pop chart tracks:  I Get Around  and  Keep Ya Head Up .

1991–92: 2Pacalypse Now

Shakur's professional entertainment career began in the early 1990s, when he debuted his rapping skills in a vocal turn in Digital Underground 's "Same Song" from the soundtrack to the 1991 film Nothing but Trouble and also appeared with the group in the film of the same name. The song was later released as the lead song of the Digital Underground extended play (EP) This is an EP Release, the follow-up to their debut hit album Sex Packets. Shakur appeared in the accompanying music video. After his rap debut, he performed with Digital Underground again on the album Sons of the P. Later, he released his first solo album, 2Pacalypse Now. Though the album did not generate any "Top Ten" hits, 2Pacalypse Now is hailed by many critics and fans for its underground feel, with many rappers such as Nas , Eminem , Game, and Talib Kweli having pointed to it as inspiration. Although the album was originally released on Interscope Records, rights of it are now owned by Amaru Entertainment. The album's name is a reference to the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.

The album generated significant controversy. Dan Quayle criticized it after a Texas youth's defense attorney claimed he was influenced by 2Pacalypse Now and its strong theme of police brutality before shooting a state trooper. Quayle said, "There's no reason for a record like this to be released. It has no place in our society." The record was important in showcasing 2Pac's political conviction and his focus on lyrical prowess. On MTV's Greatest Rappers of All Time List, 2Pacalypse Now was listed as one of 2Pac's "certified classic" albums, along with Me Against the World, All Eyez On Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

2Pacalypse Now went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA. It featured three singles; "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Trapped", and "If My Homie Calls". 2Pacalypse Now can be found in the Vinyl Countdown and in the instruction manual for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, along with the track "I Don't Give a Fuck," which appeared on the in-game radio station, Radio Los Santos.

1993: Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.

His second studio album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., was released in February 1993. The album did better than the previous one debuting on number 24 on the Billboard 200. The album contains many tracks emphasizing Tupac's political and social views. This album had more commercial success than its predecessor, and there were noticeable differences in production. While Tupac's first effort had an indie-rap-oriented sound, this album was considered his "breakout" album. It spawned the hits "Keep Ya Head Up" and "I Get Around" and reached platinum status. On vinyl, Side A (tracks 1–8) was labeled the "Black Side" and Side B (tracks 9–16) the "Dark Side." It's known as his tenth-biggest selling album with 1,366,000 units moved as of 2004.

1994: Thug Life, Thug Life: Volume 1 and November shooting

"Thug Life" redirects here. For the film, see Thug Life (film). For the album, see Thug Life: Volume 1.

In late 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life with a number of his friends, including Big Syke, Macadoshis, his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur, and Rated R. The group released their only album Thug Life: Volume 1 on September 26, 1994, which went gold. The album featured the single "Pour Out a Little Liquor," produced by Johnny "J" Jackson, who went on to produce a large part of Shakur's album All Eyez on Me. The group usually performed their concerts without Shakur. The album was originally released by Shakur's label Out Da Gutta Records. Due to criticism about gangsta rap at the time, the original version of the album was scrapped and re-recorded with many of the original songs being cut. Among the notable tracks on the album are "Bury Me a G," "Cradle to the Grave," "Pour Out a Little Liquor" (which also appears in the soundtrack to the 1994 film Above the Rim), "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" and "Str8 Ballin'." The album contains ten tracks because Interscope Records felt many of the other recorded songs were too controversial to release. Although the original version of the album was not completed, Tupac performed the planned first single from the album, "Out on Bail" at the 1994 Source Awards. Although the album was originally released on Shakur's label Out Da Gutta, Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by the mother of Tupac Shakur, has since gained the rights to it. Thug Life: Volume 1 was certified Gold. The track "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" appeared later in 1998 from 2Pac's Greatest Hits album.

Shakur was rushed to Bellevue Hospital after a near-fatal shooting in 1994

On the night of November 30, 1994, the day before the verdict in his sexual abuse trial was to be announced, Shakur was shot five times and robbed by two armed men in army fatigues after entering the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. He would later accuse Sean Combs, Andre Harrell, and Biggie Smalls —whom he saw after the shooting—of setting him up. Shakur also suspected his close friend and associate, Randy "Stretch" Walker, of being involved in the attack. In a documentary, Biggie says that they were in the recording studio and did not know Shakur would be there. Once they heard he was downstairs, Lil' Cease went to get him but came back with news that he had just been shot. When Biggie 's entourage went downstairs to check on the incident, Shakur was being taken out on a stretcher, still conscious and giving the finger to those around.

According to the doctors at Bellevue Hospital, where he was admitted immediately following the incident, Shakur had received five bullet wounds; twice in the head, twice in the groin and once through the arm and thigh. In the documentary " Biggie and Tupac", Tupac's father is interviewed and said that Tupac made a point to show him that no damage was inflicted upon his penis and/or testicles. His father also mentions that when he saw Tupac's groin, he knew that he was his son. He checked out of the hospital against doctor's orders, three hours after surgery. In the day that followed, Shakur entered the courthouse in a wheelchair and was found guilty of three counts of molestation, but innocent of six others, including sodomy. On February 6, 1995, he was sentenced to one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison on a sexual assault charge.

A year later on November 30, 1995, Stretch was killed after being shot twice in the back by three men who pulled up alongside his green minivan at 112th Ave. and 209th St. in Queens Village, while he was driving. His minivan smashed into a tree and hit a parked car.

On March 17, 2008, Chuck Philips wrote a Los Angeles Times article stating that Jimmy Henchman, a hip hop talent manager, ordered a trio of thugs to rough up Shakur. The article, which was later retracted by the LA Times because it partially relied on FBI documents which turned out to be forged was thought to be vindicated in 2011 when Dexter Isaac admitted to attacking Tupac on orders from Henchman. Following Isaac’s public confession, Philips corroborated Isaac as one (among many) of his key unnamed sources. In a June 12, 2012 exclusive for The Village Voice, Philips reported that Jimmy Henchman admitted to setting up Tupac's ambush during one of nine "Queen For A Day" proffer sessions with the government in autumn of 2011, according to prosecutors, key evidence supporting Philips' theory of the attack.

1995: Prison sentence, Me Against the World and bail

Shakur began serving his prison sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility on February 14, 1995. Shortly afterward, he released his multi-platinum album Me Against the World. Shakur became the first artist to have an album at number one on the Billboard 200 while serving a prison sentence. Me Against the World made its debut on the Billboard 200 and stayed at the top of the charts for four weeks. The album sold 240,000 copies in its first week, setting a record for highest first week sales for a solo male rap artist at the time. While serving his sentence, he married his long-time girlfriend, Keisha Morris, on April 4, 1995; the couple divorced in 1996. Shakur stated he married her "for the wrong reasons". While imprisoned, Shakur read many books by Niccolò Machiavelli, Sun Tzu's The Art of War and other works of political philosophy and strategy. He wrote a screenplay titled Live 2 Tell while incarcerated, a story about an adolescent who becomes a drug baron.

The album was very well received, with many calling it the magnum opus of his career. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all-time. It is his fourth biggest selling album with 2,439,000 units moved to date. Me Against the World won best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards.

"Dear Mama" was released as the album's first single in February 1995, along with the track "Old School" as the B-side. "Dear Mama" would be the album's most successful single, topping the Hot Rap Singles chart, and peaking at the ninth spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified platinum in July 1995, and later placed at #51 on the year-end charts. The second single, "So Many Tears", was released in June, four months after the first single. The single would reach the number six spot on the Hot Rap Singles chart, and the 44th on the Billboard Hot 100. "Temptations", released in August, was the third and final single from the album. The single would be the least successful of the three released, but still did fairly well on the charts, reaching number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100, 35 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, and 13 on the Hot Rap Singles charts.

1996: All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

All Eyez on Me was the fourth studio album by 2Pac, released on February 13, 1996 by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album is frequently recognized as one of the crowning achievements of 1990s rap music. It has been said that "despite some undeniable filler, it is easily the best production 2Pac's ever had on record". It was certified 5× Platinum after just 2 months in April 1996 and 9× platinum in 1998. The album featured the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles "How Do U Want It" and "California Love". It featured 5 singles in all, the most of any 2Pac album. Moreover, All Eyez On Me (which was the only Death Row release to be distributed through PolyGram by way of Island Records) made history as the first double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption. It was issued on two compact discs and four LPs. Chartwise, All Eyez on Me was the second album from 2Pac to hit number-one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It sold 566,000 copies in the first week of its release, and was charted on the top 100 with the top one-week Soundscan sales since 1991. The album won the 1997 Soul Train R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year Award. Shakur also won the Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at the 24th Annual American Music Awards.

Makaveli The Don - Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, commonly shortened to The 7 Day Theory, is the fifth and final studio album by Tupac Shakur, under the new stage name Makaveli, finished before his death and his first studio album to be posthumously released. The album was completely finished in a total of seven days during the month of August 1996. The lyrics were written and recorded in only three days and mixing took an additional four days. These are among the very last songs he recorded before his fatal shooting on September 7, 1996. In 2005, MTV.com ranked Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory at #9 on their greatest hip hop albums of all time list and, in 2006, recognized it as a classic. The emotion and anger showcased on the album has been admired by a large part of the hip-hop community, including other rappers. Ronald "Riskie" Brent is the creator of the Makaveli Don Killuminati cover painting. George "Papa G" Pryce, Former Head of Publicity for Death Row, claimed that "Makaveli which we did was a sort of tongue and cheek and it was not really to come out and after Tupac was murdered, it did come out. But before that it was going to be a sort of an underground." The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and the Billboard 200. The album generated the second-highest debut-week sales total of any album that year, selling 664,000 copies on the first week. This album was certified 4× Platinum on June 15, 1999.

Shakur’s legal battles began after he established his rap career. In the early nineties Shakur faced a wrongful death suit which settled out of court, accusations of assaulting police officers where charges were ultimately dropped, and even an incident where Shakur sustained five gunshot wounds from shooter Dexter Isaac. In 1995 2Pac was sentenced one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison for sexual abuse. However, not even prison could slow the success of Shakur’s career.

While incarcerated 2Pac’s latest album at the time,  Me Against the World , was number one in the pop charts and would later go double platinum. Shakur became the first artist to reach number one in the pop charts while serving a prison sentence. Making the most of his time in jail, 2Pac became a passionate reader. Among his favorites were the works of Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian Renaissance writer whose works were in part the foundation for western political science. Shakur’s appreciation of his work inspired the nickname: Makaveli.

After serving only eight months of his sentence, 2Pac was out on parole thanks to a 1.4 million dollar bond paid by Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records. Now signed with Death Row Records, Shakur went on to create  All Eyez on Me , which featured hits  How Do You Want It  and  California Love .

2Pac’s life was cut short in September of 1996 when Shakur became the victim of a drive-by shooting while his car waited on a red light. While Shakur survived the surgery that followed he was pronounced dead almost a week after the attack.

Even today, 2Pac’s influence is wide-spread. From the Library of Congress where his song Dear Mama was added in 2010 to the National Registry, to artists like 11 time Grammy winner Eminem who in an interview with MTV said:

“He made you feel like you knew him. I think that , honestly, Tupac was the greatest songwriter that ever lived. He made it seem so  easy.  The emotion was there, and feeling, and everything he was trying to describe. You saw a picture that he was trying to paint.”

2Pac leaves a legacy of honesty and passion in his songs. Respected by many,  2Pac has become an inspiration for artists and a standard in rap music.

(sources: 2pac.com, wikipedia.org)

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Biography of Túpac Amaru, the Last of the Incan Lords

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Túpac Amaru (1545–September 24, 1572) was the last of the indigenous rulers of the Inca. He ruled during the time of the Spanish occupation and was executed by the Spanish after the final defeat of the Neo-Inca state.

Fast Facts: Túpac Amaru

• Known For : The last indigenous ruler of the Inca
• Also Known As : Túpac Amaru, Topa Amaru, Thupa Amaro, Tupaq Amaru, Thupaq Amaru
• Born : 1545 (exact date unknown) in or near Cusco
• Parents : Manco Capac (father); mother unknown
• Died : September 24, 1572 in Cusco
• Spouse: Unknown
• Children : One son
• Notable Quote : "Ccollanan Pachacamac ricuy auccacunac yawarniy hichascancuta." ("Pacha Kamaq, witness how my enemies shed my blood."

Tupac Amaru, a member of the Incan royal family, grew up in the Incan convent Vilcabamba, the "religious university" of the Incas. As a young adult, he was against the Spanish occupation and rejected Christianity. Indigenous Incan leaders supported him because of that.

When the Spanish arrived in the Andes in the early 1530s, they found the wealthy Inca Empire in turmoil. Feuding brothers Atahualpa and Huáscar ruled over two halves of the mighty Empire. Huáscar was killed by Atahuallpa’s agents and Atahualpa himself was captured and executed by the Spanish, effectively ending the time of the Inca. A brother of Atahualpa and Huáscar, Manco Inca Yupanqui, managed to escape with some loyal followers and established himself head of a small kingdom, first at Ollantaytambo and later in Vilcabamba.

Manco Inca Yupanqui was assassinated by Spanish deserters in 1544. His 5-year-old son Sayri Túpac took over and ruled his small kingdom with the help of regents. The Spanish sent ambassadors and relations between the Spanish in Cusco and the Inca at Vilcabamba warmed. In 1560, Sayri Túpac was eventually persuaded to come to Cusco, renounce his throne, and accept baptism. In exchange, he was given vast lands and a profitable marriage. He died suddenly in 1561, and his half-brother Titu Cusi Yupanqui became the leader of Vilcabamba.

Titu Cusi was more cautious than his half-brother had been. He fortified Vilcabamba and refused to come to Cusco for any reason, although he did allow ambassadors to stay. In 1568, however, he finally relented, accepting baptism and, in theory, turning over his kingdom to the Spanish, although he consistently delayed any visit to Cusco. Spanish Viceroy Francisco de Toledo repeatedly attempted to buy off Titu Cusi with presents such as fine cloth and wine. In 1571, Titu Cusi became ill. Most of the Spanish diplomats were not in Vilcabamba at the time, leaving only Friar Diego Ortiz and translator Pedro Pando.

Túpac Amaru Ascends the Throne

The Inca lords in Vilcabamba asked Friar Ortiz to ask his God to save Titu Cusi. When Titu Cusi died, they held the friar accountable and killed him by tying a rope through his lower jaw and dragging him through town. Pedro Pando was also killed. Next in line was Túpac Amaru, Titu Cusi’s brother, who had been living in semi-seclusion in a temple. About the time Túpac Amaru was made leader, a Spanish diplomat returning to Vilcabamba from Cusco was killed. Although it is unlikely that Túpac Amaru had anything to do with it, he was blamed and the Spanish prepared for war.

War with the Spanish

Túpac Amaru had only been in charge for a few weeks when the Spanish arrived, led by 23-year-old Martín García Oñez de Loyola, a promising officer of noble blood who would later become governor of Chile. After a couple of skirmishes, the Spanish managed to capture Túpac Amaru and his top generals. They relocated all the men and women who had been living in Vilcabamba and brought Túpac Amaru and the generals back to Cusco. Dates of birth for Túpac Amaru are vague, but he was approximately in his late 20s at the time. They were all sentenced to die for insurrection: the generals by hanging and Túpac Amaru by beheading.

The generals were thrown in prison and tortured, and Túpac Amaru was sequestered and given intense religious training for several days. He eventually converted and accepted baptism. Some of the generals had been tortured so badly that they died before making it to the gallows—although their bodies were hung anyway. Túpac Amaru was led through the city escorted by 400 Cañari warriors, traditional bitter enemies of the Inca. Several important priests, including the influential Bishop Agustín de la Coruña, pleaded for his life, but Viceroy Francisco de Toledo ordered the sentence to be carried out.

The heads of Túpac Amaru and his generals were put on pikes and left at the scaffold. Before long, the locals—many of whom still considered the Inca ruling family to be divine—started worshiping the head of Túpac Amaru, leaving offerings and small sacrifices. When notified of this, Viceroy Toledo ordered the head to be buried with the rest of the body. With the death of Túpac Amaru and the destruction of the last Inca kingdom in Vilcabamba, Spanish domination of the region was complete.

Historic Context

Túpac Amaru never really had a chance; he came into power at a time when events had already conspired against him. The deaths of the Spanish priest, interpreter, and ambassador were not of his doing, as they took place before he was made the leader of Vilcabamba. As a result of these tragedies, he was forced to fight a war he may not have even wanted. In addition, Viceroy Toledo had already decided to stamp out the last Inca holdout at Vilcabamba. The legality of the conquest of the Inca was being seriously questioned by reformers (primarily in the religious orders) in Spain and in the New World, and Toledo knew that without a ruling family to which the Empire could be returned, questioning the legality of the conquest was moot. Although Viceroy Toledo was reprimanded by the crown for the execution, he did the king a favor by removing the last legitimate legal threat to Spanish rule in the Andes.

Today Túpac Amaru stands as a symbol for the indigenous people of Peru of the horrors of the conquest and Spanish colonial rule. He is considered the first indigenous leader to seriously rebel against the Spanish in an organized way and, as such, he has become the inspiration for many guerrilla groups over the centuries. In 1780, his great-grandson José Gabriel Condorcanqui adopted the name Túpac Amaru and launched a short-lived but serious rebellion against the Spanish in Peru. The Peruvian communist rebel group Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru (“Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement”) took their name from him, as did the Uruguayan Marxist rebel group the Tupamaros .

Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971–1996) was an American rapper who was named after Túpac Amaru II.

• De Gamboa, Pedro Sarmiento, "History of the Incas." Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1999. (written in Peru in 1572)
• MacQuarrie, Kim. " The Last Days of the Incas ," Simon & Schuster, 2007.
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DL: 2Pac – O.H. 2 N.O. (Live)

Dl: dante presents og vibe series, evil mind gangsta’s – all hell breakin’ loose [1992] [cd],  dl: ultimate death row video compilation (dvd) iso, 2pacalypse now notebook, tupac is finally honored with a star on the hollywood walk of fame, dl book: from friends to enemies as told by dexter isaac, dl: live squad – a game of survival (unreleased promo) 1993 – cassette tape rip, never-heard 2pac’s 1991 interview with michael small, 1996-06-29 / tupac interview in italy with paola zukar of “aelle rap magazine”, dl: 2pac video collection 3 dvd discs (iso) by deathrowrecords.com, new exclusive leaks of 2pac mugshots, november 18, 1993, 1995-09-10 / 2pac loves tronya, rare photo at clinton correctional facility, 1991-06-29 / 2pac and digital underground during the “budweiser superfest”, most valuable 2pac collectibles, how tupac shakur changed hip-hop, surprising facts about tupac shakur, ”nothing 2 lose” handwritten lyrics, dr. mutulu shakur, tupac’s stepfather, dies at 72, tupac’s biological father billy garland opens up on how he felt after the ”dear mama” track, tupac and jada pinkett smith: the never-ending story, after 36 years behind bars: mutulu shakur speaks out for the first time since being released, dl: suge knight: on the real death row story (2001) (dvd), dl: if my homie calls (rnb & street mix) cassette tape prod. by greg beasley, dl: dj cochise – makaveli 2 the remix album – volume 8 (coc 522) (us) [flac], prince ital joe (1997) – prince ital joe (promo advance) (cassette tape) [256] download, the pacific archived server – the source of tupac’s unreleased music (264 files), 2pac – troublesome ’21 (unreleased album) cd, new nfts of tupac show rare pieces of his jewelry and final photo before death, dl: digital underground – raw uncut [dvd], rare interview reveals 2pac’s emotions behind the scenes of “poetic justice”, unseen tupac interview reveals why he decided to star in gridlock’d, a rare interview with tupac during the shooting of the movie “gang related” emerges, 2pac’s original studio reel-to-reel unreleased [august 05, 1994], 1996-06-19 / day 6 – ”one nation” project. the last pac’s day in l.a., tupac is holding a baby bottle. rare photo from baltimore, 1987, 2pac’s influence on street art: a graffiti journey, tupac’s favorite hobbies, how many songs does tupac have (updating…), left eye interview about tupac shakur, sister 2 sister magazine (1998), the story of tupac’s godmother assata shakur and why she’s on the fbi’s most wanted list, who was biggie smalls aka big dric from 2pac’s ”god bless the dead”, candyman 187 talks about the havenotz group and the savior tupac, sekyiwa ‘set’ shakur – what it’s like to be tupac’s sister.

Tupac Shakur Biography

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City, New York. He was named after  Tupac Amaru II , an Incan revolutionary who led an indigenous uprising against Spain and subsequently received capital punishment. The names “Tupac Amaru” and “Shakur” mean Shining Serpent or Royal Serpent in Quechua and Thankful (to God) in Arabic, respectively.

His mother,  Afeni Shakur , was an active member of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s; Tupac was born just one month after her acquittal on more than 100 charges of “Conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks” in the New York Panther 21 court case Tupac grew up around nothing but self-delusion. His mother, thought she was a “revolutionary. ” She called herself “ Afeni Shakur ” and associated with members of the ill-fated Black Panther Party, a movement that wanted to feed school kids breakfast and earn civil rights for African Americans.

During her youth she dropped out of high school, partied with North Carolina gang members, then moved to Brooklyn: After an affair with one of Malcolm X’s bodyguards, she became political. When the mostly white United Federation of Teachers went on strike in 1968, she crossed the picket line and taught the children herself.

After this she joined a New York chapter of the Black Panther Party and fell in with an organizer named Lumumba. She took to ranting about killing “the pigs” and overthrowing the government, which eventually led to her arrest and that of twenty comrades for conspiring to set off a race war. Pregnant, she made bail and told her husband, Lummuba, it wasn’t his child. Behind his back she had been carrying on with Legs (a small-time associate of Harlem drug baron Nicky Barnes) and Billy Garland (a member of the Party). Lumumba immediately divorced her.

Tupac said, “I never knew where my father was or who my father was for sure.” His godfather, Geronimo Pratt, was also a high-ranking Panther. His step-father, Mutulu, was a drug dealer who, according to Tupac, was rarely present to give him the discipline he needed.

Tupac had a half-sister, Sekyiwa , two years his junior, and an older stepbrother, Mopreme “Komani” Shakur , who appeared on many of his recordings.

At the age of twelve, Shakur enrolled in Harlem’s famous “127th Street Ensemble.” His first major role with this acting troupe was as Travis in A Raisin in the Sun . In 1986 Tupac’s mother brought him and his sister to live in Baltimore, Maryland. The Shakurs lived on Greenmount Ave. in East Baltimore. There, Tupac was disliked because of his looks, name, and lack of trendy clothing. He attended Roland Park Middle School, then spent his freshman year at Paul Lawrence Dunbar High.

For his sophomore year Tupac was accepted to the Baltimore School for the Arts. He enjoyed his classes there, studying theater, ballet, and other arts. It was during this time that Tupac became close friends with another student named Jada Pinkett. Even at this young age, Tupac was outspoken on the subject of racial equality. His teachers remembered him as being a very gifted student. He was an avid reader, delving into books on eastern religions, and even entire encyclopedia sets. Hiding his love of literature from his peers, he gained the respect of his peers by acting like a tough guy. Tupac composed his first rap in Baltimore under the name “MC New York”. The song was about gun control and was inspired by the fatal shooting of one of his close friends.

From childhood, everyone called him the “ Black Prince .” For misbehaving, he had to read an entire edition of The New York Times. But she had no answer when he asked about his daddy. “She just told me, ‘I don’t know who your daddy is.’ It wasn’t like she was a slut or nothing’. It was just some rough times. “When he was two, his sister, Sekyiwa, was born. This child’s father, Mutulu, was a Black Panther who, a few months before her birth, had been sentenced to sixty years for a fatal armoured car robbery.

With Mutulu away, the family experienced hard times. No matter where they moved-the Bronx, Harlem, homeless shelters Tupac was distressed. “I remember crying all the time. My major thing growing up was I couldn’t fit in. Because I was from everywhere. I didn’t have no buddies that I grew up with.”

At the age of twelve, Tupac enrolled in Harlem’s 127th Street Repertory Ensemble and was cast as the Travis Younger character in the play A Raisin in the Sun, which was performed at the Apollo Theater. In 1986, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland. After completing his second year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, he transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts. There he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. He performed in Shakespeare plays, and in the role of the Mouse King in the ballet The Nutcracker.

In June 1988 , a drug-addicted Afeni was having trouble finding work (her Panther past did not help, either). She uprooted the family again and brought Tupac and Sekyiwa to live with a family friend in Marin City, California,  where Tupac attended Tamalpais High School . He joined the Ensemble Theater Company (ETC) to pursue his career in entertainment.

Tupac move into Leila Steinberg’s home with his friend Ray Luv at the age of seventeen and he eventually dropped out of high school. Leila Steinberg acted as a literary mentor to Tupac, an avid reader.

In August of 1988, Tupac’s stepfather Mutulu was sentenced to sixty years in prison for armed robbery after being on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list for several years. Shakur soon moved in with a neighbor and started selling drugs on the street, but also made friends who helped spark his interest in rap music. One of these was Ray Luv, and with a mutual friend named DJ Dize (Dizz-ee), they started a rap group called Strictly Dope . Their recordings were later released in 2001 under the name Tupac Shakur: The Lost Tapes. Their neighborhood performances brought Tupac enough acclaim to land an audition with Shock G of Digital Underground.

Steinberg has kept copies of the books that he read, which include J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Jamaica Kincaid’s At the Bottom of the River, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, Eileen Southern’s Music of Black Americans, and the feminist writings of Alice Walker and Robin Morgan. Most of these books were read before the age of twenty. It has been said that Tupac was, in fact, more well-read and intellectually well-rounded at that age than the average student in the first year class of most Ivy League institutions In 1989, Leila Steinberg organized a concert with Tupac’s group, Strictly Dope . The concert lead to him being signed with Atron Gregory who set him up with Digital Underground .

Tupac’s professional entertainment career began in the early 1990s, when he debuted his rapping skills on “ Same Song ” from the Digital Underground album ” This is an EP Release ”. He first appeared in the music video for “ Same Song “. After his rap debut, Tupac performed with Digital Underground again on the album ” Sons Of The P ”.

Later, he released his first solo album, 2Pacalypse Now . Initially he had trouble marketing his solo debut, but Interscope Records ‘ executives Ted Field and Tom Whalley eventually agreed to distribute the record.

Tupac claimed his first album was aimed at the problems facing young black males, but it was publicly criticized for its graphic language and images of violence by and against law enforcement.In one instance, a young man claimed his killing of a Texas-based trooper was influenced by the album. Former Vice President Dan Quayle publicly denounced the album as having “no place in our society” 2Pacalypse Now did not do as well on the charts as future albums, spawning no top ten hits.

His second record, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… , was released in 1993. The album, produced mostly in part by Randy “ Stretch ” Walker (Shakur’s closest friend and associate at the time) and the Live Squad , generated two hits, “ Keep Ya Head Up ” and “ I Get Around “, the latter featuring guest appearances by Shock G and Money-B of the Digital Underground .

Shakur’s profile was raised considerably by his acclaimed role in the Ernest Dickerson film Juice, which led to a lead role in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice the following year. By the time the film hit theaters, 2Pac had released his second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… , which became a platinum album, peaking at number four on the R&B charts and launching the Top Ten R&B hit singles “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up,” which peaked at number 11 and 12, respectively, on the pop charts. Late in 1993, he acted in the basketball movie ”Above the Rim”.  Tupac was filming ” Menace II Society ” in the summer of 1993 when he assaulted director Allen Hughes; he was sentenced to 15 days in jail in early 1994. Although Tupac was selling records and earning praise for his music and acting, he began having serious altercations with the law; prior to becoming a recording artist, he had no police record.

By the time he was twenty, Tupac had been arrested eight times, even serving eight months in prison after being convicted of sexual abuse. In addition, he was the subject of two wrongful-death lawsuits, one involving a six-year-old boy who was killed after getting caught in gang-war crossfire between Tupac’s gang and a rival group.

In late 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life with a number of his friends, including Big Syke , Macadoshis , his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur , and Rated R . The group released their first and only record album Thug Life Vol. 1 on September 26, 1994. The group usually performed their concerts without Tupac.

The concept of “Thug Life” was viewed by Tupac as a philosophy for life. He developed the word into a backronym standing for “ The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody “. He declared that the dictionary definition of a “thug” as being a rogue or criminal was not how he used the term, but rather he meant someone who came from oppressive or squalid background and little opportunity but still made a life for himself and was proud. In 1994, he was found guilty of sexual assault . The day after the verdict was announced, he was shot by a pair of muggers while he was in the lobby of a New York City recordings studio. Shakur was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison on February 7, 1995.

He married his long-time girlfriend, Keisha Morris , while serving his sentence. This marriage was later annulled. While imprisoned, Shakur read many books by Niccolo Machiavelli, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and other works of political philosophy and strategy.

Read for Keisha Morris, here .

He also wrote a screenplay titled ” Live 2 Tell ” while incarcerated, a story about an adolescent who becomes a drug baron.

After serving eleven months of his one-and-a-half year to four-and-a-half year sentence, Tupac was released from the penitentiary, due in large part to the help and influence of Marion “ Suge ” Knight, CEO of Death Row Records. Knight posted $1.4 million bail pending appeal of the conviction, in exchange for which Shakur was obligated to release three albums for the Death Row label.

It debuted at number one upon its February release, and would be certified quintuple platinum by the fall. Although he had a hit record and, with the Dr. Dre duet “California Love,” a massive single on his hands, Shakur was beginning to tire of hip-hop and started to concentrate on acting. During the summer of 1996, he completed two films, the thriller Bullet and the dark comedy Gridlock’d, which also starred Tim Roth. He also made some recordings for Death Row, which was quickly disintegrating without Dre as the house producer, and as Knight became heavily involved in illegal activities.

The album presents a stark contrast to previous works. Throughout the album, Tupac continues to focus on the themes of pain and aggression, making this album one of the emotionally darker works of his career. Tupac wrote and recorded all the lyrics in only three days and the production took another four days, combining for a total of seven days to complete the album (hence the name). The album was completely finished before Shakur died and Shakur had complete creative input on the album from the name of the album to the cover, which Shakur chose to symbolize how the media had crucified him. The record debuted at number one and sold 663,000 copies in the first week. Tupac had plans of starting Makaveli Records which would have included Outlawz, Wu-Tang Clan, Big Daddy Kane, Big Syke, and Gang Starr.

On the night of September 7, 1996, Shakur attended the Mike Tyson – Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. After leaving the match, one of Suge Knight’s associates spotted 21 year-old Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson , a member of the Southside Crips, in the MGM Grand lobby and had Shakur aware. Shakur immediately rushed Anderson and knocked him to the ground. Shakur’s entourage, as well as Knight and his followers assisted in beating down Anderson. The fight was captured on the hotel’s video surveillance. A few weeks earlier, Anderson and a group of Crips robbed a member of Death Row’s entourage in a Foot Locker store, precipitating Shakur’s onset. After the brawl, Shakur went to rendezvous with Knight to go to Death Row-owned Club 662 (now known as restaurant/club Seven).

He rode in Knight’s 1996 black BMW 750i sedan as part of a larger convoy with some of Tupac’s friends, Outlawz, and bodyguards. At 10:55 p.m., while paused at a red light, Shakur rolled down his window and a photographer took their photo at around 11:00-11:05 p.m., they were halted on Las Vegas Blvd. by Metro bicycle cops for playing the car stereo too loud and not having license plates. The plates were then found in the trunk of Knight’s vehicle; they were released without being fined a few minutes later.

At about 11:10 p.m., while stopped at a red light at Flamingo Road near the intersection of Koval Lane in front of the Maxim Hotel, a vehicle occupied by two women pulled up on their right side. Shakur, who was standing up through the sunroof, exchanged words with the two women, and invited them to go to Club 662. At approximately 11:15 p.m., a white, four-door, late-model, Cadillac driven by unknown person(s) pulled up to the sedan’s right side, rolled down one of the windows, and rapidly fired around twelve to thirteen shots at Tupac.

At the time of the drive-by, Tupac was riding alongside Knight, with his bodyguard following behind in a vehicle belonging to Kidada Jones, Shakur’s then-fiance. The bodyguard, Frank Alexander, stated that when he was about to ride along with the rapper in Knight’s car, Shakur asked him to drive Kidada Jones’ car instead just in case they were too drunk and needed additional vehicles from Club 662 back to the hotel. Shortly after the assault, the bodyguard reported in his documentary, ” Before I Wake” , that one of the convoy’s cars drove off after the assailant but he never heard back from the occupants. After arriving on the scene, police and paramedics took Knight and a fatally wounded Shakur to the University Medical Center. According to an interview with one of Shakur’s closest friends and music video director Gobi, while at the hospital, he received news from a Death Row marketing employee that the shooters had called the record label and were sending death threats aimed at Shakur, claiming that they were going there to “finish him off”.Upon hearing this, Gobi immediately alerted the Las Vegas police, but the police claimed they were understaffed and no one could be sent.Nonetheless, the shooters never arrived.At the hospital, Shakur was in and out of consciousness; heavily sedated, breathed through a ventilator and respirator, was placed on life support machines, and was ultimately put under a barbiturate-induced coma after repeatedly trying to get out of the bed. Despite having been resuscitated in a trauma center and surviving a multitude of surgeries (as well the removal of a failed right lung), Shakur had gotten through the critical phase of the medical therapy and had a 50% chance of pulling through Gobi left the medical center after being informed that Shakur made a 13% recovery on the sixth night.While in Critical Care Unit on the afternoon of September 13, 1996, Shakur died of internal bleeding; doctors attempted to revive him but could not stop his hemorrhaging.

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Biography, history, life and musical legacy of Tupac Shakur – 2Pac

Tupac Shakur Biography: 2Pac history, life and musical legacy. How a genre was invented and its influences and ongoing preeminence in African American mores.

Tupac Amaru Shakur, who was born Lesane Parish Crooks, better known as 2 Pac or Tupac, was a singer, actor, composer, producer, writer, poet, scriptwriter and dancer of the hip hop cultural genre worldwide. He was born on June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, New York, United States.

Tupac’s Family Life

His mother was Afeni Shakur (by birth Alice Faye Williams) and his father, Billy Garland, were part of the Black Panther political movement. While carrying Tupac in her womb, Afeni Shakur faced trial on charges of terrorist attacks. She faced a potential sentence of more than 300 years. Being her own lawyer, she won the trial and was released one month after the birth of her son.

Her godfather, Geronimo Pratt, was also an important figure in the Black Panthers. His stepfather Mutulu was a drug dealer who, according to Tupac, was never around to give him the instruction he needed says Brian from poker online.

There has been much controversy surrounding the rapper’s life. One thing often not discussed is the fact that the rapper was once married with little known about Tupac’s wife .  The union ended in annulment, but his bride maintains the rapper shaped her into the woman she is today.

Tupac Influences

Tupac’s style was strongly influenced by the Black Panther Party , black nationalism, egalitarianism and freedom, things that he always reflected in the lyrics of his themes, always attacking social injustices and the mistreatment of the police with the people.

It is important to point out that throughout his life he had experiences that marked and evolved his way of writing his songs, so that in the last musical productions it was noticeable a little more aggressive in what he expressed.

He read writers such as Nicolas Maquiavelo, Donald Goines, Sun Tzu, Kurt Vonnegut, Mikhail Bakunin, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker and Khalil Gibran. All of these are mostly reviewed during his stays in the times he was in prison.

Beginnings of Tupac

At age 15 they moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he was accepted into the Baltimore School of the Arts. Tupac liked his classes and had the opportunity to study theater, jazz, ballet, among other things. His great talent from a young age allowed him to be in Shakespeare plays and in a mouse role in The Nutcracker.

He composed his first rap in Baltimore under the name “MC New York” with Born Busy. The song was about gun control and was inspired by the murder of a close friend. Thanks to his friend Dana “Mouse” Smith, he won many rap competitions, considered one of the best in his school.

At the time he had no clothes to suit the time, but it didn’t stop him from making his music. Among the characteristics that made him popular was his ability in improvisation, sense of humor and sympathy.

Two years later, his mother sent Tupac to live with a family friend in California, where he again studied poetry with Leila Steinberg’s classes in 1989. Later, they organize a concert in that place with the group that was part of Shakur, Strictly Dope. In the same year he signs a contract with Atron Gregory and is presented to the hip hop group Digital Underground.

Tupac’s musical trajectory

At the beginning of the 90’s he debuts with his song “Same Song” in Digital Underground, appearing in the soundtrack of the movie “Nothing But Trouble” (1991). It was the main single of the EP “This is an EP Release”, the group’s second release after their successful “Sex Packets”. He later collaborated on the group’s album “Sons of the P.”.

In November 1991 he releases his first solo album “2Pacalypse Now”, with which he had certain problems to be commercialized , thanks to a support together with Interscope Records, Ted Field and Tom Whalley, manage to distribute the album.

This work was not as successful for what would come in the future. Their second record production was “Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.” was released in 1993 under the production of Randy “Stretch” Walker and Live Squad. Their songs “Keep Ya Head Up” and “I Get Around” were positioned with more success, the last one mentioned with the collaboration of Shock G and Money-B of Digital Underground.

By the end of 1993, was part of the group Thug Life with several colleagues of the genre as Big Syke, Macadoshis, Mopreme Shakur (his stepbrother) and Rated R. With this group released only an album entitled “Thug Life: Volume 1” for September 26, 1994, which was gold record.

It included the song “Pour Out a Little Liquor”, produced by Johnny “J” Jackson. The meaning of “Thug Life” was an acronym for The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody, a philosophical phrase from Shakur.

Tupac Shakur Biography: runs in with the law.

During the years 1991 and 1995, he was involved in several legal charges, for which he had to pay jail time on several occasions, as well as certain fines of thousands of dollars. One of these was a young man who murdered a U.S. policeman while listening to the album “2Pacalypse Now,” in which one of his songs mentions killing officials. Because of this, the vice president of the United States, Dan Quayle, decides to remove it from all music stores, which Interscope refused.

On another occasion he was accused along with another group of people of sexually abusing a woman. Tupac declared that he had had sexual relations previous nights but not with mistreatment. However, he was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to one and a half years in prison. After his release, he paid 15 days in jail and $2,000 for physically abusing one of his former employee friends while filming a video clip.

By the end of November 1994, he is shot and robbed by two armed men in military uniform during his stay at Quad Studios in Manhattan, New York. Because of this, Tupac accuses Notorius Big, Sean Combs and Andre Harrell, whom he saw for a few seconds and who were very strange to see him alive. In addition to these three, he suspected his friend and partner Randy “Stretch” Walker.

Within three hours of being treated with surgery at Bellevue Hospital, he decided to escape without doctor’s orders. A few days later he was tried for sexual abuse and sentenced to one and a half to four years in prison.

His sentence began in February 1995 and soon after he released his multiplatinum album “Me Against The World”, being the only artist to have an album on Billboard 200 stand one for five weeks while in prison. He collected over 240,000 copies sold in just one week, breaking a record in male rap.

With only eight months in jail, is released by help and influence of Suge Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records, paying a bond of 1.4 million dollars and in return demanded that he record three albums for the label Death Row.

Today would have been Tupac Shakur’s 48th birthday. HBD to a legend (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996). 🙏 pic.twitter.com/57VJfriRKA — Complex (@Complex) June 16, 2019

For 1995 he is charged with the murder of Qa’id Walker-Teal , a six-year-old boy during a shooting of Shakur’s band and rivals. Ballistics tests concluded that the bullet was not from Tupac or his colleagues. However, he decided to donate between $300,000 and $500,000 to the boy’s family.

In February of the following year (1996) he released his fourth solo album “All Eyez on Me”, achieving more than nine million copies sold.

With several differences from “Me Against the World,” this album was more gangster-oriented. He would also continue with his recordings despite the problems at Death Row. Dr. Dre abandons his position as producer of the house to found his own record label called Aftermath.

Tupac continued to release tracks during his stay at Death Row, most of which are released on his posthumous albums “R U Still Down? (Remember Me)”, Still I Rise, Until the End of Time, Better Dayz and Pac’s Life.

In July 1996 he premiered “Hit ‘Em Up” with Outlawz, where he verbally insulted Biggie and his associates. In addition, he claimed to have had relations with Faith Evans, Biggie’s wife, and mentions that some Bad Boy members were involved in the 1994 shooting.

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IF WE DON’T EVER GO OUTSIDE OF THE BOUNDARIES, WE WILL NEVER CHANGE ANYTHING.

– Tupac Shakur

Rapper. Actor. Activist. Thug. Poet. Rebel. Visionary.

Though his recording career lasted just five years, Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971-1996) is one of the most popular artists in history, with over 75 million records sold worldwide. More than half of his eleven studio albums sold over three million copies in the U.S., and both 1996’s All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits collection have been certified diamond, surpassing the ten-million mark and placing them among the top-selling albums of all time.

Strictly 4 my N.I.G.G.AZ… OG Biography

Birthday hymn for afeni, 2pacalypse now 1991 biography part 1, 2pacalypse now 1991 biography part 2, tupac inducted into the 32nd rock & roll hall of fame hymn for afeni, 2pacalypse now available on vinyl.

2Pac – 2Pacalypse Now

2Pac – Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…

Thug Life – Thug Life: Volume 1

2Pac – Me Against The World

2Pac – All Eyez On Me

The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (2LP)

2Pac – R U Still Down? [Remember Me]

2Pac – Greatest Hits

2Pac Outlawz – Still I Rise

2Pac – The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Official store, all eyez on me tracklist hoodie, boundaries t-shirt, the don killuminati: the 7 day theory – 2lp, makaveli sweatpants, makaveli crewneck, all eyez on me – 4lp, featured videos, 2pac – how do u want it ft. k-ci & jojo, 2pac – papa’z song ft. wycked, 2pac – do for love ft. eric williams, makaveli – to live & die in l.a., makaveli – toss it up ft. danny boy, aaron hall, makaveli – hail mary ft. the outlawz, 2 pac – hit ‘em up, 2pac – trapped, 2pac – brenda’s got a baby, 2pac – if my homie calls.

Understanding the Ownership and Management of Tupac Shakur’s Legacy

T he iconic American rapper Tupac Shakur remains one of the most influential figures in music history, known for his contributions to the gangsta-rap genre and advocacy for social justice causes. His untimely death in 1996 due to a drive-by shooting left a profound impact on the music industry.

Management of Tupac Shakur’s Estate

The responsibility of managing Tupac Shakur’s estate was assumed by Tom Whalley following the demise of Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, in 2016. A former executive at Warner Bros Records, Whalley was originally responsible for signing a young Tupac to Interscope back in 1989.

In early 2022, Tupac’s sister Sekyiwa Shakur and the Tupac Shakur foundation entered into a legal battle against Whalley, alleging that he has misappropriated funds and violated his fiduciary duty as the executor of Afeni Shakur’s estate.

Ownership of Tupac Shakur’s Music Rights

Amaru Records was established by Afeni after Tupac’s death to manage his unreleased music. The label has since released eleven albums and a documentary titled ‘Tupac: Resurrection.’ Since Afeni’s passing, the management of Amaru Entertainment and Tupac’s estate has been overseen by Whalley.

Tupac’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death

Discrepancies exist regarding Tupac’s net worth at the time of his passing. PinkVilla reports it was an impressive $28 million, while Celebrity Networth estimates that he had $200,000 at his death.

Tupac’s Business Ventures

Tupac owned Euphanasia, which was founded to develop film projects and support community initiatives for at-risk youth. Additionally, Afeni revealed that Tupac had plans for charitable ventures such as ‘Thug Mansions’ to assist disadvantaged young individuals.

Current Value of Tupac’s Estate

As of 2024, estimates by TheRichest place Tupac’s estate at around $40 million. The Mirror suggests it could exceed $100 million when considering unreleased material valued at the same amount.

Afeni Shakur’s Inheritance

The exact amount Afeni Shakur inherited from her son remains uncertain; however, her net worth was around $50 million in 2016. Afeni was a philanthropist and former Black Panther. She was the executor of her son’s estate and initiated the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF) to honor his legacy.

FAQ Section

Who currently manages tupac shakur’s estate.

As of the last information available, Tom Whalley is the estate executor.

What is Amaru Records?

Amaru Records is the record label created by Afeni Shakur to release Tupac’s posthumous music.

What was Tupac’s net worth when he passed away?

Estimates vary, but reports suggest Tupac’s net worth was either approximately $28 million or $200,000 at the time of his death.

Did Tupac own any businesses?

Yes, Tupac owned Euphanasia and had plans for other business ventures.

How much is Tupac’s estate worth as of 2024?

Estimates suggest Tupac’s estate is valued at around $40 million to potentially over $100 million.

Tupac Shakur’s legacy continues to be a subject of intrigue and respect in the music industry. Despite the tragic loss, his music, message, and the estate continue to impact fans around the world. The accurate management and distribution of his assets is crucial not only for retaining his influence but also ensuring that the causes and people he cared about are supported. The complexity of the situation surrounding Tupac’s estate highlights the importance of clear legal oversight in the management of a deceased artist’s body of work and financial assets.

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Who owns 2Pac’s estate? All about the rights to Tupac Shakur’s songs, property and assets and its net worth

• Olivia Allhusen , Foreign News Reporter
• Published : 4:46 ET, Apr 26 2024
• Updated : 7:02 ET, Apr 26 2024
• Published : Invalid Date,

AMERICAN rap king Tupac Shakur was one of the top music artists of all time.

He was known for his 1990s gangsta-rap aesthetic and fighting for social justice but was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996.

Who controls Tupac Shakur's estate?

Tom Whalley took over the role of the executor of Tupac Shakur’s estate after the death of his mother Afeni Shakur in 2016.

Whalley is the former head of Warner Bros Records.

Back in 1989, he was working for Interscope and had signed a young Tupac to the label.

In January 2022, Sekyiwa Shakur, Tupac's sister, and the Tupac Shakur foundation filed a lawsuit against Whalley.

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They allege that he has been "embezzling millions" and blatantly violating his role as executor of Afeni Shakur's estate.

Who owns the rights to Tupac Shakur's music?

When Tupac died Afeni created record label Amaru Records to handle the release of her son's unreleased music.

Amaru has released 11 albums since the death of the star as well as a documentary titled Tupac: Resurrection.

Since Afeni died suddenly of a heart attack Amaru Entertainment, as well as the star's estate - has been managed by Whalley.

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What was tupac's net worth when he died.

There are conflicting reports as to what the rapper's net worth was when he died.

According to PinkVilla at the time of Tupac's death his Net Worth was a whopping $28 million.

But Celebrity Networth said he had significantly less to his name before his passing.

They said he had $200,000 at the time of his death.

Did Tupac own a business?

Tupac owned a company called Euphanasia which he set up himself.

The rapper launched the business to develop movie projects and help finance community-minded projects like a centre for young people at risk.

“Euphanasia” is a word Tupac created by combining the words “euphoria” and “euthanasia.

According to a Reddit user Tupac also had many other planned business ventures that hadn't come into fruition.

One of these reportedly included a charity called The Underground Railroad aimed at helping ex convicts and drug addicts.

The idea was that those discarded by society would go on vacation with Tupac to stop them slipping up.

Another one of his planned topics was to form "Thug Mansions", according to Afeni.

This would be a place for disadvantaged youth where they would be helped to get back on their feet and find a job.

How much is Tupac's estate worth now?

As of 2024, Tupac's estate is estimated to be worth around $40million, according to TheRichest.

But The Mirror reported the estate was actually worth double that at more than $100million if combined with a library of unreleased material valued at that amount $100million.

How much money did Tupac's mom get when he died?

It is unclear how much money Afeni Shakur inhjerited after the death of her son but at the time of her death in 2016 she had a a net worth of $50million, according to The Richest.

Afeni was an American philanthropist and ex-Black Panther.

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Before she died Afeni was named executor of Tupac’s estate and started the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF) in her son’s honor.

Afeni continued her philanthropic efforts after Tupac's passing and used the foundation to fund several scholarships and programs for young people interested in the arts.

2Pac's biggest hits

The late Tupac was a famous rapper with 10 studio albums and over 150 unreleased songs.

The star reportedly wrote all his music by himself, here are his biggest hits.

1. Keep Ya Head Up   – Strictly for my N*****

2. 2.  ‘How Long Will They Mourn Me?’ – Thug Life: Volume 1.

3. ‘Letter 2 My Unborn’ – Until the End of Time

4.‘Hit ‘Em Up’ – Greatest Hits

5. ‘California Love’  – All Eyez on Me

6. ‘How Long Will They Mourn Me?’ – Thug Life: Volume 1

7. ‘Trapped’ –  2Pacalypse Now

8. ‘Dear Mama’ – Me Against the World

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Drake removes 'Taylor Made' after Tupac's estate threatens to sue over AI voice imitation

Tupac Shakur 's estate has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Drake over his use of an AI-generated imitation of Tupac's voice in a new song , calling it "a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time."

In a letter obtained by USA TODAY Wednesday, the estate of Tupac and his mother, Afeni Shakur , says it's "deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac's voice and personality in the 'Taylor Made (Freestyle)' record."

The letter continues, "We demand that you immediately cease and desist from any further publication and exploitation of the Record, and that you immediately take ALL NECESSARY steps to remove it from all platforms where it is publicly available."

The release is "a flagrant violation of Tupac's publicity and the Estate's legal rights. ... The Estate would never have given its approval for this use," the letter states. "The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac's voice against Kendrick Lamar, a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult."

On Thursday afternoon, the "Taylor Made" audio Drake posted last week was no longer available on his Instagram.

USA TODAY has reached out to Drake's representatives for comment.

Billboard was first to report the news.

Drake released the song, a follow-up diss track aimed at former collaborator Kendrick Lamar, on Instagram on Friday. "While we wait on you I guess," Drake captioned the clip, seemingly alluding to Lamar's lack of response to Drake's leaked "Push Ups" diss track.

"Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast savior/ Engraving your name in some hip-hop history," the Tupac sound-alike raps in "Taylor Made." "If you deal with this viciously/ You seem a little nervous about all the publicity."

In "Like That," off Future and Metro Boomin's "We Don't Trust You" album that released in March, Lamar, who's featured on the track, reignited his and Drake's feud by seemingly taking aim at the Canadian rapper with references to his song "First Person Shooter" and the record it's on, "For All the Dogs."

Drake 'created the false impression' that Tupac's estate endorses his lyrics, lawyer says

Drake's song "created the false impression that the Estate and Tupac promote or endorse the lyrics for the sound-alike, and the Record has adversely affected the market for (Amaru Entertainment, Inc.'s) own AI projects," the letter claims.

The estate's letter also encourages Drake to consider "the harm that unauthorized AI impersonations can cause to artists, including yourself."

Another legal development: Drake dismissed from Astroworld lawsuit following deadly 2021 music festival

The Shakurs' estate demands that Drake send written confirmation that "Taylor Made" has been removed from all platforms by Thursday afternoon as well as an explanation for "how the sound-alike was created and the persons or company that created it, including all recordings and other data 'scraped' or used."

Lamar incorporated Tupac's voice in "Mortal Man," the closer in his Grammy-winning "To Pimp a Butterfly" album released in 2015. In the song, Lamar includes audio snippets of Tupac's 1994 interview with journalist Mats Nileskär, making it sound as if he's in conversation with the late rapper.

Snoop Dogg appears to respond to his voice being featured in Drake's 'Taylor Made'

"Taylor Made" also includes a recreation of Snoop Dogg's voice.

Snoop appeared to address this in a video he shared on Instagram the next day. "They did what? When? How? Are you sure?" he wrote. "Why everybody calling my phone, blowing me up?"

He captioned the video with various emojis, including a shrugging person, a microphone and a robot head.