Tupac Amaru Shakur
Tupac Shakur became the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap, becoming the
tragic symbol of hardcore
rap. At the outset of his career, it didn't appear that he would emerge as one of the definitive
rappers of the '90s, especially since he was a second-string rapper for Digital Underground, joining after they had their biggest hit. But in 1992, he delivered an
acclaimed debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, which quickly followed with
a star-making performance inthe urban drama, Juice. Over the
course,of one year his profile raised substantially, as he became as well-known for his run-ins with
the law as he did for his music. By 1994, 2-Pac was rivalling Snoop Doggy Dogg as the most
controversial figure in rap, as he was spending as much time in prison as he was in the recording
studio. His burgeoning outlaw mythology helped his 1995 album Me Against the World enter the
charts at number one, and it also opened himself up to charges of exploitation. Yet, as the single
"Dear Mama" illustrated, he was capable of sensitivity as well as violence. Unfortunately, the gangsta lifestyle he captured in his music
soon overtook his own life. Signing with Death Row Records in late 1995, Shakur released the
double-album All Eyez on Me in the spring of 1996, and the record, as
well as its hit single "California Love," confirmed his superstar status. While his celebrity
was at its peak, he was publicly fighting with his rival the Notorious B.I.G. and there were
tensions brewing at Death Row. Even with such conflicts, 2-Pac's drive-by-shooting in September
1996 was unexpected.
On September 13, six days after the shooting, Shakur passed away, leaving
behind a legacy that was based as much on his lifestyle as it was his music.
The son of two Black Panther members, Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in New York City. His parents
had separated before he was born, and his mother moved him and his sister around the country for
much of their childhood. Frequently, the family was at the poverty level, but Shakur managed to
gain acceptence to the prestigious Baltimore School of the Arts as a teenager. While he was at
the school, his creative side flourished, as he began writing raps and acting. Before he could
graduate, his family moved to Marin City, California, when he was 17 years old. Over the next
few years, he lived on the streets and began hustling. Eventually, he met Shock-G, the leader of
Digital Underground. The Oakland-based crew decided to hire him as a dancer and roadie, and as
he toured with the group, he worked on his own material. 2-Pac made his first recorded appearence
on the group's spring 1991 record "This is an E.P Release", and he also appeared on their second
album, "Sons of the P". The following year, he released his own debut,
2Pacalypse Now. The album became a word-of-mouth hit, as "Brenda's Got a Baby" reached
the R&B Top 30 and the record went gold. However, its blunt and explicit lyrics earned
criticisms for moral watchdogs, and Vice President Dan Quayle attacked the album while he was
campaigning for re-election that year.
Shakur's profile was raised considerably by his acclaimed role in the Ernest Dickerson film,
Juice, which lead to a lead role in John Singleton's
Poetic Justice the following year. By the time the film hit theaters, 2-Pac had reased 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 10 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. Although Shakur
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. He was
arrested in 1992 after he was involved in a fight that culminated with a stray bullet killing a
six-year-old bystander; the charges were later dismissed. 2-Pac 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. The sentence arrived after two other high-profile incidents.
In October of 1993, when he was charged with shooting two off-duty police officers in Atlanta.
The charges were dismissed, but the following month, he and two members of his entourage
were charged with sexually abusing a female fan. In 1994, he was found guitly 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.
Later that month, Tupac Shakur began serving his sentence. He
was in jail when his third album, Me Against the World, was released in March. The record
entered the charts at number one, making 2-Pac the first artist to enjoy a number one record
while serving a prison sentence. While he was in prison, he accused the Notorious B.I.G.,
Puffy Combs, Andre Harrell and his own close friend Randy "Stretch" Walker of orchestrating
his New York shooting. Shakur only served eight months of his sentence, as Suge Knight, the
president of Death Row Records, arranged for parole and posted a $1.4 million bond for the
rapper. By the end of the year, 2-Pac was out of prison and working on his debut for Death
Row. On November 30, 1995 --
the one-year anniversary of the New York shooting -- Walker was killed in a gangland-styled
murder in Queens.
2-Pac's Death Row debut, All Eyez on Me, was the first double-disc of
original material in hip-hop history. 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 black comedy Gridlock'd
which also starred Tim Roth. He also made some recordings for Death Row, which was quickly
disintegrating without Dr. Dre as the house producer, and as Knight became heavily involved in
illegal activites.
At the time of his murder in September 1996, there were indications that Shakur was considering
leaving Death Row, and maybe even rap, behind. None of those theories can ever be confirmed,
just as the reasons behind his shooting remain mysterious. Shakur was shot on the Las Vegas strip
as he was riding in the passenger seat of Knight's car. They had just seen the Mike Tyson-Bruce
Seldon fight at the MGM Grand, and as they were leaving the hotel, 2-Pac got into a fight with
an young black man Orlando Anderson. It has been suggested that this was the cause of the
drive-by-shooting; it has also been suggested that Knight's ties to the mob and to gangs were
the reason behind the shooting; another theory is that the Notorious B.I.G. arranged the shooting
as retaliation for 2-Pac's comments that he slept with Biggie's wife, Faith Evans. Either way,
Shakur was shot four times and he was admitted to University of Nevada Medical Center. Six days
later, he died from his wounds.
Hundreds of mourners appeared at the hospital upon news of his death, and the entire
entertainment industry mourned his passing, especially since there were no leads on his death.
Many believed his death would end the much-hyped East Coast-West Coast rivalry and decrease
Black-on-Black violence. Sadly, six months after his death, his rival the Notorious B.I.G. was
murdered in similar circumstances. As Shakur's notoriety only increased in the wake of his death,
a series of posthumous releases followed, among them Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
, issued under the alias Makaveli, One Million Strong, 1998's Greatest Hits
and the new release of 1999 Still I rise.