Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) was a highly influential, best-selling American hip hop artist, considered by many to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. His aliases included 2Pac aka Makaveli. Among his fans especially, he is remembered simply as "Tupac". The names "Tupac Amaru" and "Shakur" mean Shining Serpent or Royal Serpent in Quechua and Thankful (to God) in Arabic, respectively. The name "Tupac Amaru" comes from Túpac Amaru II, grandson of the last Sapa Inca (Túpac Amaru).

Early life

Tupac Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks in The Bronx, New York City on June 16, 1971 to Afeni Shakur, a member of the Black Panthers. Serving jail time on bombing charges while pregnant with Tupac, his mother faced a sentence of up to three years in prison. Acting as her own attorney, she won the verdict and was released one month before Tupac was born. At first opportunity, Afeni had Tupac's birth certificate changed to reflect his real name, Tupac Amaru, which means "royal serpent" and was the name of an Inca leader and warrior who came to power in 1570.

Related Topics:
The Bronx - New York City - June 16 - 1971 - Afeni Shakur - Black Panthers

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Shakur 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 Shakur, was rarely present to give him the discipline he needed.

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Much of Tupac's upbringing revolved around the Black Panther philosophy. Impoverished during most of his childhood, Tupac, with his mother and half-sister, Sekyiwa (pronounced Setchua), moved between homeless shelters and cheap accommodations around New York City. As a result, he retained few friends and relied on writing poetry and diary entries to keep himself busy. At the age of 12, Shakur joined a Harlem theatre group and acted as Travis in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun.

Related Topics:
Poetry - Diary - Harlem - A Raisin in the Sun

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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. Even at this young age, Shakur 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. Shakur 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.

Related Topics:
1986 - Baltimore, Maryland - Sophomore - Baltimore School for the Arts - Racial equality - Eastern religions - Encyclopedia - Gun control

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Two years later, 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. Tupac described this move from Baltimore and the arts school as "where I got off track". He showed contempt for law enforcement, being hassled occasionally for playing music loudly. In August of 1988, Shakur'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.

Related Topics:
Marin City, California - Law enforcement - 1988 - FBI - Ten Most Wanted

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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.

Related Topics:
Ray Luv - Shock G

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In 1990, Shakur joined as a roadie and dancer for Digital Underground. His early lyrics were unremarkable, and he was viewed ambivalently for his tendency to act like a diva and for his occasionally violent personality. On a song for the Nothing But Trouble movie soundtrack, Same Song, Tupac was given his first opportunity to rap on a big-time record.

Related Topics:
1990 - Digital Underground - Lyrics

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