Tupac Amaru Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur—an extraordinarily successful American rapper, songwriter, and actor—was born in Manhattan (New York City) on June 16, 1971. He is better known by his stage name 2Pac. “Much of Shakur's work has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of resistance and activism against inequality.”
Childhood
His mother, Afeni, raised two children by herself and was struggling financially. The family regularly moved homes and often lived in shelters. While Tupac was born in New York City and grew up mainly in Harlem, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1984 where he and Jada Pinkett Smith became good friends. His family moved back to Oakland, California, in 1988.
School years
In 1984, Tupac and his family moved from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland. He attended eighth grade at Roland Park Middle School, and then two years at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. When Tupac was in school, he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. He performed in some Shakespeare plays at his school depicting timeless themes. Along with his friend Dana Smith as a beatboxer, he won multiple competitions and was the school’s best rapper. Also known for his humor, he could mix with all types of crowds. As a teen, Tupac listened to all sorts of artists such as Kate Bush, Culture Club, Sinéad O'Connor, and the band U2.
Musical career
Tupac started his musical career as a rebel with a motive to articulate the difficulties and injustices endured by many African Americans. His ability to do so made him a spokesman not only for his own generation but for subsequent generations who continue to face the same fight for equality. In his life, his biggest fight was often with himself. As his fate drove him towards the nihilism of gangster rap, and into the arms of the controversial Death Row Records impresario Suge Knight, the boundaries between Shakur's music and his life became increasingly blurred with major consequences, due to his involvement with gangs.
Acting career
Tupac’s first film appearance was in 1991 in a movie called *Nothing but Trouble*, a cameo by the Digital Underground. Also, in 1992 he acted in a film called *Juice*, where he plays the fictional character Roland Bishop, a violent gang member. Peter Travers, a man from *Rolling Stone* magazine, calls Tupac, “the film’s most magnetic figure.”
Fast forward a year, Tupac starred alongside Janet Jackson as Sharif in the film *Menace II Society*. However, Tupac got replaced after assaulting the director on set. In 2013, Hughes appraised that Tupac would have outshone the other actors, “because he was bigger than the movie.” After Tupac’s death, three more films starring him were released: *Bullet* (1996), *Gridlock'd* (1997), and *Gang Related* (1997).
Influence on other performers
“Tupac is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time.” By the time he released his debut album *2Pacalypse Now* in 1991, he had become a figure in West Coast hip hop, introducing social issues into the genre at a time. Even after Tupac’s death, his quotes and speeches still influence many rappers such as YG, Drake, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and so on.
Awards
Tupac has won many awards in his music career such as Grammys, American music awards, and the list goes on.
Death
Shakur was in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, where he was going somewhere with his bodyguards. When a white Cadillac pulled up to the right of Tupac as he was talking to someone, the occupants rolled down the window and shot Shakur. He was struck by four .40 caliber rounds fired from a Glock – two in the chest, one in the arm, and one in the thigh – and died from his wounds six days later. Unfortunately, 2Pac forgot his bulletproof vest at his hotel room where his girlfriend was; many people say his girlfriend hired someone to kill him, but no one is sure of that.
Gun discharge incident
On August 22, 1992, Shakur was signing autographs for fans after a performance when a fight broke out between Tupac and another person. Tupac allegedly drew a legally carried Colt Mustang, then accidentally dropped it on the ground. Someone with him then picked it up and accidentally discharged it. Approximately 90 meters (100 yards) away in a school yard, a boy named Qa’id Walker-Teal, aged six, on his bicycle, got fatally shot in the head. Police matched the bullet to a Shakur-registered .38-caliber pistol. Maurice Harding, Shakur’s stepbrother, got arrested; however, no charges were filed. The lack of prosecution stymied witnesses. In 1995, Qa’id’s mother filed a wrongful death suit against Shakur, which settled for approximately $300,000 to $500,000.
References
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupac_Shakur.
Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 6 Jan. 2021, www.biography.com/musician/tupac-shakur.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/09/2pac-where-to-start-in-his-back-catalogue
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