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Tupac
Tupac Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks in
Brooklyn, NY in 1971. While still a small child, his
mother changed his name to Tupac Amaru after an Inca
Indian revolutionary, "Tupac Amaru", meaning "Shining
Serpent". "Shakur" means "Thankful To God" in Arabic.
From childhood, everyone called him the "Black
Prince." Formisbehaving, he had to read an entire
edition of The New York Times. When he was two, his
sister, Sekyiwa, was born. This child's father, Mutulu,
was a BlackPanther who, a few months before her birth,
had been sentenced to sixty years for a fatal armored
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."
By the age of twelve, Tupac had discovered his loves
for acting, writing love songs and poetry. As a young
teen, his family moved to Baltimore , MD, where he
attended The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts
studying acting and ballet. At this school, Tupac left a
lasting impression on his teachers and was showing
tremendous potential. Unfortunately, Tupac was unable to
continue his training. He moved to Oakland, California
with the rest of his family. That's when Tupac began to,
as he called it, "Hang with the wrong crowd."
At age fifteen, he fell into rap; he started writing
lyrics, walking with a swagger, and milking his
background in New York for all it was worth. People in
small towns feared the Big Apple's reputation; he called
himself MC New York and made people think he was a tough
guy.
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 Shakur's gang and a rival
group.
Not held back by his lack of formal education, Tupac
joined the Rap group Digital Underground as a dancer.
Not long before the group achieved award winning
success, Tupac released his own album "2Pacalypse Now",
which was also a success. The hit single "Brenda's Got A
Baby" launched Tupac's career like a rocket. His
stunning talent also got him a role in the motion
picture, "Juice". Tupac eventually released a second
album "Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z.," which was an even
bigger success and introduced Tupac's music onto the pop
charts.
In November of 1994, he was shot five times during a
robbery in which thieves made off with $40,000 worth of
his jewelry. Shakur miraculously recovered from his
injuries to produce his most impressive artistic
accomplishments, including 1995's Me Against the World
 The
highlight of Tupac's acting career came when he appeared
in "Poetic Justice" besides Janet Jackson. The role made
Tupac a household name and showed the world that music
may not be Tupac's #1 attribute. In the midst of a role
in the movie "Above the Rim" and a Platinum album "Me
against the world," Tupac's rising career was snagged.
He was brought up on sexual assault charges by a woman
he met at a nightclub. Hours before Tupac would be found
guilty, Tupac was robbed at gun point by men whose
intent and purpose is still uncertain. Tupac was
eventually released at over $1 Million in bail. After
his release, Tupac answered his critics by releasing his
best album, "All Eyes On Me." "All Eyes On Me" has
currently sold over 6 million copies, which is
revolutionary for a double CD, especially in Hip Hop
music. Tupac also had costarring roles in three other
films, "Gridlock'd", "Bullet", and "Gang Related."
On September 7th, Tupac Shakur was shot by unknown
gunmen and died on September 13, 1996. Much of what
happened on this night remains a mystery to this very
day. This picture was taken minutes before the fatal
shooting.
Following his passing, Shakur's label released an
album, The Don Killuminati, under the pseudonym "Makaveli."
The cover depicted Shakur nailed to a cross under a
crown of thorns, with a map of the country's major gang
areas superimposed on it. In January of 1997, Gramercy
pictures released Gridlock'd, a film in which Shakur
played the role of a drug addict to mostly good reviews.
His final film, Gang Related, was released in 1997, and
Death Row is said to have several unreleased recordings
in the vaults for potential future release.
September 13, 2003 will mark the seventh anniversary
of Tupac's passing.
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