Name: Tupac Shakur
Birthday: June 16, 1971
Birthplace: Harlem, New York
Labels: Interscope, Death Row, Amaru
Associated Acts: Outlawz, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Digital Underground, The Notorious B.I.G., Richie Rich, K-Ci & JoJo, Dave Hollister, Johnny "J", Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound, Boot Camp Clik, Nate Dogg
Nickname: Pac, Makeveli
Website: www.tasf.org
Tupac Shakur was one of the greatest rappers ever and his music has influenced today’s hip hop so much that you can still hear Pac living on even though he has passed away. On September 13, 1996, Tupac was mysteriously murdered in Las Vegas and fans are still searching for answers..
Harlem Heritage
Young Pac
Tupac’s life was a rags to ritches story. Both of his parents were heavily involved with the revolutionary group called “the Black Panthers”. Pac was born into a life of struggles between the authorities and his community. He grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Harlem, New York, and here is a list of things that surrounded his childhood:
- Godfather Elmer was convicted of murder
- His aunt escaped from prison
- His mother Afena was found innocent on 150 police charges
- His step-father Mutulu was on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list for armed robbery in which two police officers were killed
Pac describes his life from the moment his mother was pregnant with him in prison to his rapping career in a great movie called "Resurrection"... you have to check it out if you're any type of music fan.
California Poetry Class
Tupac moved to California in 1988 where he found his passion for rapping in a poetry class at his high school. When Pac was in his Senior year, he rapped his poetry with his first hip hop group called “Strictly Dope”. Tupac was discovered at a concert and producers signed him to be a background dancer for a young rap group called “Digital Underground” in 1990..
Tupac Tops the Charts
Immortal Artist
After Tupac rapped in one of the Digital Underground’s songs, it only took Tupac a couple of years to hit the top of the charts. Here’s a list of all his accomplishments:
- 6 record albums in 6 years from 1991-1996
- 8 albums since his death
- Acted in 7 movies
- Greatest Rapper of All-time posted in Vibe Magazine
- MTV ranks him as the #2 MC of all time
- Hip Hop Hall of Fame
Pac’s Plague
Tupac said he was framed
Although Tupac’s music career was filled with success, he was plagued with hard times. His music was controversial and even the Vice President of the USA, Dan Quayle called for his albums to be pulled from the record stores. He was arrested and thrown in prison for sexual assault. He was robbed and shot 5 times during a studio recording. Finally, in 1996, he was shot and killed in Las Vegas right on the strip in front of hundreds of people..
Makeveli Mark
Makaveli named after philosopher
Just before Tupac died, he was making big changes. His goals were to rap about the problems in the USA, and he wanted to change things. With more fans than any other rapper at that time, he even had an idea to run a political party. His final nickname became Makeveli… named after Niccolo Machiavelli a famous philosopher that represented people who were living under oppression..
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