Tupac Shakur
June 16, 1971 – February 13, 1996
2Pac died at age 25 while incarcerated at San Quentin Prison. He had been shot five times during a robbery attempt. His death sparked controversy because he was denied proper medical care, and his mother blamed prison officials for her son’s untimely death. In 2004, she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, claiming it failed to provide adequate health care to inmates. She settled out of court for $750,000.
The rapper became famous in 1994 with the release of his album “Me Against the World.” By 1995, he had become one of the most popular rappers in hip hop, thanks in part to songs like “Dear Mama,” “Brenda’s Got A Baby,” “I Get Around,” “Keep Ya Head Up” and “California Love.” In 1996, he released his final studio album, “All Eyez On Me.” He was murdered four days later.
Early life
Shakur was born on June 15, 1971, in the east Harlem neighborhood of upper Manhattan, New York City, where he lived with his mother Frances Crooms, father James Rohan Crooms Jr., and brother Kadeem. His biological father was James Rohan Crooms Sr., whom Frances met while she was working as a secretary at Columbia University; Shakur never knew him. In 1985, Frances gave birth to her third child, a daughter named Serena.
In 1987, Shakur was arrested for shooting at police officers during a drug raid at his home, leading to his being charged with attempted murder; he pleaded guilty to assault charges and served six months in prison. He later claimed that the incident occurred because one of the police officers entered Shakur’s room without knocking. After his release from prison, Shakur began associating with members of the Black Liberation Army, and became involved in armed robberies and bank holdups. During this period, Shakur adopted the name Tupac Amaru Shakur, which he used throughout most of his career.
After the death of his friend Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious BIG, Shakur took up rapping under the stage name 2Pac, releasing several albums including All Eyez On Me
Panther heritage
Shakur’s parents, Afoni Shakur – born Alice Faye Williams – and her husband, Billy Garland, were both active members of the Black Panther Party in New York in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, according to an article published by TMZ.com. Shakur’s mother was arrested in 1969 and charged with attempted murder, assault and weapons possession. She was acquitted of the charges in 1971.
Other family members who were involved with the Black Panthers’ Black Liberaty Army were convicted of serious crime and imprisoned, including Shakura’s stepfather, Mutu Shakur, who spent 4 years among the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives. He was captured in 1985 and sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to kill NYPD officers and a Brink’s security guard. His sentence was later commuted to 20 years.
His godfather, Elmer Pratt, a high-ranking member of the party, was convicted of killing a schoolteacher during a 1968 robbery. He served 27 years in prison before being exonerated.
After spending 27 years in prison he was released because of the wrongful conviction.
Education
In the 1980s, Shakura’s mother found it difficult finding work and she struggled with substance abuse. She eventually became addicted to heroin and cocaine. His father died shortly thereafter. In 1984, Shakur’s family moved from New York to Baltimore. There he met actress Jada Pinkett. They began dating and later had a son together. After graduating high school, Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts. He joined the Young Communist League USA and dated the daughter of the head of the local chapter. Shakur moved to Marin County, California, where he lived in poverty and worked odd jobs. While there, he wrote poetry and performed music. Shakur befriended another young poet named Dana “Mouse” Smith. Together they formed a band called 2 Live Crew. Their songs included profanity and sexually explicit lyrics. In 1987, Shakur recorded the song “Me So Horny.” Later that year he went to jail for violating probation. In 1989, Shakur married Smith. In 1990, they had a second child. In 1991, Shakur was arrested again for possessing marijuana and cocaine. Two months later, he was charged with killing a police officer during a traffic stop. A jury acquitted him of murder charges; however, he was convicted of armed robbery. In 1993, Shakur was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. He continued to write poetry while incarcerated. In 1995, he won the American Book Award for Prisoner Poetry. In 1997, Shakur was granted early release due to good behavior. He was allowed to live in Miami, Florida. In 1998, he was involved in a shooting incident. In 2001, Shakur was stabbed several times in prison. He survived the attack. In 2002, Shakur was attacked again in prison. This time he lost over 50 pounds and suffered severe injuries. In 2004, Shakur was awarded $1 million in damages from the city of Miami for wrongful arrest. In 2007, Shakur was shot three times outside a recording studio. These wounds proved fatal. In 2009, Shakur’s family filed a lawsuit against the city of Miami. In 2013, Shakur’s third wife filed for divorce. In 2014, Shakur was awarded an additional $10 million by the city of Miami. The settlement came after his widow sued the city for wrongful death. In 2015, Shakur was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Chicago.
Music career
Shakur began recording under the name MC New York in 1988. He signed his first record deal with Priority Records in 1990. In 1991, he recorded his debut album, Illmatic. His second studio album, 1993’s Resurrection, became one of hip hop’s most acclaimed albums.
MC NY was shot dead outside Manhattan’s Quad Studios in 1996. After being convicted of murder in 1999, Shakur served three years in prison. Released in 2004, The Lost Tapes included unreleased material from Shakur’s early days.
In 2008, Shakur released Death Certificate, his first posthumous release. Five years later, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Digital Underground
rapper Tupac Shakur dies aged 44″
Tupac Shakur died Thursday night at Las Vegas’ University Medical Center of complications related to injuries sustained during a shooting nearly three weeks ago. He was born Malcolm X Shabazz on April 4th 1971, in East Oakland California. A former member of the Black Guerilla Family gang, he changed his name to ‘2pac’, short for ‘two paces behind’.
He became one of the most influential rappers of the 90s, known for songs like ‘Keep Ya Head Up’ and ‘Dear Mama’. His music career began when he joined the hip hop duo Outlawz alongside DJ Premier, while still attending high school in Brooklyn. After signing a deal with Death Row Records, Shakur released his debut solo album, All Eyez On Me, in 1996.
The following year he collaborated with Dr Dre on the critically acclaimed Compton album, which helped him gain attention across America. He followed it up with his second album, Resurrection, in 1998. Both albums went multi platinum.
In 1999, Shakur signed a recording contract with MCA Records, releasing his third studio album, Strictly Business, in 2000. The album went gold, selling over 500,000 copies.
Shakur continued to release successful albums throughout the decade, including Get Back…The Doggumentary, The Don Killuminati Album, and 2001’s The Great Depression.
His final album, Until the End of Time, was released in 2004, and contained the hit singles ‘Me Against the World’ and ‘Changes’.