2Pac (Tupac Amaru Shakur): June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996
2Pac was born in New York City,
the son of Black Panther member, Afeni Shakur who was
pregnant with 2Pac while in jail on bombing charges. When
2Pac was 15, his family moved to Baltimore where 2Pac wrote
his first rap under the name MC New York. Three years later,
2Pac's family would move to California and 2Pac began selling
drugs. By the time 2Pac was 25 years old, he had been
arrested, jailed, shot, involved with gangs, and become one
of the biggest rap stars ever. 2Pac wrote, sang and rapped
about what he knew about, what he experienced, and what he
felt. Before a shooting incident in Las Vegas that eventually
took his life, 2Pac had perfected the combination of gansta
rap music and poetic messages. His music brought the despair
and hard life of the ghetto to the mainstream. Ironically,
2Pac's gansta rap image has now become a symbol of the
results of hardcore rap.
2Pac was originally a member of the rap act Digital Underground in the late 80s as a combination roadie, dancer, and rapper. The group hit it big in 1990 with the hit "Humpty Dance," but 2Pac left the group in 1991 to strike out on his own. In 1991, 2Pac released 2pacolypse, which showed more of 2Pac's gangsta rap persona. The LP was a moderate hit for 2Pac, especially with fans of rap music. 2Pac also began his acting career with a starring role in Juice released in 1992.
In 1993, 2Pac released strictly
for my N.I.G.G.A.Z and found himself with 2 Top 10 pop
hits: "I Get Around" and "Keep Ya Head
Up." 2Pac also found trouble with the law with
accusations of sexual battery and assault. Critical acclaim
with acting continued for 2Pac with the release of John
Singleton's Poetic Justice (playing opposite Janet
Jackson). In 1994, 2Pac released thug life.
The same year, 2Pac is robbed and shot several times outside
a music studio in New York. Although his wounds were severe,
2Pac recovered and returned to finish his next LP. 2Pac also
could be seen in the film, Thug Life.
In 1995, 2Pac is sentenced to
4+ years in prison for sexual abuse. Eight months later, 2Pac
is released on bail awaiting appeal. Meanwhile, his next LP
is released: me against the world - 2Pac's first
Number 1 LP. From this LP, 2Pac rapped an ode to his mother,
with "dear mama," a song he wrote while in prison.
If any song epitomizes the words of 2Pac and separates him
from other rappers, "Dear Mama" accomplishes this.
2Pac wrote or co-wrote a majority of the songs on the LP.
2Pac received two Grammy Award nominations in 1996 for Best
Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Dear
Mama."
In 1996, 2Pac's double-LP, all
eyez on me debuted at Number 1, and gave us the teaming
with Dr. Dre, "California Love"
and "How Do U Want It." The LP also had appearances
by 
Also in 1997, 2Pac's voice was
still heard on many collaborations and unreleased tracks, his
persona was still expressed in a few films, and his estate
was challenged numerous times in court. A woman who was
paralyzed in Arkansas at a club where 2Pac was performing in
1993, won a $16.6 million judgment from 2Pac's estate. 2Pac's
biological parents are battling in court to decide who should
claim his estate. The latest estate challenge occurred when
2Pac's estate was sued by C. DeLores Tucker, who is claiming
that 2Pac's LP All Eyez On Me has ruined her sex
life. Tucker is a member of the National Political Congress
of Black Women and is known for her outspoken protests of
what she calls "gangsta porno rap." The $10 million
suit contends that the LP's lyrics has caused her "great
humiliation, mental pain, and suffering" with songs such
as "Wonda Why They Call U Bytch" and the hit
"How Do U Want It." In September, '97, Vibe
magazine released a hard-cover collection of essay and photo
portraits (Tupac Shakur) of 2pac to commemorate the
first anniversary of the rapper's death. The profiles looks
at 2Pac's life, career achievements, and controversial death.
