Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in New York and died on Sept. 13, 1996.

Shakur was born in the East Harlem section of Manhattan. He was named after Tupac Amaru II, an Incan revolutionary. His last name comes from the Arabic word “thankful.” Shakur’s mother, Afeni, was an active member of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

At 12 years old, Shakur enrolled in Harlem’s famous “127th Street Ensemble.” His first major role with this acting troupe was as “Travis,” in the play “A Raisin in the Sun.” In 1984, Shakur’s family moved to the Roland Park section of Baltimore. Following his sophomore year, he transferred from Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School to the Baltimore School for the Arts. Shakur participated in beatbox competitions and won the majority of competitions. He befriended a young Jada Pinkett, future wife of rapper Will Smith. The two remained close until his death in 1996. While at the School for the Art, Shakur studied acting, poetry, and jazz.

In 1988, his family moved again to Marin City, California. At 17, he moved out of his mother’s house to pursue his music career. In 1990, he was hired as a back-up dancer and roadie for the group, Digital Underground. In 1991, he put his rap skills to work on the single, “Same Song.” He appeared in the music video for the song and made a brief appearance as himself in the 1991 comedy “Nothing But Trouble,” starring Demi Moore and Chevy Chase. Later that year, he released his first solo album, “2Pacalypse Now.” His second album, "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z,” was released in 1993. It generated two hits, “Keep Ya Head Up,” and “I Get Around.”

Shakur continued to act. His first starring role was in 1991’s Juice.” He also starred in 1993’s “Poetic Justice,’ with Janet Jackson.

In late 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life which released its first and only album “Thug Life: Thug Life Vol. 1” on Sept. 24, 1994.

Shakur had many run-ins with the law and violence before his death. On Nov 30, 1994, he was shot five times in the lobby of the Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. He would later accuse Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and Notorious B.I.G. of setting him up. On Dec. 1, 1994, Shakur was found guilty on three counts of sexual abuse.

He married long time girlfriend, Keisha Morris while incarcerated but the marriage was later annulled. While incarcerated, he wrote a screenplay titled, “Live 2 Tell.” In September 1995, he was released after serving 11 months of his four year sentence. His release was in large part to help from Marion “Suge” Knight, CEO of Death Row Records. Knight posted Shakur’s $1.4 million bail and in exchange Shakur was obligated to release three albums for the Death Row label.

Following his release from prison, Shakur started a new group called, “The Outlawz.” Shakur aligned himself with Knight who had a bitter rivalry with Combs and added to the East-West rap feud already going on. In February 1996, Shakur released “All Eyez on Me,” it sold nine million copies.

On Sept 7, 1996, Shakur attended the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM grand in Las Vegas. After the match, Shakur got into an altercation with a gang member he spotted. At 11 p.m., while stopped at an intersection, Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting. He was hit four times, twice in the chest and once in his arm and thigh. Shakur died six days later on Sept 13, 1996. The assailants were never found but many theories have popped up as to who killed Shakur. Some even speculate that Shakur is alive and in hiding. Since his death, many of his songs have been released and some say clues to his murder are hidden in their lyrics.

Following his death, his mother, Afeni founded the Shakur Family Foundation. On Nov 14, 2003, a documentary about Shakur entitled, “Tupac: Resurrection,” was released. It was narrated entirely by Shakur. It was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2005 Academy Awards.