TuPac Essay, Research Paper

Tupac Amaru Shakur

DOB: June 16, 1971 – Brooklyn, NY

DOD: September 13, 1996 – Las Vegas, NV

Height: 5′10 Weight: 168

Mother: Afeni Shakur

Father: William Garland

Step Father: Jeral Wayne Williams a/k/a Mutula Shakur

Half Sister: Sekyiwa Shakur

Half Brother: Maurice Harding (Mopreme of Thug Life)

Godfather: Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt

Music Groups: One Nation Emcees, Two From The Crew, Strictly Dope, Digital Underground, Thug Life, Outlaw Immortalz/Outlawz

Aliases: MC New York, 2Pac, Makaveli (the don)

Marital Status: Divorced (Keisha Morris) & Engaged (Kidida Jones)

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 Serpant”. “Shakur” means “Thankful To God” in Arabic. 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.”

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.

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 co-starring roles in three other films, “Gridlock’d”, “Bullet”, and “Gang Related.”

While on his way to do charity work, Tupac Shakur was shot by unknown gunmen and died on September 13, 1996.