Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur
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Name	Tupac Shakur
Caption	Shakur in 1993
Birth name	Lesane Parish Crooks
Birth date	16 June 1971
Birth place	East Harlem, Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Death date	13 September 1996
Death place	University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Death cause	Homicide (gunshot wounds)
Occupation	Rapper, actor, poet, activist
Years active	1989–1996
Partner	Kidada Jones (1995–1996)
Awards	American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Grammy Award nominations

Tupac Shakur was an American rapper, actor, and social activist who became one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of hip hop music. Born in East Harlem and raised between Baltimore and the San Francisco Bay Area, his work is noted for addressing social issues facing African Americans, including poverty, police brutality, and racial inequality. His career, marked by both critical acclaim and highly publicized legal conflicts, was abruptly ended by his homicide in 1996, which remains unsolved and has fueled enduring speculation and cultural mythology.

Early life and education

He was born Lesane Parish Crooks in East Harlem, Manhattan, to Afeni Shakur, a member of the Black Panther Party. His family moved frequently, spending significant time in Baltimore, where he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, studying acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. This period exposed him to the works of William Shakespeare and artists like Mick Jagger, shaping his artistic perspective. Following his family's relocation to Marin City, California, he attended Tamarack High School but ultimately dropped out, immersing himself in the Bay Area hip hop scene.

Music career

His music career began as a roadie and backup dancer for the Oakland-based group Digital Underground. He signed with Interscope Records and released his debut album, *2Pacalypse Now*, in 1991, which garnered attention for its raw depiction of urban strife. His subsequent albums, including *Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...* and the multi-platinum *Me Against the World*, solidified his status as a defining voice of gangsta rap and political hip hop. After signing with Death Row Records, he released the landmark double album *All Eyez on Me*, featuring hits like "California Love" with Dr. Dre and "How Do U Want It". His prolific output continued posthumously, with numerous albums like *The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory* (released under the alias Makaveli) achieving massive success.

Acting career

Parallel to his music, he pursued a significant acting career, starring in several feature films. His first major role was in Ernest Dickerson's 1992 drama *Juice*, followed by a leading performance in John Singleton's *Poetic Justice* alongside Janet Jackson. He later appeared in films such as *Above the Rim*, *Gridlock'd*, and *Gang Related*. His performances were often praised for their intensity and authenticity, drawing from his own life experiences and further cementing his multifaceted public persona.

Legal issues and conflicts

His life was punctuated by numerous legal battles and highly publicized feuds. In 1994, he was shot and robbed in the lobby of a New York City recording studio, an event that intensified his rivalry with The Notorious B.I.G. and the Bad Boy Records camp. He served an eight-month prison sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility for sexual abuse charges, during which he married his girlfriend Keisha Morris. His release was secured by Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight, who posted a $1.4 million bond. This period also saw the escalation of the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, a conflict played out through diss records and media that defined the mid-1990s hip hop landscape.

Death and legacy

On September 7, 1996, he was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting on Las Vegas Boulevard while riding in a car with Suge Knight. He died six days later at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. The murder remains officially unsolved, though it has been the subject of extensive investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and countless theories. His legacy is profound; he has sold over 75 million records worldwide, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and is frequently cited as an inspiration by countless artists across genres. His mother, Afeni Shakur, established the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to support arts programming for youth, and his influence persists in music, film, social activism, and global popular culture. Category:American rappers Category:American male actors Category:Murdered American musicians Category:1996 deaths