Tupac Shakur - Rapper, Actor, Poet, and Composer - Canvas Art Print
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Tupac Shakur - Rapper, Actor, Poet. and Composer. Notorious 25-year-old gangsta MC and actor Tupac Shakur was shot and killed before he had a chance to fulfill the promise of a successful career in both fields.
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LIMITED TO 250 FINE PRINT REPRODUCTIONS ON CANVAS!! ONCE SOLD OUT THESE WILL NOT BE PRINTED OR SOLD AGAIN ON CANVAS.
*****All Options must be chosen before item can be added to cart*****
** Artwork sizes are noted on options below (final size may vary slightly and minor cropping may occur based on artwork dimensions; size ratios; and framing selections) **
**Custom and larger sizes are available, printed surface options available also; please send email or contact form in with requests or inquiry**
Tupac Shakur - Rapper, Actor, Poet, and Composer - Canvas Art Print
Hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur was embroiled in a feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers and was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1996, leaving behind an influential musical legacy at the age of 25.
Who Was Tupac Shakur?Tupac Shakur (June 16, 1971 to September 13, 1996) was an American rapper and actor who came to embody the 1990s gangsta-rap aesthetic and in death became an icon symbolizing noble struggle. He has sold 75 million albums to date, making him one of the top-selling artists of all time. A sensitive, precociously talented and troubled soul, Tupac was gunned down in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 and died six days later. His murder has never been solved. Tupac began his music career as a rebel with a cause to articulate the travails and injustices endured by many African-Americans. His skill in doing so made him a spokesperson not just for his own generation but for subsequent ones who continue to face the same struggle for equality. In life, his biggest battle was sometimes with himself. As fate drove him towards the nihilism of gangsta rap, and into the arms of the controversial Death Row Records impresario Suge Knight, the boundaries between Shakur's art and his life became increasingly blurred — with tragic consequences.
Tupac’s DeathTupac died on September 13, 1996 of gunshot wounds inflicted six days prior. On September 7, Tupac was in Las Vegas with Suge Knight to watch a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand hotel. There was a scuffle after the bout between a member of the Crips gang and Tupac. Knight, who was involved with the rival Bloods gang, and members of his entourage piled in. Later, as a car that Tupac was sharing with Knight stopped at a red light, a man emerged from another car and fired 13 shots, hitting Tupac in the hand, pelvis and chest. He later died at the hospital. His girlfriend Kidada and his mother Afeni were both with him in his final days.
Tupac's body was cremated. Members of his old band, Outlawz, made the controversial claim that they had smoked some of his ashes in honor of him. His mother announced she would scatter her son's ashes in Soweto, South Africa, the "birthplace of his ancestors," on the 10th anniversary of his murder. She later changed the date to June 16, 1997 — Tupac's 26th birthday as well as the anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising.
On March 9, 1997, six months after Tupac died, Biggie Smalls was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles; his murder has never been solved, either.
Is Tupac Alive?Tupac Shakur died of gunshot wounds in 1996. However because his murder has never been solved, conspiracy theories have raged ever since. Fans have speculated that Tupac faked his death. On his album Life Goes On, Tupac rapped about his funeral; his song “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” was released two days after he died. There have been several reported potential Tupac “sightings” since his death, including in 2012 by Kim Kardashian.
In September 2017, Suge Knight hinted that Tupac might be alive in an interview. "When I left that hospital me and 'Pac was laughing and joking. I don't see how someone can go from doing well to doing bad," said Knight, adding that “with Pac you never know” if he could be alive and living in secret somewhere.
Renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur in 1972 by his mother after Tupac Amaru, an Inca who was sentenced to death by the Spaniards. Tupac Amaru, in the Inca language, means "shining serpent".
Trivia
Son of black panther Afeni Shakur; grew up in Harlem, Baltimore, and Marin County, California.
He had the words "thug life" tattooed across his abdomen.
Was engaged to Kidada Jones at time of his death.
Was going to play the role of Malik in Higher Learning (1995)
Died on a Friday the 13th.
More of his music has been released since his death than was while he was alive.
Appeared in the Salt-N-Pepa video, "Whatta Man.".
Founding Member of the Outlawz
Used the name Makaveli which is an altered spelling of Machiavelli, about whom he read while in prison.
In the song "Life Goes On" from the "All Eyez on Me" album, he rhymes about his own funeral.
As a young man, Tupac also studied dance, including ballet.
Tupac is listed as the most successful gangsta MC in the "Guinness Book of World Records."
Grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Jim Carrey was his favorite actor.
Was cast in the movie Woo (1998), but was shot five days before principal photography began.
He was offered a record contract at the age of 13. However, his mother refused to let him sign anything at such a young age. She felt he had a lot to learn about the world before joining the music industry.
He read for the part of "Bubba" in Forrest Gump (1994).
10 albums have been released after his 1996 death; all have gone platinum.
He was voted the 86th Greatest Rock 'n Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone.
In November 1994, he was robbed and shot five times by a pair of muggers in the lobby of a New York recording studio. Tupac survived the attack, and afterwards frequently boasted of his durability in his lyrics.
Was originally cast in Menace II Society (1993) but was fired after a physical altercation with director Allen Hughes.
As a teenager, he studied drama at Baltimore's School for the Arts, where he rhymed under the name MC New York.
When he was 12 years old, his mother enrolled him in Harlem's 127th St Ensemble. He played Travis in "A Raisin in The Sun" in his first acting role
Started his career on Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records with Digital Underground.
As a young man, he also studied ballet and dance
His 1996 song "Ghetto Gospel" was released in 2005, with some vocals by Elton John, and went to #1 in the UK, despite the fact he had been dead for eight years.
Was a good friend of fellow hip-hop MC M.C. Hammer, who also was from Oakland, California, USA.
His albums have sold 38 million copies in the USA alone.
Had been rapping since he was 18 years old (1989).
According to Guiness Book of Records 2004, he is the highest selling rap/hip-hop artist selling over 67 million copies worldwide
In a 2005 Rolling Stones Magazine Vote, Tupac was named #6 of the '100 immortal artists of all time' behind the likes of Elvis and Lennon
He is the first rap/hip-hop artist in history to have a wax model of himself set to be placed in Madamme Tussaud's in Las Vegas
Appeared on Forbes' "Top Earning Dead Celebrities" list in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with earnings of $7 million, $12 million and $5 million in each respective year.
Wrote a song, but died before he could finish it. Rap artist Eminem finished the song with his own lyrics and released it shortly afterwards.
First music artist to have a #1 LP while being in jail
Biological Father Is Billy Garland.
The harmonica in "So Many Tears" is a sample from Stevie Wonder's song "That Girl", which spent 9 weeks at number one on the R&B charts in 1982.
His song "Hit 'Em Up", which Shakur considered a "classic battle record" is scathing attack on one-time friend 'Notorious BIG', Bad Boy Records, and Sean Combs. In addition, Shakur claimed that he slept with Faith Evans (Notorious BIG's wife) in the song's lyrics.
Was a fan of actor Tim Roth and was delighted to learn he would work with him on Gridlock'd (1997), released after Shakur's death.
Read the article in "Entertainment Weekly" about his "Me Against The World" album's debut at number one, while incarcerated. The album's title song also appeared in Bad Boys (1995), which opened in March-- while Shakur was behind bars.
Cited Prince as an inspiration and sampled his music on the "All Eyez On Me" album. Shakur mentioned in an MTV interview that "he [Prince] loves women like I love women.".
Used an interpolation of the 1984 El DeBarge song "A Dream" for his hit "I Ain't Mad At Ya". Tupac's version, however, is at a faster tempo than the original.
Recorded much of his vocals of the "All Eyez On Me" album with a Neumann U87 microphone. In addition, entire album was recorded on analog tape. This was considered somewhat archaic by 1995 recording standards, as much of the recording industry had transitioned to digital recording. (However, it should be noted that Dr. Dre, who produced two songs for the album still uses analog tape to record his music, as of late 2006).
The song "To Live and Die in LA", was called by Shakur (who recorded the song under the name "Makaveli", for the "Seven Day Theory" album) "California Love, part 2-- without gay-ass Dre." It is unknown if "gay-ass Dre" is serious slur against Dr. Dre, who left Shakur's label Death Row records shortly after producing two tracks for "All Eyez On Me".
Shakur considered singer Don McClean (best known as the singer/songwriter of the 1972 hit "American Pie") and Kate Bush as two influences in his life. Shakur also saw McClean's hit "Vincent" (a tale of painter Vincent Van Gogh) as one particular inspiration. In addition, Shakur cited African-American poet Maya Angelou and William Shakespeare as being equally important to him.
Gang member Orlando Anderson, often cited as Tupac's killer, was later murdered himself during an altercation at a LA car wash, on May 29th 1998. It should be noted that Anderson was never charged in the slaying.
He completed the 27 song "All Eyez On Me", considered by many to be his magnum opus, in only two weeks. Often cited as rap's first double album, "All Eyez" sessions began just hours after Shakur was released from jail. Released on February 13th 1996, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
His career triumphs--a number one album and pop single-- both happened on the 13th: Rap's first double album, "All Eyez on Me" (certified by the RIAA as of December 2006 at 9 million copies sold) hit store shelves on February 13th 1996. His only number one pop single "How Do U Want It?", reached the apex of the Hot 100 on July 13th 1996. Sadly, it was on September 13th (a Friday) that Shakur succumbed to injuries sustained in a Las Vegas shooting.
"The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" was recorded and mixed in a mere 7 days in August 1996. It was released November 5, 1996 and debuted at number one on both the pop album and R&B/Hip-Hop album charts, with 663,000 albums sold in its first week. It is certified at 7 million albums sold in the US and 28 million albums worldwide, making it both Tupac's best-selling album.
His first album, "2Pacalypse Now" was released November 12, 1991 and was certified gold. It contains 13 songs and reached number 13 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums.
Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 at approximately 11:15pm, at the corner of Flamingo and Koval streets.
Shakur renamed his publishing company to "Joshua's Dream" in honor of a young, terminally ill child whose dying wish was to meet him.
His number one single, "California Love" was certified at sales of 2 million copies in 1998.
Tupac used the Roland D70 synthesizer for his album "All Eyez On Me" (as seen in an interview with MTV in 1996).
Recorded close to 150 songs during the final year of his life, and often completed three songs per day in the same period. Shakur also wrote lyrics in the studio and often performed his verses in one take. He felt that rappers who could not perform their verses properly on the first take weren't ready to be rappers. R&B music, on the other hand, was worthy of multiple takes for the vocal tracks, he felt.
His 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend" (from the rapper's posthumously released "Don Killuminati" album) chronicles Shakur's relationship with his pistol, which he frequently carried for protection. The "finger fucking" Shakur refers to in the song is actually a euphemism for pulling the trigger. The song was covered in 2003 by Beyoncé and Jay Zwith a slightly altered chorus; it reached the top ten of the American pop charts.
Moved out of his mother's house when he was 17.
Along with friends, he founded the "Junior Black Panthers" in his youth.
His favorite singer was Prince.
Mentioned in the rap-rock song "Mope" by Bloodhound Gang, along with personalities like Luciano Pavarotti, The Notorious B.I.G., Falco, Tori Spelling, Bo Jackson and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Ranked #3 on VH1's 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists.
Tupac died with less than $100,000 in the bank.
Is portrayed by Anthony Mackie in Notorious (2009).
His godfather was Geronimo Ji Jaga, a member of Black Panther Party for Self Defense, a radical group advocating violence in obtaining civil rights for African-Americans. Shakur's parents, Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland, were also members of the group.
Was planning to record with the Wu-Tang Clan near the end of his life, as he revealed his admiration for their sound and lyrics.
New album 'Pac's Life' (originally titled 'Ready 2 Die') is released. [November 2006]
"Loyal To The Game" was released on Dec. 14. It is the 9th album of his to be released after his death. [December 2004]
Has another posthumous album tentatively tiled "Ready 2 Die". It's also his 14th album. [2005]
A fan of Tim Roth, Shakur was excited when he found out he was going to be in a movie with Roth. Roth, however, didn't like the idea of a rapper being in the movie with him, as he didn't know he was an actor before he became a rapper. Roth's attitude changed, when they tested together and the two were very good friends until Shakur's death.
Was John Singleton's first choice to star in Shaft (2000) when the film was going to be called Son Of Shaft.
Was the original choice for Jody in Baby Boy (2001).
His godmother Assata Shakur, was found guilty of the 1973 murder of a New Jersey state trooper. She broke out of prison and fled to Cuba. In 2013 she was added to the FBI's list of Most Wanted Terrorists.
Died on the same day that the pilot episode of Everybody Loves Raymond (1996) premiered.
Auditioned for the role of Gerald "Gee Money" Wells in New Jack City(1991) but was turned down because he was than that of leading star Wesley Snipes.
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Was friends with Jasmine Guy, Snoop Dogg, Keyshia Cole, and Jon B..
Personal Quotes (41)
Everybody's at war with different things...I'm at war with my own heart sometimes". In Vibe interview 2/96
Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.
The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.
The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothing to get out of who I am and go into somebody else.
I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.
I swear, if they hadn't tried to ruin me, I never would have ended up being a rapper. I probably would have been a preacher or something.
If you walked by a street and you was walking on the concrete and you saw a rose growing from the concrete, even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side you would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete. So why is it that when you see some ghetto kid grow out of the dirtiest circumstance and he can talk and he can sit across the room and make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems and how I am leaning crooked to the side, you can't even see that I've come up from out of that
But I know for a fact that had I had a father, I'd have some discipline. I'd have more confidence. Your mother cannot calm you down the way a man can. Your mother can't reassure you the way a man can. My mother couldn't show me where my manhood was. You need a man to teach you how to be a man.
It's the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they're gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it's my turn to leave.
All I'm trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me.
It seems like every time you come up something happens to bring you back down.
I think I'm a natural-born leader. I know how to bow down to authority if it's authority that I respect.
My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for.'
Don't change on me. Don't extort me unless you intend to do it forever.
I don't have no fear of death. My only fear is coming back reincarnated.
Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine?
It's a struggle for every young Black man. You know how it is, only God can judge us.
I don't see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers.
I would rather have been shot straight-up in cold blood-but to be set up? By people who you trusted? That's bad.
What I learned in jail is that I can't change. I can't live a different lifestyle - this is it. This is the life that they gave and this is the life that I made.
Somebody help me, tell me where to go from here cause even Thugs cry, but do the Lord care?
I'm 23 years old. I might just be my mother's child, but in all reality, I'm everybody's child. Nobody raised me; I was raised in this society.
We all gonna die, we bleed from similar veins.
In my mind I'm a blind man doin' time.
I'm a reflection of the community.
I just spent 11 and a half months in a maximum-security jail, got shot five times, and was wrongly convicted of a crime I didn't commit.
I worked hard all my life as far as this music business. I dreamed of the day when I could go to New York and feel comfortable and they could come out here and be comfortable.
There's nobody in the business strong enough to scare me.
Let the Lord judge the criminals.
The only time I have problems is when I sleep.
I just don't know how to deal with so many people giving me that much affection. I never had that in my life.
I'll probably be punished for hard living.
With all my fans I got a family again.
I don't have to talk about whether or not I got raped in jail.
If you believe in God, believe in Death Row East.
America wants its respect.
I never killed anybody, I never raped anybody, I never committed no crimes that weren't honorable.
If I win and get the money, then the Oakland Police department is going to buy a boys' home, me a house, my family a house, and a Stop Police Brutality Center.
Dre was one of my heroes in the music industry. If he's not down for his homeboys, I don't wanna be a part of him or around him.
When you do rap albums, you got to train yourself. You got to constantly be in character.
Thug Life to me is dead.
Who Was Tupac Shakur?Tupac Shakur (June 16, 1971 to September 13, 1996) was an American rapper and actor who came to embody the 1990s gangsta-rap aesthetic and in death became an icon symbolizing noble struggle. He has sold 75 million albums to date, making him one of the top-selling artists of all time. A sensitive, precociously talented and troubled soul, Tupac was gunned down in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 and died six days later. His murder has never been solved. Tupac began his music career as a rebel with a cause to articulate the travails and injustices endured by many African-Americans. His skill in doing so made him a spokesperson not just for his own generation but for subsequent ones who continue to face the same struggle for equality. In life, his biggest battle was sometimes with himself. As fate drove him towards the nihilism of gangsta rap, and into the arms of the controversial Death Row Records impresario Suge Knight, the boundaries between Shakur's art and his life became increasingly blurred — with tragic consequences.
Tupac’s DeathTupac died on September 13, 1996 of gunshot wounds inflicted six days prior. On September 7, Tupac was in Las Vegas with Suge Knight to watch a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand hotel. There was a scuffle after the bout between a member of the Crips gang and Tupac. Knight, who was involved with the rival Bloods gang, and members of his entourage piled in. Later, as a car that Tupac was sharing with Knight stopped at a red light, a man emerged from another car and fired 13 shots, hitting Tupac in the hand, pelvis and chest. He later died at the hospital. His girlfriend Kidada and his mother Afeni were both with him in his final days.
Tupac's body was cremated. Members of his old band, Outlawz, made the controversial claim that they had smoked some of his ashes in honor of him. His mother announced she would scatter her son's ashes in Soweto, South Africa, the "birthplace of his ancestors," on the 10th anniversary of his murder. She later changed the date to June 16, 1997 — Tupac's 26th birthday as well as the anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising.
On March 9, 1997, six months after Tupac died, Biggie Smalls was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles; his murder has never been solved, either.
Is Tupac Alive?Tupac Shakur died of gunshot wounds in 1996. However because his murder has never been solved, conspiracy theories have raged ever since. Fans have speculated that Tupac faked his death. On his album Life Goes On, Tupac rapped about his funeral; his song “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” was released two days after he died. There have been several reported potential Tupac “sightings” since his death, including in 2012 by Kim Kardashian.
In September 2017, Suge Knight hinted that Tupac might be alive in an interview. "When I left that hospital me and 'Pac was laughing and joking. I don't see how someone can go from doing well to doing bad," said Knight, adding that “with Pac you never know” if he could be alive and living in secret somewhere.
Renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur in 1972 by his mother after Tupac Amaru, an Inca who was sentenced to death by the Spaniards. Tupac Amaru, in the Inca language, means "shining serpent".
Trivia
Son of black panther Afeni Shakur; grew up in Harlem, Baltimore, and Marin County, California.
He had the words "thug life" tattooed across his abdomen.
Was engaged to Kidada Jones at time of his death.
Was going to play the role of Malik in Higher Learning (1995)
Died on a Friday the 13th.
More of his music has been released since his death than was while he was alive.
Appeared in the Salt-N-Pepa video, "Whatta Man.".
Founding Member of the Outlawz
Used the name Makaveli which is an altered spelling of Machiavelli, about whom he read while in prison.
In the song "Life Goes On" from the "All Eyez on Me" album, he rhymes about his own funeral.
As a young man, Tupac also studied dance, including ballet.
Tupac is listed as the most successful gangsta MC in the "Guinness Book of World Records."
Grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Jim Carrey was his favorite actor.
Was cast in the movie Woo (1998), but was shot five days before principal photography began.
He was offered a record contract at the age of 13. However, his mother refused to let him sign anything at such a young age. She felt he had a lot to learn about the world before joining the music industry.
He read for the part of "Bubba" in Forrest Gump (1994).
10 albums have been released after his 1996 death; all have gone platinum.
He was voted the 86th Greatest Rock 'n Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone.
In November 1994, he was robbed and shot five times by a pair of muggers in the lobby of a New York recording studio. Tupac survived the attack, and afterwards frequently boasted of his durability in his lyrics.
Was originally cast in Menace II Society (1993) but was fired after a physical altercation with director Allen Hughes.
As a teenager, he studied drama at Baltimore's School for the Arts, where he rhymed under the name MC New York.
When he was 12 years old, his mother enrolled him in Harlem's 127th St Ensemble. He played Travis in "A Raisin in The Sun" in his first acting role
Started his career on Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records with Digital Underground.
As a young man, he also studied ballet and dance
His 1996 song "Ghetto Gospel" was released in 2005, with some vocals by Elton John, and went to #1 in the UK, despite the fact he had been dead for eight years.
Was a good friend of fellow hip-hop MC M.C. Hammer, who also was from Oakland, California, USA.
His albums have sold 38 million copies in the USA alone.
Had been rapping since he was 18 years old (1989).
According to Guiness Book of Records 2004, he is the highest selling rap/hip-hop artist selling over 67 million copies worldwide
In a 2005 Rolling Stones Magazine Vote, Tupac was named #6 of the '100 immortal artists of all time' behind the likes of Elvis and Lennon
He is the first rap/hip-hop artist in history to have a wax model of himself set to be placed in Madamme Tussaud's in Las Vegas
Appeared on Forbes' "Top Earning Dead Celebrities" list in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with earnings of $7 million, $12 million and $5 million in each respective year.
Wrote a song, but died before he could finish it. Rap artist Eminem finished the song with his own lyrics and released it shortly afterwards.
First music artist to have a #1 LP while being in jail
Biological Father Is Billy Garland.
The harmonica in "So Many Tears" is a sample from Stevie Wonder's song "That Girl", which spent 9 weeks at number one on the R&B charts in 1982.
His song "Hit 'Em Up", which Shakur considered a "classic battle record" is scathing attack on one-time friend 'Notorious BIG', Bad Boy Records, and Sean Combs. In addition, Shakur claimed that he slept with Faith Evans (Notorious BIG's wife) in the song's lyrics.
Was a fan of actor Tim Roth and was delighted to learn he would work with him on Gridlock'd (1997), released after Shakur's death.
Read the article in "Entertainment Weekly" about his "Me Against The World" album's debut at number one, while incarcerated. The album's title song also appeared in Bad Boys (1995), which opened in March-- while Shakur was behind bars.
Cited Prince as an inspiration and sampled his music on the "All Eyez On Me" album. Shakur mentioned in an MTV interview that "he [Prince] loves women like I love women.".
Used an interpolation of the 1984 El DeBarge song "A Dream" for his hit "I Ain't Mad At Ya". Tupac's version, however, is at a faster tempo than the original.
Recorded much of his vocals of the "All Eyez On Me" album with a Neumann U87 microphone. In addition, entire album was recorded on analog tape. This was considered somewhat archaic by 1995 recording standards, as much of the recording industry had transitioned to digital recording. (However, it should be noted that Dr. Dre, who produced two songs for the album still uses analog tape to record his music, as of late 2006).
The song "To Live and Die in LA", was called by Shakur (who recorded the song under the name "Makaveli", for the "Seven Day Theory" album) "California Love, part 2-- without gay-ass Dre." It is unknown if "gay-ass Dre" is serious slur against Dr. Dre, who left Shakur's label Death Row records shortly after producing two tracks for "All Eyez On Me".
Shakur considered singer Don McClean (best known as the singer/songwriter of the 1972 hit "American Pie") and Kate Bush as two influences in his life. Shakur also saw McClean's hit "Vincent" (a tale of painter Vincent Van Gogh) as one particular inspiration. In addition, Shakur cited African-American poet Maya Angelou and William Shakespeare as being equally important to him.
Gang member Orlando Anderson, often cited as Tupac's killer, was later murdered himself during an altercation at a LA car wash, on May 29th 1998. It should be noted that Anderson was never charged in the slaying.
He completed the 27 song "All Eyez On Me", considered by many to be his magnum opus, in only two weeks. Often cited as rap's first double album, "All Eyez" sessions began just hours after Shakur was released from jail. Released on February 13th 1996, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
His career triumphs--a number one album and pop single-- both happened on the 13th: Rap's first double album, "All Eyez on Me" (certified by the RIAA as of December 2006 at 9 million copies sold) hit store shelves on February 13th 1996. His only number one pop single "How Do U Want It?", reached the apex of the Hot 100 on July 13th 1996. Sadly, it was on September 13th (a Friday) that Shakur succumbed to injuries sustained in a Las Vegas shooting.
"The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" was recorded and mixed in a mere 7 days in August 1996. It was released November 5, 1996 and debuted at number one on both the pop album and R&B/Hip-Hop album charts, with 663,000 albums sold in its first week. It is certified at 7 million albums sold in the US and 28 million albums worldwide, making it both Tupac's best-selling album.
His first album, "2Pacalypse Now" was released November 12, 1991 and was certified gold. It contains 13 songs and reached number 13 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums.
Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 at approximately 11:15pm, at the corner of Flamingo and Koval streets.
Shakur renamed his publishing company to "Joshua's Dream" in honor of a young, terminally ill child whose dying wish was to meet him.
His number one single, "California Love" was certified at sales of 2 million copies in 1998.
Tupac used the Roland D70 synthesizer for his album "All Eyez On Me" (as seen in an interview with MTV in 1996).
Recorded close to 150 songs during the final year of his life, and often completed three songs per day in the same period. Shakur also wrote lyrics in the studio and often performed his verses in one take. He felt that rappers who could not perform their verses properly on the first take weren't ready to be rappers. R&B music, on the other hand, was worthy of multiple takes for the vocal tracks, he felt.
His 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend" (from the rapper's posthumously released "Don Killuminati" album) chronicles Shakur's relationship with his pistol, which he frequently carried for protection. The "finger fucking" Shakur refers to in the song is actually a euphemism for pulling the trigger. The song was covered in 2003 by Beyoncé and Jay Zwith a slightly altered chorus; it reached the top ten of the American pop charts.
Moved out of his mother's house when he was 17.
Along with friends, he founded the "Junior Black Panthers" in his youth.
His favorite singer was Prince.
Mentioned in the rap-rock song "Mope" by Bloodhound Gang, along with personalities like Luciano Pavarotti, The Notorious B.I.G., Falco, Tori Spelling, Bo Jackson and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Ranked #3 on VH1's 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists.
Tupac died with less than $100,000 in the bank.
Is portrayed by Anthony Mackie in Notorious (2009).
His godfather was Geronimo Ji Jaga, a member of Black Panther Party for Self Defense, a radical group advocating violence in obtaining civil rights for African-Americans. Shakur's parents, Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland, were also members of the group.
Was planning to record with the Wu-Tang Clan near the end of his life, as he revealed his admiration for their sound and lyrics.
New album 'Pac's Life' (originally titled 'Ready 2 Die') is released. [November 2006]
"Loyal To The Game" was released on Dec. 14. It is the 9th album of his to be released after his death. [December 2004]
Has another posthumous album tentatively tiled "Ready 2 Die". It's also his 14th album. [2005]
A fan of Tim Roth, Shakur was excited when he found out he was going to be in a movie with Roth. Roth, however, didn't like the idea of a rapper being in the movie with him, as he didn't know he was an actor before he became a rapper. Roth's attitude changed, when they tested together and the two were very good friends until Shakur's death.
Was John Singleton's first choice to star in Shaft (2000) when the film was going to be called Son Of Shaft.
Was the original choice for Jody in Baby Boy (2001).
His godmother Assata Shakur, was found guilty of the 1973 murder of a New Jersey state trooper. She broke out of prison and fled to Cuba. In 2013 she was added to the FBI's list of Most Wanted Terrorists.
Died on the same day that the pilot episode of Everybody Loves Raymond (1996) premiered.
Auditioned for the role of Gerald "Gee Money" Wells in New Jack City(1991) but was turned down because he was than that of leading star Wesley Snipes.
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Was friends with Jasmine Guy, Snoop Dogg, Keyshia Cole, and Jon B..
Personal Quotes (41)
Everybody's at war with different things...I'm at war with my own heart sometimes". In Vibe interview 2/96
Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.
The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.
The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothing to get out of who I am and go into somebody else.
I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.
I swear, if they hadn't tried to ruin me, I never would have ended up being a rapper. I probably would have been a preacher or something.
If you walked by a street and you was walking on the concrete and you saw a rose growing from the concrete, even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side you would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete. So why is it that when you see some ghetto kid grow out of the dirtiest circumstance and he can talk and he can sit across the room and make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems and how I am leaning crooked to the side, you can't even see that I've come up from out of that
But I know for a fact that had I had a father, I'd have some discipline. I'd have more confidence. Your mother cannot calm you down the way a man can. Your mother can't reassure you the way a man can. My mother couldn't show me where my manhood was. You need a man to teach you how to be a man.
It's the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they're gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it's my turn to leave.
All I'm trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me.
It seems like every time you come up something happens to bring you back down.
I think I'm a natural-born leader. I know how to bow down to authority if it's authority that I respect.
My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for.'
Don't change on me. Don't extort me unless you intend to do it forever.
I don't have no fear of death. My only fear is coming back reincarnated.
Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine?
It's a struggle for every young Black man. You know how it is, only God can judge us.
I don't see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers.
I would rather have been shot straight-up in cold blood-but to be set up? By people who you trusted? That's bad.
What I learned in jail is that I can't change. I can't live a different lifestyle - this is it. This is the life that they gave and this is the life that I made.
Somebody help me, tell me where to go from here cause even Thugs cry, but do the Lord care?
I'm 23 years old. I might just be my mother's child, but in all reality, I'm everybody's child. Nobody raised me; I was raised in this society.
We all gonna die, we bleed from similar veins.
In my mind I'm a blind man doin' time.
I'm a reflection of the community.
I just spent 11 and a half months in a maximum-security jail, got shot five times, and was wrongly convicted of a crime I didn't commit.
I worked hard all my life as far as this music business. I dreamed of the day when I could go to New York and feel comfortable and they could come out here and be comfortable.
There's nobody in the business strong enough to scare me.
Let the Lord judge the criminals.
The only time I have problems is when I sleep.
I just don't know how to deal with so many people giving me that much affection. I never had that in my life.
I'll probably be punished for hard living.
With all my fans I got a family again.
I don't have to talk about whether or not I got raped in jail.
If you believe in God, believe in Death Row East.
America wants its respect.
I never killed anybody, I never raped anybody, I never committed no crimes that weren't honorable.
If I win and get the money, then the Oakland Police department is going to buy a boys' home, me a house, my family a house, and a Stop Police Brutality Center.
Dre was one of my heroes in the music industry. If he's not down for his homeboys, I don't wanna be a part of him or around him.
When you do rap albums, you got to train yourself. You got to constantly be in character.
Thug Life to me is dead.
