For those who love hip hop the name ‘Tupac Shakur’ will always mean a lot. For those who aren’t fans of the music genre, the name is still well known. This alone shows the legacy that Tupac left behind when he died too young. Tupac died at the age of 25 after being shot six times. His death is a mystery that has divided the hip-hop community for a long time. His life was short but in that time he left a lasting impression on the world of music and the people around him.
Tupac was actually born and given the name Lesane Parish Crooks but his mother changed his name at the age of one to Tupac Amaru Shakur based on the Peruvian rebellion leader named Tupac Amaru II. He fought against Spanish rule and was executed as a result. At the time of his birth, his parents were involved with the Black Panther movement and so the uprising name fit well.
From there Tupac would discover his talent in the arts and eventually hip hop. Tupac started his hip hop career in New York where he was born and raised. His allegiance to the city was so strong that he was often referred to as MC New York. His career started in 1989 but he really reached fame in 1990 when his song “Same song” started to get a lot of radio play.
Over the next five years, Tupac’s fame and music would continue to go from strength to strength with his ability to rap being unparalleled in the industry. Sadly, his personal life was going on a different trajectory. In 1994 he was shot five times and survived. In 1995 he faced a sexual assault charge and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. His bail was set at over $1 million dollars and Suge Knight the CEO of Death Row Records agreed to pay on the condition that he release three albums under the label.
When Tupac was out of jail he was shot six times while stopped at a red light in Suge Knight’s car in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died six days later. There have been numerous conspiracy theories about his death and who was behind it. While he was loved by many he was hated by a large number too. Whether it was West Coast rappers who had enough of Tupac, his own record label, or someone else that he crossed during his rise to stardom is unknown.
During his time in prison, Tupac released an album called Me Against the World. It was the first album ever to reach number one that was released by an artist in prison. Over the course of his career, he released a total of four platinum albums. Seven more have been released and gone platinum after his death.
One of the most famous rappers in the 90s that was from the West Coast was The Notorious BIG. He too was shot and killed in a drive-by incident. Some people believe that his murder was in retaliation to the death of Tupac with some members of the LAPD alleging that Suge Knight was indirectly responsible for the act of revenge.
Both Tupac and B.I.G were incredible talents with dark sides in their personal life. The music industry suffered because their careers were far too short. If Tupac was still alive today he would be only in his mid-40s and likely still releasing incredible music. In his short five year career he made an imprint on music that will last many more years to come.
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