The Life Of Tupac Shakur Essay, Research Paper
“I want to be a revolutionary.” Said a young Tupac Shakur. From the earliest age, Tupac wanted greatness and nothing less. Tupac Amaru Shakur was born June 16, 1971 at New York University Hospital. His name, Tupac Amaru was an Inca name meaning “Shining Serpent” and Shakur meant “Thankful to God”. Tupac had a rough childhood. From the day he was born, things were rough. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was a member of the Black Panther Party. While carrying Tupac, she was arrested in connection to the Black Panther Party for conspiracy to bomb several public places. She was released one month before Tupac s birth. Tupac grew up in the tough parts of town and did what he could to survive. When Tupac turned twelve years old, decided acting was his calling. He joined the 127th St. Ensemble, a Harlem Theater Group. Soon after, he enrolled in the Baltimore School for Performing Arts. This came to an abrupt end when Tupac, age 17, was forced to leave the school and move to California with his mother. Soon after the move, Tupac began dealing drugs. At about the same time, his stepfather, whom he had considered his real dad, was sentenced to sixty years in jail for his role in a 1981 armored car robbery. This was a devastating blow to Tupac. Within a year, Tupac had risen among the black youths in the area and became the chairman of The New African Panthers. The New African Panthers was group which was honoring the goals of the original Black Panthers, but without making the same mistakes they made. In 1991, Tupac joined the rap
Group Digital Underground as a roadie, dancer, and rapper. This is where his true career began. By the end of the year he released his first album. It was titled “2Pacalypse Now”. Soon, Tupac began acting. In a short period of time, Tupac appeared in many movies. He was in Juice, Poetic Justice, Above The Rim, and Menace II Society. With his many movie releases, he was soon very popular. With his popularity still rising in Late 1994, Tupac was found guilty of sexual abuse. He was sentenced 18 months to 4.5 years. Five months later his new CD “Me Against The World” debuted at number one on all of the charts. It went on to go double platinum. Later that year, he married long time girlfriend Keisha Morris. Later he released the first ever two-disk CD. It was titled “All Eyez On Me”. It went quintuple platinum. Five months later, on September 7, riding with Death Row Record CEO Sugh Knight, Tupac was shot four times. Six days later, he died.(White p.210) Much controversy surrounded his death. Rapper “Chuck D” came out and said in public that he believed Tupac faked his death. To this day nobody can prove it either way, but the rumors say he is alive and well. (Tupac Online)
Tupac s poetry is a unique blend of both confessional poetry and world view poetry. At one time, he will be speaking of the ways of the black-American life. He speaks from personal experience, but does not always use himself as an example. For instance, he will speak of situations he has been in, but talk as if it does not apply to himself anymore because he is in a different situation. His
situations in life do have a lot to do with his works. When his family was living in shelters and the Bronx and in Harlem, Tupac learned a lot of things about life. His father being a crack addict and bringing his mother into it was very rough for him, but it taught him about life and the way things are. (Tupac s Thugland) Tupac s works caused a great movement in the world of rap. Suddenly more people were expressing their emotions freely through music. Tupac couldn t have paved the way for other writers had he not been influenced be the Digital Underground, Public Enemy, Chuck D, and Ice-T. Fore, they paved the road for him. (White p.219)