Tupac
Tupac's Album "This is My Story"
Biography
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, his main careers were an American rapper and actor. Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide as of 2010, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Rolling Stone Magazine named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time. Most of Tupac's songs speak of the violence and hardship of inner cities, racism, social problems, and conflicts with other rappers during the East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry. Tupac began his career as a roadie, backup dancer, and MC for the hip hop group Digital Underground. Both of his parents and several other of his family members were members of the Black Panther Party. Tupac was involved in an East Coast–West Coast rivalry after a major feud with East Coast rappers, producers and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records. On September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was then taken to the Southern Nevada University Medical Center, where he died six days later. Tupac’s love of theater and Shakespeare influenced his work. A student of the Baltimore School of Arts where he studied theater, and enjoyed the Shakespearean psychology. During a 1995 interview, Tupac told Los Angeles Times reporter Chuck Philips:
"... I love Shakespeare. He wrote some of the rawest stories, man. I mean look at Romeo and Juliet. That's some serious ghetto shit. You got this guy Romeo from the Bloods who falls for Juliet, a female from the Crips, and everybody in both gangs are against them. So they have to sneak out and they end up dead for nothing. Real tragic stuff.And look how Shakespeare busts it up with Macbeth. He creates a tale about this king's wife who convinces a happy man to chase after her and kill her husband so he can take over the country. After he commits the murder, the dude starts having delusions just like in a Scarface song. I mean the king's wife just screws this guy's whole life up for nothing…"
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, his main careers were an American rapper and actor. Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide as of 2010, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Rolling Stone Magazine named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time. Most of Tupac's songs speak of the violence and hardship of inner cities, racism, social problems, and conflicts with other rappers during the East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry. Tupac began his career as a roadie, backup dancer, and MC for the hip hop group Digital Underground. Both of his parents and several other of his family members were members of the Black Panther Party. Tupac was involved in an East Coast–West Coast rivalry after a major feud with East Coast rappers, producers and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records. On September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was then taken to the Southern Nevada University Medical Center, where he died six days later. Tupac’s love of theater and Shakespeare influenced his work. A student of the Baltimore School of Arts where he studied theater, and enjoyed the Shakespearean psychology. During a 1995 interview, Tupac told Los Angeles Times reporter Chuck Philips:
"... I love Shakespeare. He wrote some of the rawest stories, man. I mean look at Romeo and Juliet. That's some serious ghetto shit. You got this guy Romeo from the Bloods who falls for Juliet, a female from the Crips, and everybody in both gangs are against them. So they have to sneak out and they end up dead for nothing. Real tragic stuff.And look how Shakespeare busts it up with Macbeth. He creates a tale about this king's wife who convinces a happy man to chase after her and kill her husband so he can take over the country. After he commits the murder, the dude starts having delusions just like in a Scarface song. I mean the king's wife just screws this guy's whole life up for nothing…"
Achievements
Tupac received a long list of awards including: He was named number six of the hundred “Immortal Artists of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2005, MTV ranked him number two on their list of “The Greatest MCs of All Time”, Tupac was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002, VH1 ranked him number three in the “50 Greatest Hip-Hop Artists”, later in 2003 MTV listed Tupac the number one MC of the “22 Greatest MCs” (voted by viewers), VH1 Tupac was honored in the “VH1 Hip-Hop Honors”, Vibe Magazine rated Tupac “The Greatest Rapper of All Time” (voted by fans) in 2004, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
Tupac received a long list of awards including: He was named number six of the hundred “Immortal Artists of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2005, MTV ranked him number two on their list of “The Greatest MCs of All Time”, Tupac was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002, VH1 ranked him number three in the “50 Greatest Hip-Hop Artists”, later in 2003 MTV listed Tupac the number one MC of the “22 Greatest MCs” (voted by viewers), VH1 Tupac was honored in the “VH1 Hip-Hop Honors”, Vibe Magazine rated Tupac “The Greatest Rapper of All Time” (voted by fans) in 2004, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
Tupac's Album 2Pacalypse Now
Effects on Hip-Hop
Tupac's debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, revealed the socially conscious side of Tupac. On this album, Tupac attacked social injustice, poverty and police brutality with the songs "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Trapped" and "Part Time Mutha". Tupac style on this album highly influenced the social consciousness and Afrocentrism pervading hip-hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On the initial release of the album, Tupac helped extend the success of various rap groups such as Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, X-Clan, and Grandmaster Flash. Tupac then became one of the first major socially conscious rappers from the West Coast. On his second record, Tupac continued to rap about the social flaws facing African-Americans, with songs like "The Streetz R Deathrow" and "Last Wordz". He also showed his compassionate side with the anthem "Keep Ya Head Up", while simultaneously putting his legendary style on display with the title track from the album Strictly 4 My N.*.*.*.*Z. He also added a salute to his former group Digital Underground by including them on the playful track "I Get Around". Throughout his career, an increasingly aggressive attitude can be seen pervading Tupac's albums.
Tupac's debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, revealed the socially conscious side of Tupac. On this album, Tupac attacked social injustice, poverty and police brutality with the songs "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Trapped" and "Part Time Mutha". Tupac style on this album highly influenced the social consciousness and Afrocentrism pervading hip-hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On the initial release of the album, Tupac helped extend the success of various rap groups such as Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, X-Clan, and Grandmaster Flash. Tupac then became one of the first major socially conscious rappers from the West Coast. On his second record, Tupac continued to rap about the social flaws facing African-Americans, with songs like "The Streetz R Deathrow" and "Last Wordz". He also showed his compassionate side with the anthem "Keep Ya Head Up", while simultaneously putting his legendary style on display with the title track from the album Strictly 4 My N.*.*.*.*Z. He also added a salute to his former group Digital Underground by including them on the playful track "I Get Around". Throughout his career, an increasingly aggressive attitude can be seen pervading Tupac's albums.