This paper is about Tupac Shakur one of music history’s greatest artist. He was born in New York City,1971 East Harlem to be exact. His mother was an activist and a part of the Black Panther movement so she raised Tupac with that mentality. Tupac had a pretty difficult childhood because he would move frequently around New York when he was young. He then participated in acting and became a member of the 127th Street Ensemble which was a Harlem-based theater company. Later in his teens he attended Baltimore School for the Arts where he took acting and dance classes. He then discovered rap while living in Baltimore and was performing under the name MC New York. He then dropped out of school at 17 and moved to the west coast, which was California in the 1980’s. Some people don’t know where Tupac Shakur was born because he would always portray as being from California even though he was from New York. …show more content…
“In 1991, Shakur emerged as a solo artist—using the name 2Pac—with his debut album 2Pacalypse Now. The track "Brenda's Got a Baby" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. His second album, Strictly 4 My N. I. G. G. A. Z., crossed over to the pop charts, with singles "I Get Around" and "Keep Ya Head Up." The album went platinum, selling more than a million copies.”-biography.com So he basically got famous with these tracks and acting in the movie “Juice”; which was one of the top movies back then. In his songs he basically talked about the things you didn’t want your children to hear. For example, he talked about his everyday struggles whether it was drugs, guns and violence. This then brought a major influence on the rivalry between the west and east coast rap/gang
In the short story “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life” by Jenee Desmond-Harris she talks about the death of Tupac Shakur and the impact it had on her and her friend Thea. I think its interesting that although Harris and Tupac are polar opposites she uses the connection of their race and applys it to this “coming of age” journey. Harris expresses that Tupacs music made her feel apart of something and that she valued the racial equality being voiced through his music. I can relate to this on multiple levels. For example when I’m feeling down and listen to sad music that i can relate to. Listening to music and lyrics that you can relate to brings you a sense of belonging like you arent the only one that has ever felt this way.
Assata Shakur’s political views are similar and different from many other political activists but the injustice she faced changed her views in ways other will never understand. Assata Shakur was an African American activist who became a member of the Black Panther party which supported the black power movement. Shakur faces oppression and is persecuted by the FBI for being a member of the black liberation army and the Black Panther party. Assata was convicted and charged with murdering a New Jersey police officer. She faced life in prison but she escaped and fled to Cuba where she seeked political asylum. Assata was persecuted so heavily and incarcerated because of her involvement
In Jenée Desmond-Harris’s narrative Tupac and My Non-thug Life, the author’s use of a photograph aids the reader in conveying what Desmond-Harris and her friend Thea were like. The photograph captures the natural essence and innocence of the young high-school girls as they enter an age of self-discovery. The purpose of the photo is to bring the descriptive details of the narrative to life and provide a vivid image of the girls during their adolescent years. The photograph reflects a youthful and rather naive time the girls find themselves surrounded in.
¨Father forgive us for living (Shakur, 1). Tupac speaks from the african american point of view, as in a world where african americans are discriminated, simply living is a crime In ¨Untitled 1,¨ by Tupac Shakur, the theme is how African Americans have been discriminated by other races and even self-discriminated and how that needs to be changed. Tupac examines the struggles of African Americans, and talks about how they have been discriminated for a very long time and how it has caused sorrow. That being said, he remains hopeful towards the future, and wants to inspire children to spark change.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in New York City to Afeni Shakur, a Black Panther member since 1968. She gave birth to him 2 months after she was released from Women’s House of Detentions in Grenwich Village. She was charged with conspiracy to bomb several New York public locations and just had her bail revoked. In court she represented herself and won against the state of New York in a surprising turn out. In Incan dialect, his name Tupac Amaru means “shining serpent” and Shakur is Arabic for “thankful to God.” For most of his childhood his crack addicted mother shuffled Tupac between the ghettos of Harlem and the Bronx. Young Tupac began his performance career with the 127th Street Ensemble and then enrolled Baltimore School for the Arts where he was educated in ballet and acting. Tupac was forced to drop out of the school because he had to move to California with his mother, where his criminal career began. He left his house at the age of 17 because of the continuous fights with his mother he then began selling/doing drugs, and was homeless for about 2 years. His life was spiraling down wards at a rapid rate. Till one day he got his big break. Tupac always dreamt about being famous someday, now his dream was becoming a reality. He struck a recording deal with Interscope records. He was on his way to super stardom, but as we all know with fame comes problems. He was involved in the shooting of two off duty police officers, although the chargers were later dropped. He was also convicted of rape, and sentenced to 5 years in Clinton Correctional Facilities.
Tupac Shakur (2pac) was known as one of those rappers that has made a difference in the black community during the 90’s. All his music talked about the reality of black lives and the struggle of being black not only for black men but also for black women. His songs gave hope to African Americans, and to help them see that black was/is beautiful. Even though Tupac has many hit songs and albums, Keep Ya Head Up has been one of the best songs that Tupac has ever recorded! “The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice the darker the flesh the deeper the roots”.
Manheim, James M., and Carol Brennan. "Kanye West." Contemporary Black Biography. Ed. Margaret Mazurkiewicz. Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Biography in Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. His birth name was Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971. Both of his parents were members of the Black Panther Party. Tupac Shakur was a vocal participant during the East Coast and West Coast hip hop rivalry. He went to high schools in California and Maryland.
In the same fashion that Elvis defined Rock ‘n’ Roll; Tupac Shakur defined the hip-hop music scene, as we know it today. What made Tupac (also known as 2Pac, or Makaveli) so special were his enormous talent, his on screen friendly looks, and the sense that he was “real” and talked the talk, while walking the walk. Tupac was born on June 16, 1971, Tupac Amaru Shakur. He was named after Tupac Amaru, the Inca Indian that was sentenced to death by the Spaniards. He was originally from Brooklyn, New York. Tupac spent a lot of time moving around as he was growing up. He was the son of a Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland. Tupac moved from Harlem, to Baltimore, to Oakland. The constant moving caused Tupac to fit into his new communities by joining gangs, and his lengthy rap sheet was created even before his profalic entry into music and film. He was arrested eight times before even turning twenty (MTV.com).
Johnson, Freddie Lee, and Tayannah Lee McQuillar. Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an
Tupac Amaru Shakur was an African-American rapper, poet, and record producer during the 1990’s. In his adolescent years, he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts where he took acting and dance classes, like ballet. He was taught radical politics by his mother, which helped him develop ideas about topics he would later use in his many works. At an early age, Tupac had seen the injustices of the real world. His mother was a former Black Panther activist who turned to substance abuse during Tupac’s childhood. Aside from that, he and his mother also moved many times while they lived together in New York City. While Tupac was in Baltimore, he discovered rap; not long after, he and his mother moved to the West Coast where he joined the rap group
“ Poverty, murder, violence and never a day 2 rest.” Those were the words of Tupac Shakur, a legendary rapper. Tupac Amaru Shakur (born June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac, Makaveli, or simply Pac, was an American artist renowned for his rapping and hip hop music, as well as his movie roles, poetry, and his social activism. He is recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-selling rap artist, with over 75 million albums sold worldwide, including over 50 millions in the United States alone. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing up around violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, problems in society, and sometimes qualms with other rappers. Shakur's work is known for advocating political, economic, social, and racial equality as well as his raw descriptions of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and conflicts with the law. Many fans, critics, and industry insiders rank him as the greatest rapper ever.
When you hear the name Tupac Amaru Shakur (2pac) you think of a rapper maybe a “Thug”. But Tupac just didn’t rap he was also a Poet. There is much more to his life than him rapping. Tupac positively affected society with his words in his songs and by singing. He was more than just a rapper.
Hip-hop began in the undergrounds in Bronx New York in the early 1970s and has gradually grown to become mainstream music. According to Lori Selke a professional writer for Global post, “hip-hop is the term that refers to more than just a musical genre; it includes culture, dance, art, and even fashion” (Selke). Since it originated in the 1970’s, hip-hop has had profound influence on society, and has grown into the lives of listeners worldwide; hip-hop’s influential power is astonishing. Within the last decade, hip-hop artist like Jay-Z, Nas, and Young Jeezy helped to increase voting in the 2008 presidential campaign by informing a hip hop audience consisting of a majority of African Americans on soon to be 44th President of the United States, by using their voice and lyrics as their tool to encouraging people to stand up for a change by voting. According to Emmett Price in his book Hip Hop Culture (2006), “in the early years prior to the rise of recorded rap music via Sugar Hill Gang’s controversial “Rapper’s Delight” (1979) hip-hop was a growing culture driven by self-determination, a love for life, and a desire to have fun [through entertaining fans and expressing themself].” (Price) Although artists today accomplish the same things, the focus of the lyrics has changed consisting of “extolling violence, drug and alcohol use, and detailing sexual exploits” (Selke). If one were to observe the most popular music from artist in the 80’s until now, they would notice a definitive change in its overall message. If hip-hop continues on its current route it will become a musical genre known solely for its references to sex, drugs, and violence.
It is so hard to become a rapper. But it is harder to become a Great Rapper. I believe Tupac is a great rapper. Not only a great rapper, but the greatest rapper. Like Snoop Dogg had said, “Tupac was many different things at once. Hardheaded and intellectual, courageous and afraid, revolutionary and….oh yeah, don’t get it f***ed up, gangsta.” To be a great rapper, you must have impact, commercial success, be good at song writing, a lot of performances and live shows and lastly, hella good rapping. The first song I heard from tupac was “ambitions az a ridah and all eyes on me” and it was real original so I went and listened to ‘Brenda got a baby’ which made me think “dammmmm he good, he good as hell”