THE SHORT LIFE OF TUPAC SHAKUR: SEPTEMBER 17
Tupac Shakur was born in Brookly, NY in 1971. Early in his life, he moved to Baltimore , MD, where he attended The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts. At this school, Tupac left a lasting impression on his teachers and was showing tremendous potential. Unfortunately, Tupac was unable to continue his training. He moved to Oakland, California with the rest of his family. That's when Tupac began to, as he called it, "Hang with the wrong crowd." Not held back by his lack of formal education, Tupac joined the Rap group Digital Underground as a dancer. Not long befort the group achieved award winning success, Tupac released his own album "2pacallyps Now", which was also a success. The hit single "Brenda's Got A Baby" launched Tupac's career like a rocket. His stunning talent also got him a role in the motion picture, "Juice". Tupac eventually released a second album "Strictly for my Niggaz," which was an even bigger success. The highlight of Tupac's acting career came when he appeared in "Poetic Justice" besides Janet Jackson. The role made Tupac a household name and showed the world that music may not be Tupac's #1 attribute.
In the midst of a role in the movie "Above the Rim" and a Platnum album "Me against the world," Tupac's rising career was snagged. He was brought up on sexual assault charges by a woman he met at a nightclub. Hours before Tupac would be found guilty, Tupac was robbed at gun point by men whose intent and purpose is still uncertain. Tupac was eventually released at over $1 Million in bail.
After his release, Tupac answered his critics by releasing his best album, "All eyes on me." "All eyes on me" has currently sold around 6 million copies, which is revolutionary for a double cd. Especially in Hip Hop music. As the album climbed the charts, Tupac also completed work on two films, one entitled "Gridlock." While on his way to do charity work, Tupac Shakur was assassinated by the bullets of unknown gunmen on September 13, 1996.
Shakur, 25, was pronounced dead at 4:03 p.m. Friday at University Medical Center. He died of respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest, a hospital spokesman said.
There had been trouble ealier. Shakur and associates were in a fight outside a Las Vegas hotel just before the shooting. And at the recent MTV awards in New York, police broke up a confrontation between Shakur's entourage and six other men. But then there always seemed to be something brewing.
Shakur was up-front about his troubled life in the 1995 release "Me Against The World," a multi-million-selling album that contained the ominously titled tracks "If I Die 2Nite" and "Death Around The Corner."
"It ain't easy being me - will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?" Shakur rapped on the album, which produced the Grammy-nominated "Dear Mama" and standout singles "So Many Tears" and "Temptations."
Yet Shakur was not just the fury, expletives and anger of songs like "Fuck the World." He could be poignant ("It was hell hugging on my mama from a jail cell") and both sympathetic and critical of young black men trying to become "gangstas" ("You could be a f------ accountant, not a dope dealer, you know what I'm saying").
The Las Vegas shooting occurred as Shakur's fourth solo album, "All Eyez on Me," remained on the charts, with some 5 million copies sold. The song "How Do You Want It - California Love" was a top 20 single on Billboard magazine's charts.
The rapper had a more hopeful outlook on "All Eyez." In a comment released by his label, Shakur had described the making of the album: "I just said what I wanted to say, and it liberated me. I let go of the anger."
A fledgling actor, Shakur had recently completed filming a role as a detective for the Orion picture "Gang Related." He previously appeared in "Above The Rim" in 1994; with Janet Jackson in John Singleton's 1993 release "Poetic Justice;" and in the 1992 Earnest Dickerson film "Juice."
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in 1971 in the Bronx. He moved to Baltimore to attend its High School for the Performing Arts, where he began writing rap. He then moved to Marin City, Calif., near Oakland, and continued to write and record.
As a member of the Grammy-nominated group Digital Underground he appeared in 1991 on the track "Same Song" from "This is an EP Release" and on the album "Sons Of The P."
That same year Shakur achieved individual recognition with the album "2Pacalypse Now," which spawned the successful singles "Trapped" and "Brenda's Got A Baby."
The album, with references to police officers being killed, drew notoriety when a lawyer claimed a man accused of killing a Texas trooper had been riled up by the record. Then-Vice President Dan Quayle targeted "2Pacalypse Now" in his 1992 battle with Hollywood over traditional values.
Shakur followed up in 1993 with the strong selling album "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...," which produced the singles "I Get Around," "Keep Ya Head Up," and "Papa'z Song." That year he was nominated for an American Music Award as best new rap hip hop artist.
The next year he appeared with Thug Life on the "Above The Rim" soundtrack and on the group's album "Volume 1." In a photo on the album liner he framed his face between his two extended middle fingers.
While in prison last year he indicated he was rethinking his lifestyle.
"Thug Life to me is dead. If it's real, let somebody else represent it, because I'm tired of it," Shakur told Vibe magazine. "I represented it too much. I was Thug Life."
The Associated Press also contributed to this story.
Timeline of Shakur's life
Significant events in the life of Tupac Shakur since 1991:
1991
* Shakur achieves individual recognition with the album "2Pacalypse Now," which spawned the successful singles "Trapped" and "Brenda's Got A Baby." * As a member of the Grammy-nominated group Digital Underground he appeared on the track "Same Song" from "This is an EP Release" and on the album "Sons Of The P."
1992
* Shakur appeared in the Earnest Dickerson film "Juice."
1993
* Appeared in John Singleton's release "Poetic Justice."
1994
* Release of "Thug Life." * Appeared in "Above The Rim" * November: Shakur's New York sex assault trial opens. * November: Shakur is shot during apparent robbery attempt outside a music studio in New York. * December: One day after being shot, Shakur is convicted of sexually abusing a woman he had invited to his hotel room. He is acquitted of sodomy and weapons charges.
1995
* Release of "Me Against The World," a multi-million-selling album. * February: Sentenced in New York to 4 1/2 years in prison for sex abuse. * May: Shakur married longtime girlfriend, Keisha Morris. * October: After nearly eight months in prison, Shakur is released on bail while he appeals.
1996
* Shakur's fourth solo album, "All Eyez on Me," debuts at No. 1 on Billboard's album chart, goes on to sell about 5 million copies. The song "How Do You Want It California Love" was a top 20 single on Billboard magazine's charts. * Acted as a detective in Orion's urban crime thriller "Gang Related." * Sept. 7: Shakur shot in Las Vegas. * Sept. 13: Shakur pronounced dead at 4:03 p.m.
