Gilmore1

MichaelGilmore
Mr.Conrad
ERWCPeriod3
12April2016
TupacShakurFromtheStreetstotheStage
TupacAmaruShakurmorefamouslyknownbyhisstagename2pacwasoneofthemost
influentialmusiciansofalltime.HewasbornJune16,1971inEastHarlem,Newyork.Oneof
thethingsthatledtohisimmensefamewashowheusedhispoeticpowertotellthosestories
fromthestreetsandtheghettothatthemainstreammediarefusedtotalkabout(Mvuyekure).
Thismadehismusicstandoutfromtherest
becauseitalwaystoldastorythatpeoplecan
relatetoandwassowellpiecedtogether.His
musichasinfluencedmanygenresofmusic
andstillcontinuestoinfluenceartiststoday.
AttheyoungageoftwelveTupacwas
enrolledinThe127thStreetEnsemblewherehelearnedsomeactingandotherperformingskills.
WhenTupacwasfourteenhisfamilymovedtoBaltimore,Marylandandhecontinuedhis
educationattheBaltimoreSchoolofPerformingarts.Whilehewasthereitledtohisinterestfor
composingandperformingraplyrics.In1988theymovedagainbutthistimetoMarinCity,
CaliforniawhichmarkedtheendofTupac'sformaltrainingintheatreandpoetryand,
consequently,theendoftheperiodwhenhemovedbetweenthecontrastingworldsofdramatic
makebelieveandtherealworldoftheurbanpoverty(Edwards).Thiscausedhimtogetaway

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fromhislifeofcrimeandledtohisdevelopmentintoarapartist.Hecontinuedwritingpoems
whileheworkedonhisfirstalbum
2PacalypseNow.
Hewassowellatbothformsofartand
theyaretwodifferentworldsthatTupacinhabitedandmastered,theworldofschoolandthe
worldofthehood(Edwards).Thisshowshisloveforbothofthesewaysofexpression.
Whenhemadehisfirstdebutas2pachereleasedhisfirstalbum
2PacalypseNow
which
showedoffhispersonalandaimedattheproblemsthatyoungblackmaleswerefacingwitha
smallfocusontheviolencebyandagainstthepolicewhichledtothealbumquicklyattracting
themediaespeciallyafterayoungmanwhokilledaTexasTrooperclaimedhewasinspiredby
thealbum(Makaveli).Eventhoughthisalbumdidntdoaswellashehadhopedhewaswilling
totryagain.HewantedtotryagainsinceShakurwasa
talentedrapper,producingwasnothisforteandHewrote
almostallofhislyricsinhissongsbyhimself(Makaveli)
hehadhissecondalbum
Strictly4MyN.I.G.G.A.Z
producedbyStretchandtheLiveSquad.Thisalbum
showedhispoliticalandsocialviewsandwasmore
successfulthanhispreviousalbum.Hegothisfirsttwo
numberonehits:KeepYaHeadUpandIGetAround.
Soonafterhereleasedhissecondalbumhestartedtofilluphiscriminalrecordthefirst
ofwhichwaswhenhewasInOaklandinOctoberof1991,Tupacwasstoppedbytwoofficers
forallegedlyjaywalking.Whenhetoldthepolicefuckyall,hewaschoked,beaten,andhad
hisheadsmashedonthepavement.(Makaveli).ThisledalawsuitwiththeOaklandPolice
Departmentandthecasewaseventuallysettledfor$42,000.NearlytwoyearslaterHeonce

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againgotinvolvedwiththelawwhenShakurcameupontwooffdutypoliceofficerswhomhe
perceivedasharassingablackmotoristonthesideoftheroadinAtlanta.Shakurgotintoafight
withthemandshotbothofficers(oneintheleg,oneinthebuttocks)(Makaveli).Hegotsome
seriouschargesforthisbuttheyweresoondroppedafteritwasfoundthattheofficerswereboth
intoxicated.In1994hewasarrestedandtriedmultipletimesbutneverconvicted.
Whilehewasintherecordingstudiounknownrivalsshothimwith.22caliberbulletsas
hegotreadytoraponanotheralbum.Shakursurvivedmultipleinjuriesfromtheshooting,buthe
wasrobbedof$40,000incashandjewelry.Fromthenon,heclaimedB.I.G.andCombswere
responsible,oratleasthadsethimup(Tupac).Shortlyafterthishewassentencedto18months
inprisonhemadeadealwith
MarionSuge
Knightandreleasedhisthirdalbum
MeAgainstthe
World

whichtookhispopularitytoanotherlevel.Itsold500,000copiesonreleaseandyielded
"DearMama,"aheartfelttributetoAfeni,nowoffcrackandworkingforherson'sproduction
company(Tupac).In1996Tupaccompletelychangedhistoneandreleasedhisfourthandthe
firstdoublealbumever
AllEyezonMe
whichmanyhad
calledit"oneofthemostmelodically
andtexturallyinventivealbumsthatraphaseverproducedandoneofthemostfurious"
(Tupac).Soonafterhereleased
AllEyezonMe
hewasshotagainwhilehewasridingonthe
LasVegasstripinablackBMWdrivenbytheheadofDeathRowRecords,Marion"Suge"
Knight.ThepairhadjustleftaMikeTysonBruceSeldon
heavyweightfightandweretravelingtoKnight'sclubwhena
whiteCadillacpulledupbesidethemandshotsrangout.
(Tupac)Heslippedintoacomaforsixdaysbeforehediedfrom
internalbleedingonSeptember13,1996at4:03P.M.

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Afterhisdeath,hestillreleasedsixmorealbumsandtheyallwentplatinumandannually
soldmorethaneveryotherrapperformanyyears.HismothertookovertheTupacbrandand
releasedsomeofhisgreatestworksthathefeltwerentgoodenoughbutthepeopledecidedthat
wasn'tthecase.WiththemoneyshemadefromsellinghismusicsheopenedtheTupacAmaru
ShakurCenterforPerformingArtsandmanyotherthingstohelpalldifferentkindsofpeople.
Eventoday,nearlytwentyyearsafterhisdeathheisconsideredalegacyandoneofthemost
influentialRappersofalltime.

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Bibliography
Biography.com."TupacShakur."
Bio.com
.A&ENetworksTelevision,2006.Web.05May
2016.
Dyson,MichaelEric."Tupac:lifegoeson:whytherapperstillappealstofansandcaptivates
scholarsadecadeafterhisdeath."
BlackIssuesBookReview
Sept.Oct.2006:14+.
StudentResourcesinContext
.Web.12Apr.2016
Edwards,Walter."Frompoetrytorap:thelyricsofTupacShakur."
TheWesternJournalof
BlackStudies
26.2(2002):61+.
StudentResourcesinContext
.Web.8Apr.2016.
"GrowingTupac'sLegacy,10YearsAfterHisDeath."
News&Notes
13Sept.2006.
Student
ResourcesinContext
.Web.4May2016.
"TupacShakur."
Newsmakers
.Detroit:Gale,1997.
StudentResourcesinContext
.Web.4May
2016.
"TupacShakur."
UXLBiographies
.Detroit:UXL,2011.
StudentResourcesinContext
.Web.5
May2016.