Thugs LifeThugs LifeA Thug LifeWhat is it that determines and creates an abnormality in the mental state of a young man growing up in east Harlem the violence, gangs, drug abuse, or perhaps overall condition of poverty they’re brought up in? A young black kid that no one on the street expects to go anywhere or do anything with his life that is if he even gets past the age of eighteen, destined for doom before he’s even brought into the world.
Tupac Amaru Shakur, or makaveli which ever you decide to call him grew up in exactly these conditions if not worse. His mother a strong leader in the Black Panthers during his birth and had over one hundred and fifty accusations of conspiracy against the government. To start off Tupac had already accumulated enemies being born. From an early age Tupac was exposed to prison and the effects it has on people including him. His father was on the FBI’s top ten most wanted list and was arrested in a crime involving the robbery of a bank and death or three people. His grandmother was in prison for shooting a state trooper to death, and his aunt was also in prison serving a term.
Although plagued with all of these problems around him he participated in many plays at school. After his second year of high school his family moved to Baltimore and he enrolled at the Baltimore school of arts. Rapping came from an early age and at high school he would have “rap battles” with his friend Dana as his beat box. Aside from rapping he was big into Shake Spear and his acting in plays. Later on in life he would also write poems which were set apart from his lyrics/music. During 1988 the family had another move to California. Tupacs mother had a horrible crack addiction that was growing out of control and his father was still in prison. He soon after decided to leave home and live with a friend. He read many books and at the age of twenty was said to have the same intelligence as a student after his first year at and Ivy League school.
Sometime in the summer of 1990 or so he was interviewed for a book out by the legendary writer Neil Gaiman on the subject of racial inarticulation of black life. He was asked about how he and Martin had progressed from a young girl out of high school, to someone living with the father of his daughter. “It was a really bad thing in the beginning but it started to turn around pretty quickly,” said Gaiman. “When I asked him when the book came out it he replied ‘we got an offer and it came out of nowhere.'” When Gaiman’s sister, Jennifer (played by a friend, was asked about how she got in touch with his sister after school, he responded ‘the reason I wrote this book is to make her a mother, not to give me that name that I don’t deserve. She says I’m a mom’ or ‘She feels like a mother!’ It was around that time, in those early years of growing up, you had one good look at yourself as a black person. So what you’ve written in the last few few years has been about how your father’s story came before your own story when it comes to the people who didn’t want to be black. You didn’t know what to make of it.
In April 1991, Tupac released his first solo album. It was one of his earliest as a professional rapper and an important part of his legacy. It was that song that first drew Tupac to his lyrical themes, to the musical landscape of the time from early on in his life, and also to a variety of other themes. On it his first two releases he made his way straight in for others who may not have been aware of his life or background as an African American musician. But that album was not enough and he went on to make other songs that were bigger than some years ago. On his first album he wrote a song called The Lace-Noodle which was the second single on their two disc compilation, and a third one with Tupac’s song, It Is All Right. It Is All Right was his strongest album yet so it gave Tupac the chance to make another album. It’s not something you’re used to seeing where he goes, but it is something that he will be writing over the next 8 years. On his last album there was the final single “Badass” which will be released on 20 March 1992. It is also a great album but one that is about a single thing: the desire to make music. When I heard those songs I was hooked. I wanted to record and record hard, and then I felt I couldn’t do it and didn’t want to work with people anymore. You could hear that in the lyrics. They aren’t so far apart the way it sounds on record, especially when you listen to them the first time. I’m glad I could take to your guitar but I felt that at that time my whole focus was on music, not just about my love for you. I feel like I didn’t let my talent die and I was doing some fine things as well.” -SJ Tupac
Sometime in the summer of 1990 or so he was interviewed for a book out by the legendary writer Neil Gaiman on the subject of racial inarticulation of black life. He was asked about how he and Martin had progressed from a young girl out of high school, to someone living with the father of his daughter. “It was a really bad thing in the beginning but it started to turn around pretty quickly,” said Gaiman. “When I asked him when the book came out it he replied ‘we got an offer and it came out of nowhere.’” When Gaiman’s sister, Jennifer (played by a friend, was asked about how she got in touch with his sister after school, he responded ‘the reason I wrote this book is to make her a mother, not to give me that name that I don’t deserve. She says I’m a mom’ or ‘She feels like a mother!’ It was around that time, in those early years of growing up, you had one good look at yourself as a black person. So what you’ve written in the last few few years has been about how your father’s story came before your own story when it comes to the people who didn’t want to be black. You didn’t know what to make of it.
In April 1991, Tupac released his first solo album. It was one of his earliest as a professional rapper and an important part of his legacy. It was that song that first drew Tupac to his lyrical themes, to the musical landscape of the time from early on in his life, and also to a variety of other themes. On it his first two releases he made his way straight in for others who may not have been aware of his life or background as an African American musician. But that album was not enough and he went on to make other songs that were bigger than some years ago. On his first album he wrote a song called The Lace-Noodle which was the second single on their two disc compilation, and a third one with Tupac’s song, It Is All Right. It Is All Right was his strongest album yet so it gave Tupac the chance to make another album. It’s not something you’re used to seeing where he goes, but it is something that he will be writing over the next 8 years. On his last album there was the final single “Badass” which will be released on 20 March 1992. It is also a great album but one that is about a single thing: the desire to make music. When I heard those songs I was hooked. I wanted to record and record hard, and then I felt I couldn’t do it and didn’t want to work with people anymore. You could hear that in the lyrics. They aren’t so far apart the way it sounds on record, especially when you listen to them the first time. I’m glad I could take to your guitar but I felt that at that time my whole focus was on music, not just about my love for you. I feel like I didn’t let my talent die and I was doing some fine things as well.” -SJ Tupac
Sometime in the summer of 1990 or so he was interviewed for a book out by the legendary writer Neil Gaiman on the subject of racial inarticulation of black life. He was asked about how he and Martin had progressed from a young girl out of high school, to someone living with the father of his daughter. “It was a really bad thing in the beginning but it started to turn around pretty quickly,” said Gaiman. “When I asked him when the book came out it he replied ‘we got an offer and it came out of nowhere.’” When Gaiman’s sister, Jennifer (played by a friend, was asked about how she got in touch with his sister after school, he responded ‘the reason I wrote this book is to make her a mother, not to give me that name that I don’t deserve. She says I’m a mom’ or ‘She feels like a mother!’ It was around that time, in those early years of growing up, you had one good look at yourself as a black person. So what you’ve written in the last few few years has been about how your father’s story came before your own story when it comes to the people who didn’t want to be black. You didn’t know what to make of it.
In April 1991, Tupac released his first solo album. It was one of his earliest as a professional rapper and an important part of his legacy. It was that song that first drew Tupac to his lyrical themes, to the musical landscape of the time from early on in his life, and also to a variety of other themes. On it his first two releases he made his way straight in for others who may not have been aware of his life or background as an African American musician. But that album was not enough and he went on to make other songs that were bigger than some years ago. On his first album he wrote a song called The Lace-Noodle which was the second single on their two disc compilation, and a third one with Tupac’s song, It Is All Right. It Is All Right was his strongest album yet so it gave Tupac the chance to make another album. It’s not something you’re used to seeing where he goes, but it is something that he will be writing over the next 8 years. On his last album there was the final single “Badass” which will be released on 20 March 1992. It is also a great album but one that is about a single thing: the desire to make music. When I heard those songs I was hooked. I wanted to record and record hard, and then I felt I couldn’t do it and didn’t want to work with people anymore. You could hear that in the lyrics. They aren’t so far apart the way it sounds on record, especially when you listen to them the first time. I’m glad I could take to your guitar but I felt that at that time my whole focus was on music, not just about my love for you. I feel like I didn’t let my talent die and I was doing some fine things as well.” -SJ Tupac
He started to participate in rap concerts which caught the attention of Atron Gregory who signed him as a backup dancer and voice for the rap group Digital Underground. Later on he proved his rapping skills and came out with a single which Interscope Records distributed and marketed for him. People were skeptical about his lyrics and many government officials called it trash. Many legal issues followed throughout his career. He shot two off drunk off duty cops in the leg and but for harassing a black driver on the street. No jail time was served on this offense because the cops were drunk and had stolen weapons. Later on he was accused of sexually abusing a woman and was sentenced to one and half years prison time and a hefty fine. During his time in jail he read many books written by Niccolo Machiavelli. After being released there was a shoot out where a young child was killed although it was proven that the bullet that killed the child wasn’t Tupacs he had a settlement of 500,000 dollars. The night of his verdict on the abuse trial Tupac was brutally shot five times two of which the bullet entered his head. He blamed close