Name: Tupac Amaru Shakur
Date of Birth: June 16, 1971
Date of Death: September 13, 1996
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York
Place of Death: Las Vegas, Nevada
Measurements: 6' 0" 165 lbs.
Marital Status: Separated/Married
Occupation: Rapper / Actor
Tupac Amaru Shakur is born in NYC to Afeni Shakur, a member of the Black Panther Party who
was pregnant with him while in jail on bombing charges. Tupac Amaru comes from the Incas
meaning "shining serpent" and Shakur is Arabic meaning "thankful to God."
Tupac made his acting debut in a production of Raisin in the Sun.
Tupac moved to Baltimore with his mother and joined the High School for the Performing Arts,
where he acted in school plays. And here Tupac writes his first rap under the name MC New
York.
June: Tupac's family moves to Marin City, California. Shortly after, Tupac moves in with a
neighbor and starts selling drugs. Tupac didn't finish high school but later on he was hired by
Digital Underground as a roadie and dancer.
August: Mutulu Shakur, Tupac's stepfather, is sentenced to 60 years in prison for his involvement
in a 1981 armored-car robbery.
Tupac joins Digital Underground as a roadie/dancer/rapper.
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."
Tupac was nominated for an American Music Award as best new rap hip hop artist.November 1993 Tupac is arrested and charged with sexual assault after a fan was raped in hishotel room.
Tupac got shot 5 times when he was robbed outside a recording studio in midtown Manhattan,
but survived the attack. The result of the trial of the sexual assault: Tupac was sentenced to 1,5
to 4,5 years in prison. Tupac served 8 months of the
sentence.
Tupac had permission to play in the basketball drama
Above The Rim while he was doing time in prison.
With Thug Life Tupac put an album together: Thug Life
Volume 1.
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: Tupac marries Keisha Morris.
October: Tupac was released out of jail after Suge Knight paid his bail (1.4 million).
Never before in Hip Hop history had there been a double CD released. All Eyez On Me was the
first. Up to date All Eyez On Me sold more than 5 million copies. The single "How Do You Want
It" / "California Love" off All Eyez On Me was a top 20 single on Billboard magazine's charts.
Acted as a detective in Orion's urban crime thriller "Gang Related." which has plans to be
released in the summer of 1997.
September 7:
Tupac was gunned down on a Las Vegas highway on his way to Suge's Club 662
after having just been at a Mike Tyson fight.( The Picture to the Right is the Location Of The
Shooting)
September 13: Tupac Shakur pronounced dead at p.m. in Las Vegas.
In the weeks following his death Tupac's Legend seemed to live
on....
November 5: Makaveli - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is
released and debuts at number 1 on Billboard's Charts.
November: All Eyez On Me Re-enters the Top 20 and Continues to
sell, Numbers exceeding 6 million.
January: Bullet is released - Film company seemed to use Tupac as a selling tool. (He was only in
the movie for a couple of minutes and the movie wasn't very good.)
This year Gridlock'd got released and later on Gang Related will be released. A shame Tupac
can't see this happening.
One Nation will be the new Makaveli album, probably being released under Makaveli Records.
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.
While serving his sentence for sexual abuse, Tupac's third solo release,
"Me Against The World," spent four weeks at number one.
After eight months, Tupac's case was appealed, and Death Row head Suge
Knight promptly bailed Tupac out of jail, and took the opportunity to
sign him to Death Row Records. Tupac turned his troubles to a career that
was bigger than ever. His double album Death Row debut, "All Eyez On Me,"
sold more than 5 million copies, scored a number one single, and included
tracks with new label mate, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Dr. Dre. With three
years past since Snoop's last solo release, and the departure of Death
Row Co-Founder, Dr. Dre, to start his own label, Tupac became Death Row's
artistic centerpiece, as well as its biggest mouthpiece. Death Row and
Tupac shared a common enemy: the New York-based Bad Boy Entertainment.
Tupac had earlier implicated Bad Boy Producer, Sean "Puffy" Combs, and
star artist, the Notorious B.I.G., in his 1994 shooting. But despite his
taunts, Tupac realized danger could be around the corner. Back in New
York City for this year's Video Music Awards, just three nights before he
was shot in Las Vegas, Tupac surrounded himself with bodyguards and
clutched a walkie talkie throughout the evening as a security
precaution.
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 before 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 Platinum 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.
Biography by DeeJay $za$za
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