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Tupac Shakur: The Truth Be Told
What made Tupac Shakur albums such a success? Surely, we could debate this over and over. Like Kurt Cobain from the rock group Nirvana, it can be argued that Tupac Shakur would never have been as famous as he became if he wasn't shot dead ahead of his time in 1996. Then again, Tupac was a huge performer and famed rapper before his death, as well as major movie star and political activist.
Perhaps it was the fact that 2Pac was an honest rapper. His name, for starters, is his stage name. And when you listen to Tupac Shakur and hear his tales about gun violence, growing up on the streets, doing drugs, and cries for equality, you know it was coming from his heart.
From the Start, Success
Tupac Shakur had it in his blood maybe. His mother was a member of the Black Panthers, an influential, notorious and often violent black political party in the 1960s and 1970s. She was brought to trial on 150 counts of conspiracy against the United States government if that tells you how serious her politics were. His stepfather and godfather were also political activists who found themselves on the wrong end of the law.
But perhaps Tupac Shakur's musical influence comes from the most unlikely of sources. Sure, you can explain how he had a musical history while in school in New York, and how while a student he was winning rap contests even back then. But his true musical breaks and his musical initiation came with the Digital Underground of all acts. Never heard of them? You must have! What about "Do You What You Like"! This is the rap group, after all, with the fellow running around with the fake nose on!
Anyway, you can listen to Tupac Shakur on the Digital Underground song "Same Song." He was also in the video for the song, and performed on one of the band's last albums, "Sons of the P." It would after this early launch to his career that he would release the first Tupac Shakur album, "2Pacalypse Now," which was picked up by Interscope. The album got nationwide attention not for selling records but for its stark and often confrontation Tupac Shakur lyrics against cops. Later, in 1993, Tupac Shakur released another album, "Strictly 4 My NIGGAZ."
From the Start, Problems
Tupac Shakur didn't just find success in the beginning. The darker side of the man was always there, and he had frequent run ins with law. There was the time he was beaten up supposedly by the Oakland police for jaywalking. Or the time in 1993 that he shot two off-duty cops. Or the time in 2003 when he got charges against him for sexual abuse against a woman. Or the time in 2004 when he attacked an old employee on the sets of one of his music videos.
And finally, there was the shooting of 1994. Though he survived getting shot five times, he never really quite got over the incident. Instead, he blamed New York rappers (it happened in New York) for not stopping the incident. Biggie, Puffy, and Andre Harrell all were on the list, in Tupac Shakur's mind. He also blamed his friend Stetch, who turned up dead in 1995.
By 1995, though, Tupac Shakur was in jail for molesting that woman. While there, his album "Me Against the World" came out as number one, the first time that's happened when the artist was in jail.
The End
Tupac Shakur got released with the help of Suge Knight of Death Row, and because of that Tupac Shakurhad to release albums with the company. His first one (or two) was the two-disk set "All Eyez on Me," which sold more than 9 million. That was in Feb. 2006. He would die Sept. 1996. Eight albums would be released with his music after he died.
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