According to IMDb, 2Pac was offered his first record deal at the age of 13.See the connection? Apparantly the name is Inca for “shining serpent”.
Her son was named after José Gabriel Túpac Amaru, leader of “The Túpac Amaru Rebellion”, which was an Inca revival movement that sought to improve the rights of indigenous Peruvians. She was an active member in the Black Panther Party, an anti-fascist, pro-black organisation.
Why, though? Well, Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur (born Alice Faye Williams), changed her name in reference to her political activism, with Afeni meaning “lover of people” and Shakur being Arabic for “thankful to god”. Born Lesane Parish Crooks, Jin East Harlem in New York City, it was a year later, in 1972, that his mother decided to rename him. As many of you may already know, or at least suspect, Tupac Amaru Shakur was not 2Pac’s birth name. To pay our respects to the iconic hip hop artist, we created a list of five things you (probably) didn’t know about the late rapper, but will make you love him even more. Not only did he sell more records than any other rap/hip hop artist of his generation, and was voted as one of the 100 immortal artists by Rolling Stone, next to the likes of Elvis Presley and John Lennon, but the cultural and artistic footprints he has left, his undying legacy is indisputable and unlike any other artist’s remains. Tupac Amaru Shakur, or simply 2Pac, was (and is, to this day) one of the greatest, highly respected musicians of all time. More than 20 years ago, a legend was taken from us.
Hear full episodes of Day 6 on CBC Listen, our free audio streaming service.46 years ago today, a legend was born. To Ogbar, Powell, and others around the world who still listen to Shakur's music, it's that commitment to activism, as well as his charisma, fearlessness, vulnerability and contradictions, that define the young man once known as Lesane Parish Crooks. "He said her name in I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto, he said her name in, Keep Ya Head Up, said her name in Something to Die For, said her name in, Thug's Mansion, in White Man's World and Hellraiser."
Ogbar says he often thinks about how Tupac might relate to modern political and social movements, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the #SayHerName movement to raise awareness for Black women who are victims of anti-Black violence.įor an answer, Ogbar points to the fact that "more than any other name in all of Tupac's discography," the rapper mentioned the name of Latasha Harlins - a 15-year-old Black girl who was killed by a store owner in 1991. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images) What defines Tupac "As people of colour who have created pretty much every major music form in America … we understand that a lot of time, people outside of our culture, our communities, will put terminologies on things to try to reduce people to labels."Įxperts like Jeffrey Ogbar and Kevin Powell say Tupac's contradictions are part of what him so powerful as a figure. In addition to writing extensively about hip hop, and rap more specifically, Powell also published three cover stories for Vibe and one cover story for Rolling Stone on Shakur himself. "Mostly white folks started labelling it 'gangster rap.'" "I think that those of us who are hip-hop heads, folks who are committed to the culture of hip hop and the preservation of its history, understand that the term 'gangster rap' is something that was created by the mainstream media here in America," said Powell, in an interview with Day 6. While the term is often used to denote a specific brand of hip hop, people like writer and civil and human rights activist Kevin Powell bristle when Shakur is described as a gangster rapper. This week marked what would have been his 50th birthday.ĭespite legal troubles with authority, accusations of promoting misogyny and violence through his lyrics, as well as a conviction for sexual abuse that landed the young artist in prison for eight months, Ogbar and others say Shakur was a beacon whose voice advocated for social equality and the rights of Black Americans, and rallied against police brutality and the drug trade. 13, 1996 - Shakur's career skyrocketed, elevating the young man born in East Harlem, N.Y., to stratospheric levels of stardom. Over the course of the next six years - until his death on Sept. Tupac Shakur poses for photos backstage after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Ill., in March 1994.