Tupac Shakur free essay sample

He was in and out of prison the majority of his time in the spotlight for a variety of charges including assault and sexual abuse. He also dealt with harsh public reaction to his lyrical content, particularly from the law enforcement community and parents concerned with his aggressive messages that his albums seemed to embody. Even as he achieved fantastic success on the charts, papas life seemed to enter a dangerous spiral that saw the rapper living out the scenarios he described in his songs.In 1994 while visiting a cording studio in New York he was shot no less than five times during a robbery that would leave him shaken and lead him to channel his aggression into what would become the most lasting aspect of his legacy ; the East Coast / West Coast hip hop feud. Shaker became convinced that industry heavy. Fights Sean Puff Daddy Combs and The Notorious B. We will write a custom essay sample on Tupac Shakur or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I. G. Were behind the attack which had put him in the hospital. Once the media was informed of the feud, it was blown up beyond all reason.This rivalry would culminate into one of the bloodiest explosions of rap-related violence in the story of the genre. On September, 13th 1 996, OPAC left the MGM Grand in Lass Vegas in the company of Death Row Records owner Sue Knight. Their BMW was ambushed in a drive-by shooting that would fatally wound Shaker. He later died in hospital shortly after the attack. His death would shock fans around the world, and was made worse by the murder of rival, The Notorious B. I. G. , in a revenge killing only a few months later. Tupac Shakur free essay sample Outpace Muar means serpent and Shaker is Arabic for thankful to God. Quota; For most of his childhood his crack-addicted mother shuffled Outpace between the ghettos of Harlem and the Bronx. Young Outpace began is performance career with the 1 27th Street Ensemble and then enrolled Baltimore School for the Arts where he was educated In ballet and acting. Outpace was forced to drop out of the school and move to California where his criminal career began. Outpace began selling drugs and had several altercations with the law including several shooting and the unexplained death of two off-duty officers.Tubas music continued to excel until his untimely death on September 7, 1996. The artistic ability and musical talent werent enough to get by with; it took a shtick that was true. There was no candy coating or a softer side to this straight from the projects thug. We will write a custom essay sample on Tupac Shakur or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Outpace rapped about what he knew, and he knew the street life. In and out of Jail/prison Outpace had been exposed to, even saturated In the criminal element, and this exposure led him to express his exploits In vulgar and gory detail.It was this down to earth ego, telling war stories from his childhood about up in the hoodquot: that attracted people to listen. The genre targeted young black males; it was music that they could relate to. But it reached out past its target group and embraced the white youth of America who ere fascinated with drugs and gangs. Outpace painted a picture of the lower-class struggle and middle-class America ate it up. The lyrics of his music not only told of the hard life of the lower class and the struggle of the black man, but it also spoke of hope.The echoes of the song Life Goes On ring out: 0 How many broths fell victim to that streets. Rest in peace young enigma theres a Heaven for a G, be a Ill If I told yea that I never thought of death; my insignias we that last ones left, but life goes on. . These words of hope give strength to those who can relate and endear these words to their heart. Tubas music resounded with his personal quest for a better life: life caused it that fighting and hurting, in my room crying cause I didnt want to be a burden.Watch Mama open up her arms to hug me and I anti worried bout a damn thingwith unconditional love. The words of this Thug Poet gave strength and support to this new genre of Gangs Rap. let was always the man behind the music that gave it life. The same album that Vice President Equally quoted APOCALYPSES NOW has no place in American society. went double platinum. The popularity of Gangs Rap is due solely to its creator, Outpace Shaker. Tupac Shakur free essay sample Muar shakers life stands above those alone. He was an influential, best selling hip hop artist, considered by many to be the greatest rapper of all time. His nicknames include OPAC, Pace and Mackerel. Among his fans, he is known as simply Outpace. The names Outpace Muar and Shaker mean Shining Serpent in Arabic, respectively. Outpace wasnt his given name; his mother renamed shortly after birth. He was born under Leganes Parish Crooks In Bronx, New York city on June 16th, 1971 to Affine Shaker, a member of Black panthers.Shaker aid, I never knew where my father was or who my father was for sure. HIS father left his mother when he wasnt even born. And his stepfather was Imprisoned for car robbery when he was two years old , leaving his family to struggle frequently under conditions of extreme poverty. Much of Tubas upbringing revolved around the Black panther philosophy. We will write a custom essay sample on Tupac Shakur or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Impoverished during most of his childhood, Outpace, his mother and half sister skyway moved between homeless shelters and cheap accommodation around New York City.As a result, he relied on poetry and diary entries to keep himself busy. At the age of 12, Shaker joined a Hormone theatre group , that is when he started developing an interest in performing. Later in 1984 Tubas mother brought him and his sister to live in Baltimore, Maryland. He went to Roland Park middle school, there, he was disliked because of his looks, name and unturned clothes. In his sophomore year Outpace was accepted to the Baltimore School for the Arts. Thats where all it started. He fell in love with music, acting , poetry , performing, beauty of art and dance.He studied hard there. Outpace was an avid reader, delving onto books on eastern religions, and even whole entire encyclopedia sets. Hiding his love of literature from his peers, he gained the respect of his peers like a tough guy. He composed his first rap in Baltimore under the name MAC new York and wrote poems for his girl friend Jade Pinkest(smith) , about racism and for his mother Elfin Shaker. He was on womans side rather than mans because of he was raised by his mother, loved his girlfriend, and absence of his father. Later Elfin was having trouble finding Job.Then he was forced to move to California. Outpace described this eve from Baltimore and the arts school as where I got off track. He started selling drugs on the street but also made friends who helped spark his interest In rap music. Then he Joined as a roadie and back up dancer for Digital underground. Next he became revolutionary artist by writing hit songs, with top selling albums, and successful acting in couple of movies. But because of some bad people who he was known by , he was fatally shot In drive-by shooting In Lass Vegas on September 7th, 1996 after attending the boxing match.He died In the University of Medical Center capital after six day later from the four gunshot wounds. What makes this rapper different than others? Outpace absolutely loved literature and poetry. So his songs and poems were better than the other rappers. And he was bluff. Outpace acted tough on the outside . He stood up for himself, he was extremely dedicated to his work and his body could survive five gunshots . But in the inside he was friendly man with a good heart. Also he was very realistic. Whether it is his song, dance, acting, or poem. It spoke what he was seeing not what he wished for or what he believed it. Tupac Shakur free essay sample After he and Affine moved to Baltimore, Outpace attended that city School for the Arts, studying acting and dance. He also wrote his first rap there and felt himself beginning to fit In, at long last. But by his Junior year he was packing up again, moving this time to Marin City, a desolate stretch of northern California known locally as The Jungle. Moving out of his mothers home, he began selling drugs and establishing himself on the streets of his adopted town. It was like a hood and I wanted to be a part of it, he explained to Powell. If I could Just fit in here, Im cool.And I thought I did. At the same time, he began to entertain thoughts of a music career. In 10 he auditioned for the Bay Area rap group Digital underground, and was hired as a dancer and roadie. He Joined the ensembles Sex Packets tour of the U. We will write a custom essay sample on Tupac Shakur or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page S. And Japan, and made his recorded debut on their 11 This Is an PEP Release. His newfound success , however, was tainted by some unwelcome news I was on the road with D. O. And called my homiest Just to say hasps, and they told me my moms was buying dope from somebody, he related to Vibe. It fDe me up. I started blocking her out of my mind.Fannies battle with crack addiction would try their relationship sorely. By the end of the year he had released his solo debut, Apocalypse Now, on the Interstice label. He paved the way for his solo career while touring with D. O. Everybody knew me even though my album wasnt out yet, he told Vibe. I never went to bed. I was working It Like a Job. That was my number-one thing when I first got In the business. Everybodys goanna know me. Soon everyone would, though perhaps not as he might have hoped; his albums tough stancein the increasingly popular against modecreated his first major controversy.In April, 1, a Texas state trooper was shot o death by a young man who later claimed to have been listening to the album and cited the track Souls Story as the impetus for his violent act. The song narrates a fugitive with cops on my tall; pulled over, he decides to blast [the officers] punk SSL Now I got a murder case. This incident, along with other descriptions of cop-murdering, led a number of politicians, including then Vice-President Dan Equally, to call for the records removal from stores.He changed the direction of hip-hop hijacked it, some would say -? and ceremonials its status as the art politicians love to hate, declared RAG Smith in Spin. Of course, such controversy ended up boosting sales of Apocalypse. Outpace himself, meanwhile, had filed slut against the Oakland police department, alleging brutality In a jangling arrest. Even as his rap career was heating up, Outpace broke out as a film star in Ernest Dickerson 1 film Juice, portraying Bishop, a kid who becomes addicted to the high of violence. Though reviews of the film were mixed, his performance received uniform raves.Soon, however, his name was making headlines attached to another tragedy, between Topics posse and their antagonists. Spin reported that many in the rapper- actors adopted hometown began to refer to him as Tu-faced. But controversy sells records, and Topics 1 effort Strictly 4 My N. I. G. G. A. Z Went gold in a matter of months, thanks in part to the hit track I Get Around. Ironically, given later developments, one of the albums other hit singles was the upbeat Keep Yea Head Up, a paean to the strength and survival of black women.Meanwhile, his other rap sheetlisting his run-ins with the lawcontinued to pile up he was arrested after allegedly beating a limo driver, served ten days in Jail after attacking another rapper tit a baseball bat, and was busted for allegedly shooting two off-duty police officers shortly after relocating to Atlanta. He was acquitted of the latter charge. He co-starred with pop singer Janet Jackson in John Singletons 1 film Poetic Justice, once again receiving accolades even though the film was poorly received at the box office.In November of that year, a young woman with whom Outpace had been involved claimed that he and three of his friends had customized and sexually abused her. His troubles continued into 14; in March he spent 15 days in Jail for hitting filmmaker Allen Hughes. But he scored again with critics in the movie A bove the Rim; Owen Glimmering of Entertainment Weekly called Outpace perhaps the most dynamic young actor since Sean Penn, adding that he gives each of his characters a unique spiritual temper. With his group Thug Life, Outpace also contributed to the films soundtrack, which sold million copies.Thug Lifethe words were tattooed on the rappers stomachthen released its own album, Volume One, which Entertainment Weekly described as a 10-song meditation about life under the gun. Where [Topics] solo releases have often dragged, One crackles with kinetic energy. Yet the Thug Life that he advocatedThuggish against society. Thuggish against the system that made me, as he put it to Rolling Stonewas taking its toll. Out on bail on the previous sexual abuse and sodomys charges, he was shot several times on the ground floor of a building that housed an acquaintances recording studio.He was ambushed as he prepared to rap on another rappers record, shot and robbed. Although he sustained multiple injuries, he survived. Over the strenuous objections of his doctors, Outpace appeared in court shortly before sentence was passed. Despite whatever mitigating effect the sight of the wheelchair- mound Outpace could have had on the Jury, he was found guilty of sexual abuse. Although this was the lesser charge against him, he was sentenced to 1 1/ to 4 1/ years in prison. Though heed previously said that Jail would destroy his spirit, he told Vibes Powell that he now saw his incarceration as a giftstraight up.This is Gods will. Adding that getting clean after years of incessant marijuana smoking had cleared his head, he claimed a new perspective on his work. If we really are saying rap is an art form, he declared, then we got to be true to it and be more responsible for our lyrics. If you see everybody dying because of what you saying, it dont matter that you didnt make them die, it Just matters that you didnt save them. First single, Dear Mama, praised his mother for her strength. Outpace couldnt appear in the video, obviously, but Affine is featured in the clip, watching clips of her son on television.Having recovered from her addiction, the rappers mother had been working for Topics production company. Though some may have found the sentimental single an attempt to drum up sympathy for its Jailed author, Interstice executive Tom Whaley said otherwise. It wasnt like, Well, Topics in Jail, lets find the cost sympathetic song on the record and put it out so that the audience will be sympathetic to him, he asserted to Jerry Crower of the Los Angles Times. I Just thought it was a great song, an emotional song. Me Against the World climbed to the top of the Billboard magazine sales chart, selling half a million copies within weeks.Dear Mama also reached the top ten singles chart. Actress Jade Pinkest- -a steadfast friend and supporter whod allegedly helped, along with superstar singer-actress Madonna and actor Mackey Rouge, to pay Topics bailwas slated to direct the video for the albums subsequent single, Can U Get Away. Shaker had Just completed filming with Rouge on the film Bullet. Writing in the Village Voice, critic and pop-culture analyst Toured limned what she called massive distance between Topics fame and the quality of his work so far.While she praised his acting talent, Toured disliked most of the films Outpace appeared in, and argued that though he remains along with Snoop [Doggy Dog] one of the two most famous rappers in the world, he is merely an average vocalist and lyricist, and has yet to record one aesthetically impor tant song. Yet, Toured insisted, Topics experiences on the public stage have been remarkable performances in their own eight, and have lent an air of importance to his otherwise unimpressive records.The Source, however, praised Me Against the World as the rappers best so far, while Jon Paroles of the New York Times admired its fatalistic calm, in a commercial mold. From prison, Shaker alleged that he had changed his ways, The addict in Outpace is dead, he vowed to Vibe. The excuse maker in Outpace is dead. The vengeful Outpace is dead. The Outpace that would stand by and let dishonorable things happen is dead. God let me live for me to do something extraordinary, and thats what I have to do. Even if they give me the maximum sentence, thats still my Job.Yet after his release from prison, the rapper-actor showed little sign of change. He threw himself into the East Coast vs.. West Coast feud in which his new boss, Death Row Records chief Segue Knight, was embroiled. In typically contradictory fashion, Shaker publicly taunted Knights rivals, including Bad Boy Records head Sean Puffy Combs. This conflict may or may not have led to Shakers shooting in September, 16, as he and Knight drove through Lass Vegas after a boxing match. Shaker died of his wounds a week later.