Tupac Amaru Shakur,also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli,was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists,having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities,and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.
Afeni Shakur Davis was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and also served as the CEO of Amaru Entertainment,Inc.,a record and film production company she founded.
The Don Killuminati:The 7 Day Theory is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur,his first posthumous album and the last released with his creative input. Recorded in seven days in August 1996,it was released on November 5,1996,almost two months after his death,under the stage name of Makaveli,through Death Row Records,Makaveli Records and Interscope Records.
Saul Stacey Williams is an American rapper,singer,songwriter,musician,poet,writer,and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop,and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film Slam and the 2013 jukebox musical Holler If Ya Hear Me.
Tupac:Resurrection is a 2003 American documentary film about the life and death of rapper Tupac Shakur. The film,directed by Lauren Lazin and released by Paramount Pictures,is narrated by Shakur himself. The film was in theaters from November 16,2003,to December 21,2003. As of July 1,2008 it had earned over $7.8 million,making it the 21st-highest-grossing documentary film in the United States -. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 77th Academy Awards.
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by hip hop artist 2Pac,featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It",released on June 4,1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers,chiefly Shakur's former friend turned rival,the Notorious B.I.G.. The song was recorded at Can Am Studios in 1996. A previous version of the song was recorded in October 1995.
"I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" is a song by American rapper 2Pac. It was released as the first single from the posthumous album R U Still Down?. The original version,titled "I Wonda if Heaven's Got a Ghetto",was released as a B-side on the 1993 single,"Keep Ya Head Up".
"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album,Me Against the World (1995). It was released on February 21,1995,as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother,Afeni Shakur. In the song,Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack cocaine,but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother supersede bad memories. The song became his first top ten on the Billboard Hot 100,peaking at number nine. It also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. As of March 2021,the song is certified 3×Platinum by the RIAA.
The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States,especially from the mid-1990s. Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label,Bad Boy Records,and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label,Death Row Records. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in drive-by shootings. Although several suspects have been identified,both murders remain unsolved.
"'I Ain't Mad at Cha'" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from Shakur's fourth studio album,All Eyez on Me (1996). It was released on September 15,1996 two days after Shakur's death as the album's fourth and final single. The song features contemporary soul singer Danny Boy providing vocals for its hook and was written by Shakur,Danny Boy and Daz Dillinger,who produced the song using a sample from DeBarge's "A Dream". The lyrics focus on Shakur reminiscing about past friends,love interests and associates he has lost touch with. The song is widely considered one of Shakur's best with Cheo Hodari Coker calling it "possibly the best song 2Pac has ever recorded". In 1998,The Source ranked the song's three verses second in its category of "dopest verses" in the history of hip-hop.
"Temptations" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur (2Pac) from his third studio album,Me Against the World (1995). It was released as a single in the US on August 29,1995,and was released as a CD,cassette,and 12" promo. While rapping is solely performed by Shakur,Erick Sermon and producer Easy Mo Bee are also featured in the song primarily as background vocalists. The song uses the bassline from the "Computer Love",and the theme focuses on relationship and infidelity issues. Debuting at number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100,the song did fairly well in the United States. It was also well received by critics,with many writers commenting on its romantic tone.
"Who Shot Ya" or often "Who Shot Ya?" is a song by Brooklyn,New York,rapper the Notorious B.I.G.,also called Biggie Smalls,backed by Sean Combs as the "hype man". Puffy's emerging record label,Bad Boy Entertainment,released it on February 21,1995,on an alternate reissue of Biggie's single "Big Poppa/Warning," out since December 5,1994. While this 1994 release climbed the Billboard Hot 100,its new B side "Who Shot Ya"—now Biggie's "most infamous classic," with an instrumental now iconic—revised some vocals of a "Who Shot Ya" track,rapped by Biggie and Keith Murray,already issued on a mixtape from a Harlem DJ earlier in 1995. Recalled as "menacing magic" that helps "define New York rap," "Who Shot Ya" was "controversial and hugely influential." Widely interpreted as a taunt at 2Pac,the single provoked a "rap battle" between the two rappers,formerly friends.
"Thugz Mansion" is a song by 2Pac,released as a posthumous single with two known popular versions both released on the 2002 album Better Dayz. It was nominated by the Source Awards for Single of the Year.
"I Shot Ya" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J featuring Keith Murray,from his sixth album Mr. Smith. The remix version,which featured Prodigy of Mobb Deep,Fat Joe,and Foxy Brown,of the song was released as a B-side to "Hey Lover",but received a video directed by Hype Williams,leading some to believe the track was an actual single from the album. Produced by Trackmasters,the remix was released in 1995 for Def Jam Recordings,and peaked at number 55 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for the Billboard charts.
Kenny Leon is an American director,producer,actor,and author,notable for his work on Broadway,on television,and in regional theater. In 2014,he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for A Raisin in the Sun.
Malcolm Greenidge,known as E.D.I. Mean and EDIDON,is an American hip hop artist and a member of the Outlawz. The name is a play on the name Idi Amin,former president of Uganda. While in the third grade,Malcolm became friends with Katari "Kastro" Cox who later introduced him to his cousin,Tupac Shakur.
"HiiiPower" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar,released on April 12,2011,as his debut single. The conscious hip hop song also serves as the lead single from his independently released debut album,Section.80 (2011). The song was produced by fellow American rapper J. Cole and features additional vocals from late American singer Alori Joh.
Holler If Ya Hear Me is a jukebox musical written by Todd Kreidler featuring the rap music of Tupac Shakur.
Christopher Neal Jackson is an American actor,singer,musician,and composer. He began his career in 1995 starring in the Off-Broadway musical Time and the Wind by composer Galt MacDermot at the age of 20. He made his Broadway debut in 1997 as an ensemble member in the original Broadway cast of Disney's The Lion King. He remained with the show for several years,ultimately taking over the role of Simba. He went on to perform leading roles in several more Broadway musicals and plays,including After Midnight,Bronx Bombers,Holler If Ya Hear Me,and Memphis. He drew critical acclaim in several projects with Lin-Manuel Miranda:originating the roles of Benny in In the Heights and George Washington in the smash hit Hamilton. For the latter role he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also collaborated with Miranda on the Disney film Moana in which he provides the singing voice of Chief Tui. His other film work includes secondary roles in After.Life and Tracers.
All Eyez on Me is a 2017 American biographical drama film about the African-American rapper Tupac Shakur,directed by Benny Boom and written by Jeremy Haft,Eddie Gonzalez,and Steven Bagatourian. Titled after Shakur's 1996 fourth studio album as well as the song of the same name,the film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Shakur with Kat Graham,Lauren Cohan,Hill Harper,and Danai Gurira in supporting roles,with Jamal Woolard reprising his role as Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace from Notorious (2009).
