Leila Steinberg

Last updated
Leila Steinberg
Born (1961-12-18) December 18, 1961 (age 61)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)Manager, educator, author, producer
Style Hip hop, R&B, pop, dance-pop

Leila Steinberg (born December 18, 1961) is an American manager, business woman, educator, writer, [1] poet, [2] and founder of AIM4TheHeART, [3] a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth find their voice using an emotional literacy curriculum and writing workshops. She is best known as the artist mentor and first manager [4] [5] for superstar rapper Tupac Shakur. They met when he was a student in her writing workshop, The Microphone Sessions, in the Oakland Bay area. Today Leila manages the rapper Earl Sweatshirt, formerly of Odd Future. [6]

Contents

In the 2017 Tupac biopic All Eyez On Me , Leila was played by actress Lauren Cohan. [7]

In 2023, Leila was interviewed in the FX television documentaries series Dear Mama.

Life and work

Steinberg was born in Los Angeles, California. [8] Her mother was an activist of Mexican-Turkish descent, and her father was a criminal defense lawyer of Polish-Jewish descent. [9]

During the late 1980s, Steinberg performed as a backup dancer [10] and singer, touring with musicians O.J. Ekemode & The Nigerian Allstars. She also shared the stage with Santana, Bo Diddley, The Neville Brothers, The Spinners, Burning Spear and Jimmy Cliff. As a veteran music industry executive, she served as a marketer with Atlantic Records, Sony, Def Jam, Tommy Boy, Interscope, and Relativity.

She currently resides in Southern California near her four children and two grandchildren.

While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Steinberg held poetry classes in Oakland. Among her students was young Tupac Shakur. After he came to her poetry class in spring 1989, they hit it off. [11] For a time he lived with her and her family, and read and wrote under her encouragement. She served as a mentor and manager until he needed more professional help. [9] [12] He signed with Atron Gregory in 1989.

Steinberg and Shakur further developed what they called The Microphone Sessions (TMS), a writing workshop that develops the spoken word, poetry, musical, hip-hop, pop and dance, jazz, rock n' roll singing, and dramatic performances. Weekly gatherings are held worldwide, led by Steinberg-trained artist-educators. [13]

Steinberg co-teaches a class on Race and the Law at USC's Law School with Professor Jody Armour. [14] For more than 25 years, she has also taught her class to inmates at San Quentin, through the No More Tears program. One of her students, Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll, has become known as the "Oracle of San Quentin" because of his success in stock picks. [15] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupac Shakur</span> American rapper (1971–1996)

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 and successful 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Notorious B.I.G.</span> American rapper (1972–1997)

Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Singleton</span> American filmmaker (1968–2019)

John Daniel Singleton was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing Boyz n the Hood (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, becoming, at age 24, the first African American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for that award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suge Knight</span> American music executive (born 1965)

Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. is an American music executive and convicted felon who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in the 1990s. This feat is attributed to the record label's first two album releases: Dr. Dre's The Chronic in 1992 and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in 1993. Knight is serving a 28-year sentence in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Underground</span> American alternative hip hop group

Digital Underground is an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Its lineup changed with each album and tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afeni Shakur</span> American political activist (1947–2016)

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.

<i>The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory</i> 1996 studio album by 2Pac

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 July and 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Anderson</span> Prime suspect in the murder of Tupac Shakur (1974–1998)

Orlando Tive "Baby Lane" Anderson was an American gang member suspected in the murder of Tupac Shakur. Anderson belonged to the California-based gang known as the South Side Compton Crips. Detective Tim Brennan of the Compton Police Department filed an affidavit naming Anderson as a suspect; he denied involvement and was never charged. Anderson's uncle, Duane Keith Davis, was charged with Shakur's murder on September 29, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hit 'Em Up</span> 1996 song by 2Pac featuring the Outlawz

"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by American rapper 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.

Robert Lee Greene Jr., better known by his stage name Spice 1, is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He began releasing albums in 1992, where he gained popularity as a pioneer of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area hip-hop scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts</span> Performing arts center in Stone Mountain, Georgia

The Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, based in Stone Mountain, Georgia, was a performing arts center supported through the Shakur Family Foundation. The Shakur Center's mission was to provide opportunities for young people through the arts, and offered programs such as drama, dance, and creative writing classes. The organization also ran a Performing Arts Day Camp for youth ages twelve to eighteen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dear Mama</span> 1995 single by Tupac Shakur

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry</span> 1990s dispute between artists / fans of the East Coast and West Coast hip hop scenes in the US

The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a dispute 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 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.

Cathleen "Cathy" Scott is a Los Angeles Times and New York Times bestselling American true crime author and investigative journalist who penned the biographies and true crime books The Killing of Tupac Shakur and The Murder of Biggie Smalls, both bestsellers in the United States and United Kingdom, and was the first to report Shakur's death. She grew up in La Mesa, California and later moved to Mission Beach, California, where she was a single parent to a son, Raymond Somers Jr. Her hip-hop books are based on the drive-by shootings that killed the rappers six months apart in the midst of what has been called the West Coast-East Coast war. Each book is dedicated to the rappers' mothers.

Tupac Assassination: Conspiracy or Revenge is a documentary film about the unsolved murder of rapper Tupac Shakur produced by Frank Alexander, a Shakur bodyguard who was with the rapper at the time of the shooting, produced and directed by Richard Bond.

<i>The Killing of Tupac Shakur</i> Biographical book on events that surrounded Tupac Shakurs death

The Killing of Tupac Shakur is a biographical, true crime account by American journalist and author Cathy Scott of the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. The book made news upon its September 1997 release, on the first anniversary of Shakur's death, because of an autopsy photo included in its pages. It was the first book to be released covering the rapper's death. The book was reprinted in the UK by Plexus Publishing and in Poland by Kagra. Coverage of the autopsy photo, taken of Shakur's body on a gurney in the coroner's examining room, catapulted the book onto the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. New editions of the book were released in 2002 and 2014.

<i>The Rose That Grew from Concrete</i> (poetry collection) Book by Tupac Shakur

The Rose That Grew from Concrete (1999) is a collection of poetry written between 1989 and 1991 by Tupac Shakur, published by Pocket Books through its MTV Books imprint. A preface was written by Shakur's mother Afeni Shakur, a foreword by Nikki Giovanni and an introduction by his manager, Leila Steinberg.

<i>Notorious</i> (2009 film) 2009 film about the Notorious B.I.G.

Notorious is a 2009 American biographical drama film directed by George Tillman Jr. and written by Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker. It is based on the life of Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist The Notorious B.I.G. Much of the film dramatizes key events in Biggie's life: his criminal lifestyle, arrest and release from prison, his relationships with Sean Combs, Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim and Faith Evans, his involvement in the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and his drive-by-shooting murder on March 9, 1997. The film stars Jamal Woolard as Wallace, with Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, and Anthony Mackie in supporting roles. Biggie's mother, Voletta, served as a producer for the film, alongside his former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts.

<i>All Eyez on Me</i> (film) 2017 film by Benny Boom

All Eyez on Me is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by Benny Boom and written by Jeremy Haft, Eddie Gonzalez, and Steven Bagatourian. Titled after the 1996 studio album, as well as the song of the same name, it is based on the life and death of the titular American rapper Tupac Shakur. The film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Shakur, with Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan, Hill Harper, and Danai Gurira. Jamal Woolard reprises his role as Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace / The Notorious B.I.G. from Notorious (2009).

References

  1. ↑ The Bandana Republic, Soft Skull Press 2008
  2. ↑ Billboard, June 28, 1997 pp15
  3. ↑ "LEILA STEINBERG - HUMANITY Magazine". Archived from the original on 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  4. ↑ 2pac, Star Remembered: Bearing Witness to a Life and Legacy. Chronicle Books LLC. 2008.
  5. ↑ Jackson, Kat Graham The Rose That Grew From Concrete MTV Publishing (February 3, 2009)
  6. ↑ , NPR
  7. ↑ , Deadline, January 2016
  8. ↑ Tupac Amaru Shakur by Jean-Pierre Hombach p. 194
  9. 1 2 Seth Rogovoy, "The secret Jewish history of Tupac Shakur", The Forward, 18 June 2014; accessed 12 March 2012
  10. ↑ "Back 2 The Essence: Friends and Family Reminiscence over Hip-Hop's Fallen Sons" (October 1999) Vibe Magazine p. 104
  11. ↑ "Leila Steinberg". Assemblies in Motion. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  12. ↑ Harris, Ashley Rae "Kat Graham": Multi-Platinum Rapper" ABDO Publishing 2010
  13. ↑ ""Leila Steinberg"". Archived from the original on 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  14. 1 2 , Citizens of Humanity, Blog, 05 April 2016
  15. ↑ "Murderer turned stock picker is oracle of San Quentin", Market Watch, 10 July 2014
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.