Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as Tupac has forever changed the way people view Hip Hop. He was born on June 16, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were very active and were involved in the Black Panther movement which shaped the way Tupac viewed society and its inner workings. He moved to Baltimore at a young age and was exposed to art schools where dance and poetry were part of the core subjects. In order to honor the great Tupac, here are some interesting facts about him that everyone should know.
Rough Times
Tupac wasn't afraid to rap about the struggles of living in the streets as a young African-American rapper. He would share stories of how it was like living on his block while he had run-ins with the police a couple of times. His outspoken nature even landed him a role in cinema. He played the lead role in the movie Juice and later on a documentary was released that centered on his life.
Wearing Many Hats
Tupac was also extremely hard working and would be writing away and speaking from his heart and soul. Because of his upbringing, he had many lyrics that stemmed from his education and history that would later on impact millions of people around the globe. In 1997, he won the award for Favorite Rap Hip/Hop Artist at the American Music Awards.
The Enlightened One
What set Tupac apart from other hip-hop artists of his time? He would be sharing real experiences with real people. People saw into his craft and appreciated him for his rawness and his ability to stay true to his music and himself.
His Legacy Lives On
Despite Tupac Shakur's short-lived life, his memory still lives on forever in the hearts of his fans and fellow rappers. Kendrick Lamar was heavily inspired by Tupac's life and carried on to talk about real-life consequences and dealing with them and even bouts with the police. A lot of hip hop today was heavily influenced by the granddaddies of Hip hop such as Biggie, Tupac, and more. They were the original hip hop artists who only had a vision and a good set of vocal cords to share their stories.