2pac Shakur was a man of great admiration. His passion for art and the work ethic he put forth, made him legendary. He is respected as a musical genious, poet, actor, activist, and most prolific; a great leader. Continue Reading
Tupac Amaru Shakur: 1971-1996 by Alan Light, Margeaux Watson
"The tragedy of Tupac is that his untimely passing is representative of too many young black men in this country....If
we had lost Oprah Winfrey at 25, we would have lost a relatively unknown, local market TV anchorwoman. If we had lost
Malcolm X at 25, we would have lost a hustler nicknamed Detroit Red. And if I had left the world at 25, we would have
lost a big-band trumpet player and aspiring composer--just a sliver of my eventual life potential."
(From the Foreword by Quincy Jones)
The real story of Tupac's murder may not ever emerge. This may be the only lasting testament to the many faces of Tupac
Shakur--of a life lived fast and hard, of a man cloaked in contradictions. A young man who was just starting to come
into his own.
"I believe that everything you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that's bad, I'm going to suffer for it.
But in my heart, I believe what I'm doing is right. So I feel like I'm going to heaven."
(Tupac Shakur, June 1996)
Back in the Day: My Life and Times With Tupac Shakur
by Darrin Keith Bastfield
A star during his lifetime, a legend after a bullet killed him at the age of twenty-five, Tupac Shakur was the most
influential rap musician of his day–and the most misunderstood. Far from being the insolent “gangsta” that the press
put forth, Tupac was a committed and fearless visionary determined to make a difference not only on the music scene but
in the black community at large. Darrin Bastfield grew up with Tupac in a rough Baltimore neighborhood, rapped with him,
fought with him, and performed by his side. Now in this vivid, highly personal memoir featuring never-before-seen
photos of the rap artist, Darrin shows the world what Tupac Shakur was really like as a teenager destined for greatness.
In tight, edgy prose, Darrin follows Tupac through the seven years of their friendship. In Roland Park Middle School in
the mid-1980s, rap was a kind of underground movement, and the kids with real talent always found each other. Tupac–new
in town, a skinny thirteen-year old with shabby clothes and lopsided hair–may have looked uncool, but it soon became
clear that he had the gift. When Tupac teamed up with Mouse, king of the beatbox, they blew the school away in their
performance as the Eastside Crew. It was the first in a series of increasingly electrifying performances.
When Tupac went to the Baltimore School for the Arts, then it really started to happen. A new group called Born Busy,
unforgettable performances at the Beaux Arts Balls, an eye-opening backstage encounter with Salt-N-Pepa, their tight
friendship with John, known among black kids as “the cool white boy,” a series of love affairs with adoring girls, the
wild nights of the 1988 senior prom–Tupac and Darrin lived though it all together, and in this memoir Darrin makes it
all come alive again.
From the start, Darrin knew Tupac was a marked man, singled out by his charismatic gift. So it came as no surprise that
Tupac made it big when rap went mainstream. What stunned Darrin was the violent turn Tupac’s life took once he
relocated to L.A.–and how swiftly that violence engulfed and destroyed him. Vibrant, gritty, alive with the tension
and spontaneity of rap music, this memoir of Tupac’s teenage years is a haunting portrait of one of the most important
artists of our day.
Tupac: A Thug Life
by various authors
A Thug Life explores every aspect of Tupac’s career in a thorough selection of interviews, articles, reviews and essays on rap music’s enduring icon. Extensively illustrated, it tells the definitive story.
Tupac: Resurrection
by Tupac Shakur; Edited by: Jacob Hoye and Karolyn Ali
A description of the book: "Stunningly illustrated and intimate autobiographical book - in Tupac's own words - on his life, his influences and his rise to legendary status. This book is an intimate and personal look at one of the entertainment industry's most complex, influential and intriguing artists of all time - Tupac Shakur. The film which has inspired this publication will be created with Afeni Shakur, Tupac's mother and will include never-before-seen Tupac concert, home movie, and video footage; rare photos donated by his family, close friends, and the MTV archives, and exclusive excerpts from his poetry, journals and personal letters. Entirely in his own words, the book will closely mirror this astonishing documentary, which will feature unreleased songs that will bring a whole new range of fans to this complex, haunting and brilliant artist".
"The tragedy of Tupac is that his untimely passing is representative of too many young black men in this country....If
we had lost Oprah Winfrey at 25, we would have lost a relatively unknown, local market TV anchorwoman. If we had lost
Malcolm X at 25, we would have lost a hustler nicknamed Detroit Red. And if I had left the world at 25, we would have
lost a big-band trumpet player and aspiring composer--just a sliver of my eventual life potential."
A star during his lifetime, a legend after a bullet killed him at the age of twenty-five, Tupac Shakur was the most
influential rap musician of his day–and the most misunderstood. Far from being the insolent “gangsta” that the press
put forth, Tupac was a committed and fearless visionary determined to make a difference not only on the music scene but
in the black community at large. Darrin Bastfield grew up with Tupac in a rough Baltimore neighborhood, rapped with him,
fought with him, and performed by his side. Now in this vivid, highly personal memoir featuring never-before-seen
photos of the rap artist, Darrin shows the world what Tupac Shakur was really like as a teenager destined for greatness.
A Thug Life explores every aspect of Tupac’s career in a thorough selection of interviews, articles, reviews and essays on rap music’s enduring icon. Extensively illustrated, it tells the definitive story.
A description of the book: "Stunningly illustrated and intimate autobiographical book - in Tupac's own words - on his life, his influences and his rise to legendary status. This book is an intimate and personal look at one of the entertainment industry's most complex, influential and intriguing artists of all time - Tupac Shakur. The film which has inspired this publication will be created with Afeni Shakur, Tupac's mother and will include never-before-seen Tupac concert, home movie, and video footage; rare photos donated by his family, close friends, and the MTV archives, and exclusive excerpts from his poetry, journals and personal letters. Entirely in his own words, the book will closely mirror this astonishing documentary, which will feature unreleased songs that will bring a whole new range of fans to this complex, haunting and brilliant artist".
