Preview

How Did Tupac Influence American Culture

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
731 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Did Tupac Influence American Culture
Tupac Amaru Shakur immersed in the culture of the African American urban class at an early age surrounded by economic struggle, political influence and incarceration. Tupac was born in 1971 and raised in poor inner-city neighborhoods in New York. Tupac's parents Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland were prominent members of the Black Panther party. Afeni was acquitted on more than 150 charges of conspiracy against the U.S. government but later became addicted to crack cocaine. His godfather was a high ranking Black Panther who was convicted of murder during a robbery and his stepfather spent four years at large on the FBI’s Ten Mosted Wanted list for having helped his sister escape from a New Jersey penitentiary.
Tupac’s mother encouraged him to develop his creative and expressive capabilities by enrolling him in drama school at the age of twelve. Thus, from early on Tupac was taught to succeed in two different worlds by learning the language of the “hood”, its religiosity, and its culture of survival and struggle along with the intellect verse from formal schooling in the creative arts and print poetry which were the norms. In 1985, his mother moved him to Baltimore, Maryland to escape the poverty and difficulties of New York and enrolled him in the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, where he continued the performance education he …show more content…
Some whites as any people viewed him as a thug gangster due to his legal issues along with some of his lyrics displaying his hate toward white people and the killing of white people. However, these lyrics were directed to racist white people. Half his fans were white and he loved them because he knew that they were not racists. All blacks loved him because he was all about empowerment and recognition for black people. Tupac hated anyone who disliked blacks because he was fighting for equality. He loved every race as long as they were respectful of each
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Tupac Amaru Shakur a Peruvian Revolutionary Essay Example
    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Tupac Amaru Shakur a Peruvian Revolutionary Essay Example

    Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City.[9] He was named after Túpac Amaru II,[10] a Peruvian revolutionary who led an indigenous uprising against Spain and was subsequently executed.[11]…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    2pac Death
    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages

    2pac Death

    Tupac Shakur was born Tupac Amaru Shakur (Tupac means "shining serpent" in Inca) in New York City in 1971. He went on to have very successful careers as an actor & rapper. Look around the web for his career information, you know that’s not our gig. That said….…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between Tupac And Biggie
    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Similarities Between Tupac And Biggie

    Tupac had sold over 75 million records worldwide as of 2010, making him one of the best selling music artists in the world. Rolling Stone Magazine named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time. Tupac was different from Biggie with music because of how he talked about racism, social problems, and hardship in inner cities violence. Before he became a well know rap artist he was roadie, backup dancer, and MC for the hip-hop group Digital Underground. Another difference was Tupac’s music career really began once he made his first solo album “2Pacalypse now” after that album and many more he then came out with his own rap group called “Thug Life”. Once the group released their only album “Thug Life: Volume 1” Tupac later got introduce to Suge Knight, who then played a big role into Tupac music…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Who Was Responsible For Tupac Death
    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Who Was Responsible For Tupac Death

    One example that portrays this, was his long lasting friendship with Christopher Smalls aka Biggie Smalls. Tupac was associated with the West Coast, whereas Biggie Smalls was associated with the East Coast. They were on good terms, until Tupac got shot five times in a Manhattan Recording Studio. He suspected Biggie Smalls and Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy were behind the shooting. Sean Combs was the head of Bad Boy Records which was the label Biggie Smalls signed with. As soon as Tupac got shot, he signed with Death Row Records a west coast label. The head of Death Row Records known as Suge Knight had a grudge against Sean Combs, which turned into “dangerous vendetta between the east and west coast factions, stoked by lyrical provocations from Biggie and Tupac”. Two years later after Tupac died, Biggie also died and these deaths could have been caused and connected by the feud, for Biggie Smalls death being an act of revenge for Tupac’s…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Biggie vs Tupac
    • 1711 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Biggie vs Tupac

    I had watched a documentary, based off of the infamous rappers and their start up in the music industry, titled Tupac and Biggie where I got information on both sides. To begin with both rappers had similar upbringing for instance, were born in the state of New York, Tupac in Harlem and Biggie in Brooklyn. However, Tupac did move around growing up to Baltimore, Maryland in 1984 and finally to Oakland, California in 1988 by the age of 17. Biggie had more of an interesting beginning, unlike his soon to be rival, he had been raised by a single mother who was a teacher and had lived in a 3 bedroom apartment, not how he claimed on his song ‘Juice’ as a “one-room shack”. Meanwhile, Tupac was also raised by a single mother, however had been a part of the anti-government group the Black Panther Party, which would later be a foundation to his rap verses on political stans. Like most rappers they both would have a rough upbringing, and Biggie would start drug dealing at the age of 14 to help support his family, till discovered musically. Interestingly enough, Tupac had an interest in acting and attended performing art schools and create his passion for poetry, turned later to rap rhymes. Tupac was the…

    • 1711 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Who Is Tupac Amarac Shakur?
    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Who Is Tupac Amarac Shakur?

    ”I wanted to be a revolutionary.” said a young Tupac Shakur. From the earliest age, Tupac wanted greatness and nothing less. Tupac Amaru Shakur was born June 16, 1971 at New York University Hospital. His name, Tupac Amaru was an Inca name meaning “Shining Serpent” and Shakur meant “Thankful to God”. Tupac’s…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    'Tupac and My Non Thug Life': Review
    • 427 Words
    • 1 Page

    'Tupac and My Non Thug Life': Review

    In the article, “Tupac and My Non –Thug Life the author of this article Jenee Desmonc-Harris writes about how a young California girl was so affected by Tupac’s death. She remembers rushing home from school crying about Tupac’s death. She was so influence by him she really loved him and was a huge fan. She knew him on a personal level which may have been way she was influenced. Listening to Tupac made the girl so proud of African American culture. She and her friend were valued Tupac’s music so much, after his death they tattooed a song lyric of his. They mourned Tupac’s death. She felt strongly grateful about his music, as she even mentioned, “his music represents the years when I was both forced and privileged to confront what it meant to be black.”…

    • 427 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    tupac shakur
    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages

    tupac shakur

    Birth name lesane parish crooks was born on June 16, 1971, in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City .He was named after Tupac Amaru, an 18th-century South American revolutionary who was executed after leading an indigenous uprising against Spanish rule. His mother, afeni Shakur and his father, William Garland, were active members of the Black Panther party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Shakur was born a month after his mother was acquitted of more than 150 charges of "Conspiracy against the united states grovement and New York landmarks" in the New York "Panther 21" court case.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    2pac Bio
    • 2242 Words
    • 9 Pages

    2pac Bio

    Tupac mother’s name is Alice Faye Williams (later called Afeni Shakur), she was one of the leaders of The Black Panther Party, and she joined it in 1968. she was a revolutionist who used to defend the black people. In the Black Panther party she organized community improvement programs. On 1969 she was arrested and jailed for 11 months accused by trying to conspire on the American government. She was asked to pay 100,000 bail to be freed but later they decided to cancel it due to fear of flight and she returned to prison pregnant with her child tupac. Tupac relation with his mother when she was in the Black Panther party was not that strong, as his mother was busy worrying…

    • 2242 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Who Was Tupac A Hero
    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Who Was Tupac A Hero

    Tupac’s music plays a big role in pop culture. His music was heard by millions of people, and have moved many. The music he wrote and the things he would rap about was the real things. He never “sugar coated” his life growing up. In his music he talks about…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tupac as an American Icon
    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tupac as an American Icon

    Tupac was a leading American icon because he crossed cultural, racial, and economic barriers. From the child in the suburb to the former vice president of the United States, everyone recognized Tupac's iconic status. He had many traits that would make him stand out above the rest, and that is what made him the best. His traits are routed in his name because he was named after an Inca Indian revolutionary Tupac Amaru, which means "shining serpent", and Shakur is Arabic for "thankful to God." (http://www.2paczone.com/tupac/) These are traits that he portrays in his songs.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Christopher Biggie Biography
    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Christopher Biggie Biography

    Being born on May 21st, 1972, Biggie was caught in the middle of racial violence, gang wars, and a lifestyle that most people can’t relate to. At the age of fifteen, Biggie was selling crack on the streets of Brooklyn, being better known for dealing drugs than making rhymes. This part in Biggie’s life greatly influenced who he became, a world renowned rapper. His career started in basements and street corners around town, freestyling to his peers and neighborhood friends. People knew biggie as the street corner thug who could spit a rap when he wanted, and about what he wanted. His talent was nothing to overlook, he started rapping with the “Gold Brothers” and the “Techniques”, who ended up introducing Biggie to his first recording studio. At the age of 17 Biggie had dropped out of school, despite showing potential. The idea of money and power was too large to give up. He spent nine months in jail for drug charges, writing and preparing for his time in the lime light. Ounce he was released, he started to put together mix tapes, which bounced from source to source, causing Biggie’s name to gain publicity. Biggie’s first solo song, “Party and Bullshit” was featured in the film Who’s the Man? Not long after Biggie started to gain fame, music producer “Puffy”, or Sean Combs started to take interest, and began to record and produce for Biggie. In 1994 Biggie released his first album, “Ready to Die”, which exploded in the rap industry. Biggie had gone from hustling drugs on the corner in 1990, to being the “top-selling rap artist” in 1995 as MTV puts it. Things were looking up for biggie, until his fellow rap artist Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive by shooting. Tupac’s followers blamed Biggie and his crew, who denied any affiliation. Seven months later, Biggie was killed in a drive by shooting. Many believe the perpetrators belonged to Tupac’s crew, or a number of…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did American Counterculture Influenced American Culture
    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did American Counterculture Influenced American Culture

    American counterculture is the rejection of conventional social norms. Usually counterculture is expressed by a subculture of people who have different from mainstream society. In the 1950’s through the end of the 1970’s, some of the social norms included racial segregation, the Vietnam War, and materialism. Through outspoken writings and loud rock concerts, American counterculture was loudly expressed and changed America to what it is today.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    2Pac's Keep Ya Head Up: Song Analysis
    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages

    2Pac's Keep Ya Head Up: Song Analysis

    One of Shakur’s more noted works was his song titled “keep ya head up”. During this era of hip-hop and even in the African American social community, women were constantly being degraded in not only the lyrics of rap songs but also in the images of rap music videos (which just gained its popularity during this time). Young black women were constantly being referred to as “tricks,bitches, and hoes”, also in videos would be displayed as promiscuous creatures in scantily clad attire. In Tupac’s song “keep ya head up” Shakur is trying to shed light on the fact that it’s not right to treat women this way, and he is trying to influence young men in the African American community to change their ways. The N.O.W.R. (national organization of women’s rights) called it the “most black women friendly song to ever be written”. Tupac was raised by his single mother Afeni Shakur, who was the highest rank women in the “Black Panthers” for the New York chapter. At a young age Shakur excelled in academics attending the Baltimore School of Arts, despite growing up in poverty unlike many of his classmates. Afeni (Tupac’s mother) worked…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Keep Ya Head Up Tupac Analysis
    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Keep Ya Head Up Tupac Analysis

    Tupac Shakur is considered an rap icon. Some may say he is the MJ to the rap game. He didn’t just make music he made common situation into a song that everyone can bob their head to. Many artist say that they were influenced to rap because of Tupac such as Nas, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and so many more. Tupac’s mother (Afeni Shakur) was a single parent and she tried her best trying to make their childhood a great one. He thanked his mom for her effort in the song ‘Dear Mama‘. He may have been known to many people as an “Gangster” or “Thug”, but he also touched on issues that were going on at that moment of time. ‘Keep ya head up’ by 2pac was an anthem for women who were raising children on their own during the hard times during the 90’s, especially…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics