Tupac's Legacy By: Jalen Hendrix

Tupac Shakur was  a popular rapper in the 1990’s. He received critical acclaim and backlash for his very real and justifyingly controversial songs. Before his death in 1996, Tupac released four albums; three of which went on to become platinum. He was sure to have been one of the most controversial artists of his time. Tupac was also one of the most organic and original.

 Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in Baltimore, Maryland. By the age of 25, he was one of the most influential artists in the world. With three platinum albums and three blockbuster movies, he was sure to become an even bigger mainstream star. Sadly on September 7, 1996 Shakur was shot while waiting at a traffic light near the Las Vegas strip. His murder remains unsolved to this day. Before his death  though, he created a master of artistry that is forever solidified in pop-culture.

Shakur was known for tackling real issues in his music including: drug abuse, rape, teen pregnancy,  racial discrimination among other issues. Briana Marks says, “His music is amazing ...he also talks about real situations it’s not just the same thing we hear everyday, it has a storyline to it.” Storytelling was a big part of rap in the 90’s, it is only fitting because of course we know rap is a form of expression, and expression can be storytelling. Something that is missing from today’s rap is self expression and the approach of real issues. Some rappers still express themselves like Meek Mill, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole to name a few. Needless to say it has still been overshadowed by the mainstream lyrics which include topics of substance abuse, clothes, jewelry and prostitution.

Tupac also has a big influence on fashion. Artists including Rihanna have credited him on influencing some of their style choices. Angie Thomas ,author of the groundbreaking book The Hate U Give, cites Tupac as a major influence. He is also mentioned throughout the novel and the title came from one of Tupac’s tattoos.  “The hate you give little infants f**** everybody.” was a statement Tupac proclaimed in one of his interviews. That statement would become his most famous tattoo which read “THUG LIFE” across his stomach. The fact that it is an acronym is something most people do not know.

Normally Tupac is associated with a gang mentality, someone who was thuggish. But what a lot of people do not know is that he loved Shakespeare , wordplay, and spoke a lot about social issues. In his short career Tupac proved that he was one of the most socially and intellectual lyricist of all time.