Tupac Shakur

With the rise of hip hop in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, a soon-to-be legend took the stage. Tupac Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, to two highly respected Black Panther revolutionists. His mother, Afeni Shakur, raised him and his sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, by herself. Due to disadvantages and injustice forced onto African American people by the same country they built, Tupac was raised in drug-ridden, violent, and dangerous neighborhoods like Baltimore, Harlem and Marin county throughout his childhood. He was known for his poetry, acting and energetic personality. Unfortunately, coming from a low-income family, he wasn’t able to go off to college. At 17, his family moved from Baltimore to California. Befriending a woman who worked with the well-known 80s rap group Digital Underground, Tupac soon became a part of their ensemble. Dancing on stage and helping them out with lyrics ultimately led to them discovering his poetic talent. From then on, Shakur dominated the music industry with his powerful lyrics and Black activism. Besides his reputation, he was an intelligent man who gave a voice to the voiceless, inspiring thousands of modern artists like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and 50 Cent, effectively giving birth to a new generation of rap. Because of Tupac, a generation of talent and raw honesty arose.