BIOGRAPHY

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born Lesane P. Crooks, 16th June 1971, Brooklyn, NYC, to Afeni Shakur, a member of the infamous Black Panther party, who was born Alice Faye Williams in North Carolina.
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"Tupac Amaru" is Inca for "shining serpent" and "Shakur" is Arabic for "thankful to God".
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His childhood was spent in New York, moving between Harlem and the Bronx a lot, and at the age of 12, Afeni enrolled him in the 127th Street Ensemble, a theater group in Harlem. In his first performance, Tupac played Travis in "A Raisin In The Sun".
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In June 1986, Tupac's family moved to Baltimore, and he wrote his first rap under the name "MC New York". In September of the same year, Tupac enrolled at the Baltimore School For The Arts, where he studied ballet and acting.
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years later, in June '88, Tupac's family moved to Marin City, CA, and soon Tupac moved in with a neighbour and began to sell drugs, and in that August his stepfather Mutulu Shakur was sentenced to 60 years for involvement in a 1981 armoured-car robbery.
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In 1990 he found work with Digital Underground as a roadie/dancer/rapper, and while on tour, he learned that his mother was using crack. In 1991 he made his recording debut on D.U.'s release "This Is An E.P. Release", when he rapped on the track "Same Song".
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Tupac's manager at the time, Atron Gregory, failed to convince Tommy Boy of his potential, but Interscope saw talent in the young rapper, resulting in the release of "2Pacalypse Now" on 12 November '91.
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In late '91, Tupac was beaten by some police officers -"...they bashed my head into the sidewalk over and over...cause I had a check for seven grand in my pocket. I'ma sue 'em, though. Watch me." It was not long after this that Tupac filed a $10 million law suit against the Oakland police for alleged brutlity following an arrest for jaywalking.
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After accompanying a friend to an audition for a part in Ernest Dickerson's "Juice" (released January 17th 1992), Tupac was asked to audition himself, and got the part and later earned much praise for his portrayal of Bishop.
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In Septmeber 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle said that "2Pacalypse Now" has no place in American society.
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Tupac's second album, "Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z." is realeased on 1st February 1993, and eventually goes platinum.
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Tupac's movie career continues when he stars in John Singleton's "Poetic Justice" alongside Janet Jackson -released July 23rd 1993.
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On March 23rd 1993, Tupac stars as a troubled drug dealer in "Above The Rim", and the soundtrack album, featuring Tupac's group Thug Life's "Pour Out A Little Liquor", sells over 2 million copies.
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On November 18th 1993, Tupac is shot five times and robbed of $40,000 worth of jewelry in the lobby of a Times Square recording studio, but checks himself out of hospital less than just 3 hours after surgery.
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On 14th February 1995, Tupac is sentenced to 18 months to 4 and a half years for sexually abusing a 19-year-old woman 2 months earlier.
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Whilst he's incarcerated, Tupac's third album, "Me Against The World", is released on April 1st 1995, and debuts at no.1 on the Billboard pop chart, and goes double platinum within 7 months.
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In an interview from jail, Tupac renounces his "Thug Life" persona, commits himself to positive works, and implicates Biggie Smalls, Puffy Combs, Andre Harrell, Stretch, and others of setting up the shooting of Tupac. They deny this in August.
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Death Row Records C.E.O. Marion "Suge" Knight bails out Tupac on a $1.4 million bond, and Tupac flies straight to L.A. to sign with Death Row.
"Out on bail,
Fresh outa jail,
California dreamin'"(California Love)
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Exactly 1 year after Tupac being shot, Randy "Stretch" Walker is killed execution-style in Queens.
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In February 1996, Tupac suggests he has been sleeping with Biggie Small's wife Faith Evans, who denies the stories. On February 13th, rap's first double CD, "All Eyez On Me", is released, and goes quintuple platinum on April 25th.
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On 7th September 1996, after leavinmg a Mike Tyson fight, Tupac's car is shot at 12 times and he is hit twice in the chest, once in the leg, and in the hand, and he is rushed to hospital.
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After six days in hospital, Tupac is pronounced dead at 4:03 PM, Friday 13th September, and his body is later cremated.
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Tupac's album "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" is released on November 5th, 1996, under the name of Makavelli. The first single to be released from this album was "Toss It Up", and in this Tupac condemns Dr Dre for leaving Death Row Records:
"...cross Death Row
now who you gonna run to?"
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Tupac's own record label, Amaru Records, releases another double album back under the name 2Pac, "R U still down? [remember me]" on 25th November 1997.