Tupac Shakur spent much of his brief 25 years living in tough inner-city neighborhoods in New York, Maryland, and California. A pensive, artistic youth, Tupac burst onto the hip-hop scene in the 1990s and became one of rap music’s most popular and volatile figures thanks to his highly charged lyrics and seemingly endless legal troubles. To his critics, Tupac symbolized the evils of
gangsta rap
and its glorification of violence. His fans, however, saw him as a thought-provoking hip-hop intellectual who unflinchingly articulated the plight of millions of disaffected inner-city youths. Shot to death in 1996 under still-unsolved circumstances, Tupac’s career lasted a scant half-decade, but his iconic stature continues to prosper with each passing year. Brimming with evocative full-color photographs, revealing text, and insightful sidebars and other features,
Tupac Shakur
provides a powerful examination of the life, legacy, and impact of the best-selling rapper of all time.