The Immortals: Tupac Shakur

by Ran

June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks on June 16, 1971, in New York City's East Harlem. His parents, Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland, were both members of the New York chapter of the Black Panther Party. The two separated soon after the birth. 

Afeni was pregnant with Tupac while she was on trial for conspiracy to detonate bombs in five New York City department stores, a New York police precint and the New York Botanical Gardens. Before the trial, a portion of her bail was posted by actress Jane Fonda and composer Leonard Bernstein. After serving as her own attorney, Afeni was acquitted one month prior to Tupac's birth. By the time he was three-years-old, she'd changed her son's name to that of a renowned Incan emperor who fought against Spanish conquistadors before being beheaded. During his childhood, Afeni's preferred method of punishment for Tupac was to force him to read the New York Times from cover to cover. His sister, Sekyiwa, fathered by Tupac's stepfather, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, was born in 1973. Mutulu left the family in 1981 in order to evade the FBI after he was accused of attempting to robbing an armored truck carrying $1.6 million in cash. He was apprehended on February 12, 1986, convicted of racketeering on May 11, 1988, and eventually sentenced to 60 years in prison. Tupac's godfather was Black Panther Party leader Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, who was convicted of murder and served 27 years in prison before his conviction was vacated on appeal. Tupac gained his first acting experience when he joined Harlem's 127th Street Repertory Ensemble at 12-years-old. He participated in the group's performance of the play "A Raisin in the Sun" at the famed Apollo Theater.

After going on a short paid speaking tour of ivy league universities, Afeni supported the family with subsistence from government welfare.

In 1985, Afeni moved the family to Baltimore, Maryland, where Tupac attended Roland Park Middle School and one year at Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School  before transferring to the Baltimore School for the Arts. It was there that he took theater classes and met his lifelong friend and fellow actor, Jada Pinkett. Tupac made his first foray into rap music when he co-founded the group The East-Side Crew with friend Dana Smith. Smith adopted the stage name "Mouse Man" and Tupac performed under the name "MC New York". The duo entered their original song, "Library Rap", into a local contest and took home the prize money. Their first recorded song is the track "Babies Having Babies".

Two years later, he moved to Marin City, California, where he lived with Linda Pratt (Geronimo's wife). After Afeni moved to California as well, in 1988, Tupac moved in with her for a short time but the two became estranged due to his objection to her heavy drug use. It was during this time that he attended Mill Valley, California's Tamalpais High School, joining the school's Ensemble Theater Company.

In March of 1989, he co-founded another rap group, Strictly Dope, with Santa Rosa, California rapper Ray "Ray Love" Tyson and DJ Dize. The collective also included members Mike Cooley, Marcus Scot, Shakeeo, Puki and Byrone "Cap B" Dedrick. Both Shakur and Tyson moved into the home of the group's manager, Leila Steinberg, and Shakur dropped out of high school soon after.

Steinberg introduced Shakur to former N.W.A. road manager, Atron Gregory, who had since gone on to found his own independent label, TNT Records, and sign Oakland, California rap group Digital Underground. Gregory, in turn, signed Shakur and set up an audition with the group's founder, Greg "Shock G" Jacobs, which led to Shakur being hired initially as a dancer and road manager. Soon after, Shakur was featured on the group's hit song "Same Song", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1991 Chevy Chase comedy Nothing but Trouble. Shakur and other members of DU also appeared as themselves in the movie. The song's music video features cameos by N.W.A. members Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Andre "Dr. Dre" Young. While DU's record company, Tommy Boy, wasn't interested in Shakur as a solo act, he was signed by then-fledgling label Interscope Records, after company co-founder Ted Field gave Tupac's demo tape to his teenaged daughter, Danielle, who loved it.

That same year, Shakur was hired to play the role of a villain, Roland Bishop, in the teenage crime drama Juice. Shakur, who'd accompanied his friend, fellow rapper Anthony "Treach" Criss, of the group Naughty by Nature, to the auditions, was urged by his friend to read for the part on the spur of the moment. Following his unplanned audition, he walked away with the second lead, which would become his signature role. Fellow Digital Underground member Ron "Money-B" Brooks also tried out for the role, which was filmed and set in Shakur's hometown -- Harlem.

In October of 1991, Shakur was stopped by members of the Oakland Police Department and accused of jaywalking. He responded with profanity and was choked and bloodied by the officers before being placed under arrest for the jaywalking and an additional charge -- resisting arrest. He subsequently filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Oakland PD and eventually received a settlement of $42,000.

Shakur's debut solo album, 2pacalypse Now, was released on November 12, 1991. The album's biggest hit was "Brenda's Got a Baby", featuring Dave Hollister on background vocals.

Juice, which also features a then-relatively unknown Samuel L. Jackson, debuted January 17, 1992, to critical-acclaim. 

During April of 1992, Shakur filmed his next movie, the John Singleton-directed romance drama Poetic Justice with pop superstar Janet Jackson. Filming took place in California's Simi Valley, the location of the "Rodney King Trial" that ultimately led to the Los Angeles riots, during the same time that the L.A. riots were taking place. The rapper and the singer became friends on-set but the relationship soured when, according to Shakur, he refused Jackson's demand that he undergo an HIV test prior to their on-screen kiss. Shakur reported that after filming wrapped, Jackson changed her telephone number and he never heard from her again. The movie, which premiered on July 23, 1993, featuring Shakur as Jackson's new love interest following the death of her boyfriend, also features fellow rapper Jonathan "Q-Tip" Davis (of A Tribe Called Quest) as said boyfriend.

On August 22, 1992, during Marin City's 50th anniversary celebration, six-year-old Qa'id Walker Teal was killed when he was shot in the forehead following an altercation between Shakur and his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur and other attendees. Reportedly, Tupac was confronted by a group of local residents who were offended by his comments about Marin City during an earlier televised interview. Following a scuffle, Tupac allegedly pulled a gun, which he dropped after being assaulted. According to police, Mopreme then picked up the weapon and fired at least three shots into the crowd. Witnesses reported that an unidentified individual fired a gun over the heads of the crowd. Both Tupac and Mopreme were arrested and later released without being charged, however they both became subjects of a subsequent wrongful death suit brought by Teal's parents. Police also searched Tupac's Oakland residence, where they seized ammunition. The fatal bullet that struck Teal was traced to a .380 Colt semi-automatic handgun registered to Tupac. 

On September 22, then-Vice President Dan Quayle, claiming that 2pacalypse Now "has no place in our society", called for Interscope Records' parent company, Time Warner, to pull the album from stores. Quayle cited the criminal defense of 19-year-old Ronald Ray Howard, who had been charged in the April 11 murder of Texas state trooper Bill Davidson following a traffic stop. Howard, who was listening to the album on the tape deck of the stolen Chevy Blazer he was driving when pulled over, argued that the music had conditioned him to hate police officers. Subsequently, a wrongful death suit was brought by Trooper Davidson's widow against Shakur and Interscope, charging both with gross negligence and inciting "imminent lawless action".

February 16, 1993, marked the release of Shakur's second solo album, Strictly for My N.I.G.G.A.Z. On March 11, he was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon. Two days later, during a visit to the sketch show In Living Color to film a guest appearance, Shakur became involved in a physical altercation with his limousine driver, David Deleon. During a break from filming, Shakur and a friend proceeded to smoke weed in the limo, which offended Deleon. After he told them to stop, in an offensive manner according to Shakur, a heated exchange ensued, which prompted Deleon to proceed to the trunk of the vehicle. After attacking him, Shakur was arrested, charged with assault and later released after posting $15,000 bail. Shakur explained to the judge that he assumed Deleon was attempting to retrieve a gun from the trunk of the limo and the charges were subsequently dropped.

In April, Shakur was charged with felonious assault after threatening Flint record company executive Chauncey Wynn with a baseball bat at a concert held at Michigan State University in Lansing, MI. After Shakur slammed Wynn's microphone on the stage, a fight ensued between the two. Shakur ultimately pleaded guilty to attempting to strike the Wynn and the charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor.

Shakur also found time in 1993 to reunite with his old friend, Jada Pinkett, onscreen. He made a guest appearance on an episode of the sitcom on which she starred, A Different World, as a character by the name of "Piccolo" -- "Pic", for short. The episode, titled "Homie, Don't You Know Me?", featured Shakur as the ex-boyfriend of Pinkett's character, Lena James.

Shakur was also cast in the role of Shareef, a strait-laced Muslim character, in the Hughes Brothers' film Menace II Society, but wanted the more aggressive role of O-Dog (portrayed by Larenz Tate). After his relationship with the twins, who'd previously directed music videos for him, became strained, he was fired from the movie. Shakur responded by confronting the pair on the set of another music video and assaulting Allen. He was later arrested and criminally charged for the attack. After retaining the legal services of famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, Shakur was sentenced to two weeks in jail and a fine.

On the morning of October 31, Shakur was in Atlanta in order to give a concert at a local college when a confrontation ensued in traffic. According to witnesses, off-duty Georgia police officers Mark and Scott Whitwell and their wives were crossing the street when they were nearly struck by a passing car. The brothers then confronted the occupants of the vehicle, when Shakur and his party, in a separate vehicle, stopped to intervene. Witnesses said that Mark Whitwell then brandished a firearm. Whether he fired or not is in dispute. Shakur subsequently opened fire, hitting one of the Whitwells in the buttocks and the other in the abdomen. Not long after the shooting, the police arrested the rapper at his hotel and charged him with two counts of aggravated assault. The following day, he was released on a $55,059 bond and the officers were released from Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital, where they were treated for their injuries.

Shakur met Jacques "Haitain Jack" Agnant in Manhattan in early November, 1993. The two were introduced by an associate of Agnant's at a party at The Octagon nightclub. Agnant has stated that at the time he was only vaguely familiar with Shakur due to his shootout with the Whitwells during the previous month.

Agnant and Shakur quickly bonded and socialized regularly, including attending Manhattan's famed Scores strip club on November 6, where the two watched the heavyweight title rematch between then-champion Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield, drinking $2,600-a-bottle Louis XIII de Remy Martin cognac in the club's VIP room.   

The two enjoyed a symbiotic relationship wherein Agnant supplied marijuana, women and protection, while Shakur closely observed Agnant in order to prepare for his role as a New York gangster in his upcoming film, Above the Rim. Despite the fact that he'd starred in two feature films and had hit songs in heavy radio rotation, Shakur didn't yet have entree into as many popular nightclubs as Agnant. Agnant reportedly also bought the actor his first Rolex watch.

On November 14, 1993, Agnant accompanied Shakur to the now-defunct, upscale Manhattan nightclub Nell's -- an exclusive, celebrity-magnet that frequently turned away stars such as Don Johnson and Cher. An associate of Agnant introduced Shakur to 19-year-old Ayanna Jackson, who performed oral sex on the actor on the dance floor within half an hour following the introduction. Afterwards, Shakur invited Jackson to his suite at Manhattan's posh Le Parker Meridiean hotel. Four days later, Jackson returned to Shakur's suite, where Shakur; Agnant; Shakur's road manager, Charles "Man Man" Fuller; and another man were already present. Hours later, Jackson accused Shakur, Agnant and the others of gang-rape. Shakur, Fuller and Agnant were arrested four days later and charged with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, sodomy, and illegal possession of a firearm. Agnant's attorney, Paul Brenner, had his case severed from Shakur's, and reportedly, Shakur, suspicious of Agnant's motives, began to distance himself.

Interscope Records, which had advanced Shakur $4 million over the course of three years so that he could pay his legal bills, was considering dropping the star. Marion "Suge" Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records -- home to producer Andre "Dr. Dre" Young and rapper Calvin "Snoop Doggy Dogg" Broadus -- met with Shakur, at Broadus' urging, in the hopes of signing him to Death Row. Shakur, however, declined.

In November of 1994, while clubbing with friend and fellow-actor Mickey Rourke, Shakur voiced his concerns about Agnant. He told Rourke's friend, Daily News reporter A.J. Benza, that heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson had called him from prison to warn him about Agnant. Benza subsequently reported that Shakur also believed that Agnant had set him up.

On November 30, at approximately 12:25 am, Shakur was shot five times during a robbery in the lobby of Manhattan's Quad Recording Studios by two armed perpetrators. Shakur had been invited to the studio by James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond in order to record a song with rapper Shawn "Little Shawn" Wilkins -- for whom Rosemond was acting as manager -- for $7,000. Shakur, who was being accompanied by Randy "Stretch" Walker (Walker was shot twice in the abdomen) and another man when he was shot, had been introduced to Rosemond by his associate, Agnant.

It was in his hospital room following the shooting that Shakur met his father, Billy Garland, for the first time. Concerned for his safety, Shakur checked out of the hospital following surgery and moved to the home of actress Jasmine Guy of "A Different World" fame.

Following the shooting, Knight sent him a bulletproof vest emblazoned with the Death Row logo.

On December 1, both Shakur, who appeared in court in a wheelchair and heavily bandaged, and Fuller were found guilty of two counts of sexual abuse, that consisted of "forcibly touching Jackson's buttocks" and acquitted of the weapons charges and three counts of sodomy. After being incarcerated on New York's Riker's Island facility while awaiting sentencing, Shakur was sentenced to 18 months to 4 and one-half years in prison on February 7, 1995. Agnant received three years of probation and a $1,000 fine in exchange for pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges. 

Jackson subsequently filed a civil suit against Shakur which ended in a settlement for an undisclosed amount.

Shakur was sent to the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility located in Dannemora, New York to serve his sentence. 

Shakur later implicated his friend, rapper Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, who had previously warned him to distance himself from Agnant, in his shooting.

In October of 1994, Shakur's Atlanta shooting case was dismissed when prosecutors dropped the aggravated assault charges filed against him following his shootout with the Whitwell brothers a year earlier. It was revealed that the pair had stolen their weapons from a police evidence room and that they'd been inebriated on the night of the shooting.

On October 31, Michigan Circuit Judge Lawrence Glazer sentenced Shakur to 30 days in the Ingham County Jail and 35 hours of community service for the Michigan baseball bat incident. The judge, who acknowledged that he doubted that Shakur actually swung the bat, suspended 20 days of the sentence.


On December 30, Wallace's song "Who Shot Ya?" was released as the B-side to his single "Big Poppa". "Who Shot Ya?" was immediately interpreted by many, including Shakur, to be a taunt about Shakur's shooting one month prior and the latter's reaction to it. While Wallace maintained that the song was written prior to Shakur's shooting, many, including Shakur,  cited the timing of the track's release itself as suspicious. 

While he was incarcerated, Shakur's third solo album, Me Against the World, was released. The album quickly topped the Billboard chart upon its release making Shakur the first recording artist to have an album reach the #1 spot during his incarceration -- a feat that remains unduplicated to this day. 

On February 21, 1995, Shakur's song, "Dear Mama" was released. Though Shakur was unable to appear in the song's accompanying music video due to his incarceration, the clip did contain a re-enactment of his shooting at Quad Studios.

During his detention, Shakur frequently exchanged correspondence with actor Tony Danza of "Who's the Boss?" fame.

In April of 1995, Shakur married his girlfriend of six months, Keisha Morris, at the Clinton Correctional Facility. Morris was 22-years-old at the time and a recent criminal science graduate from John Jay College. Shakur described her in a 1995 deposition for a civil suit as, "my first and only girlfriend I ever had in my entire life and now she's my wife."

Months later, Shakur sent a letter to a female acquaintance in which he referenced Walter "King Tut" Johnson and fellow-Brooklynites Agnant and James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond. The hand-written letter, postmarked August 15, 1995, includes the names "Tut", "Jack Agnant" and "Jimmy Ace" (one of Rosemond's nicknames) under the heading, "The Walking Dead". All three names are crossed out and are followed by the acronym "R.I.P."

On November 30, 1995, Randy "Stretch" Walker was shot to death while driving in Queens, New York - exactly one year to the day after Shakur's shooting. 

Although Shakur had a hit album on the charts and popular songs on the airwaves, he was unable to embark on a promotional tour and only received $600,000, an advance from Interscope, in earnings. One of Shakur's frequent visitors to Clinton was Suge Knight. Aware of Shakur's inability to post his $1.4 million bail due to his financial problems and the government's appeal of said bail, Knight entreated the rapper to join his label (with Interscope's blessing -- the distributor of Death Row's music) with the promise that he could arrange for his release. On September 16, Knight and Death Row's lead attorney, David Kenner, traveled back to Clinton Correctional Facility and offered Shakur a deal wherein Death Row would pay his $1.4 million bail in exchange for the rapper recording three albums for the label. Once Shakur finally agreed, he signed a three-page document, handwritten by Kenner.

Upon Shakur's October 12 release from prison, he was met by Knight and Kenner in a white stretch limo, driven to a private jet and flown directly to Los Angeles.

Knight threw a "Welcome Home" dinner for Shakur, attended by Death Row staff and recording artists, at Monty's Steakhouse in Woodland Hills, CA.

Shakur eschewed the historic October 16 Million Man March on Washington in order to go on a shopping spree in Beverly Hills.

Not long after his released, Shakur had his marriage to Morris annulled.

Shakur worked at a frenetic pace, completing five songs per day in contrast to his label-mates who typically completed only one track during the same time frame. Young had completed the song "California Love" for his sophomore solo album. But when Tupac Shakur signed to Death Row, the producer agreed to give the song to Shakur, who replace Young's second verse with a new one of his own. 


Shakur's first album to be released under the Death Row Records imprint was All Eyez On Me, the first double-album released by a rap artist. All Eyez On Me debuted in the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart on February 13, 1996.

In an interview published in the March 1996 issue of The Source magazine, Shakur suggested that he'd had sex with Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace's estranged wife, singer Faith Evans, while she was in Los Angeles so that the two could collaborate on the song, "Wonder Why They Call U Bitch", which appears on All Eyez On Me. He repeated the claim on the song, "Hit 'Em Up" -- a relentless diss track aimed at Wallace; Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs; Bad Boy Records; Wallace's proteges, Junior M.A.F.I.A.; rap group Mobb Deep; and rapper Chino XL.

That same month, Knight, Shakur and Death Row security chief Reggie Wright Jr. attended the Soul Train Music Awards, where Shakur and Wallace came face-to-face for the first time since the night of Shakur's shooting in the VIP area. According to Wright, Wallace and Combs were accompanied by members of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, including Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who flashed a handgun during the confrontation.

Shakur also resumed his film career, starring in Gridlock'd and Gang Related.

On June 4, 1996, Shakur released the insult-laden song "Hit 'Em Up", which featured Shakur and the Outlawz verbally attacking Wallace, Combs, Bad Boy Records and rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A.

Although Shakur had made disparaging remarks about legendary music producer Quincy Jones in the press, he began dating his daughter, Kidada, in the summer of 1996.

On the morning of September 7, Shakur flew from New York back to his home in Los Angeles. That evening, he attended the heavyweight boxing championship bout between his friend Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon.

Later that night, Shakur was shot four times while seated in the passenger seat of Knight's (who was driving) BMW 750 sedan. He was pronounced dead on September 13.

Shakur's first posthumous album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released on November 5 and contained the song, "Against All Odds", on which he accused Agnant of being a federal informant and both Agnant and Rosemond of setting him up.     

In 1997, Agnant filed a libel suit against Shakur's estate; Shakur's former label, Death Row Records; and parent-company Interscope Records seeking $200 million. The suit claimed that Agnant feared for his life and that his employment opportunities were hindered since the release of "Against All Odds". The suit was dismissed on December 16, 1998. 

In 2011, Dexter Isaac, a convicted felon sentenced to life for murder began cooperating with agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency and prosecutors investigating Rosemond for drug trafficking. Isaac, who is currently serving his life sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, confessed to prosecutors that he was in fact the triggerman during Tupac Shakur's 1994 shooting. Isaac informed investigators that he and an accomplice perpetrated the robbery and shooting of Shakur at the behest of Rosemond for a $2500 cash payment and all of the jewelry on the rapper's person - save one of two diamond rings. According to Isaac, Rosemond wanted to present one of Shakur's diamonds to his longtime girlfriend, Cynthia Reed - albeit in a new setting. It's worth noting that by the time Isaac came forward, the statute of limitations for the crime had expired. 

On April 7, 2017, Tupac Shakur was inducted into the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame.

Tupac Shakur in Los Angeles , CA - Sept. 10, 1993























































Tupac and Big Syke

Tupac at the Source Awards - April 25, 1994

Ed Lover and Tupac Shakur on Yo! MTV Raps
















Tupac (center) and his first group, Strictly Dope













Tupac (bottom right) with Digital Underground












Tupac and Shock G

Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur

Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur and Redman

Lil' Cease, Tupac, Biggie and Stretch

















Puff Daddy and Tupac

















Treach, Tupac and Eazy-E










Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and Tupac Shakur

Tupac and Treach

Tupac and MC Breed

















Tupac and Guru


















Tupac Shakur and Parrish Smith in San Francisco in 1992









Treach, Parrish Smith, Queen Latifah, Tupac and Vinnie

Tupac, Parrish Smith and Khalil Kain

Tupac Shakur and Khalil Kain














Whitney Houston and Tupac Shakur














Yaki Kadafi and Tupac















Ice Cube and Tupac
















Chuck D and Tupac












Tupac (center) and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony















Mike Tyson and Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur and heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson

Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tupac















Tupac Shakur, Suge Knight and MC Hammer















Tupac with Strectch from The Live Squad















Stretch and Tupac Shakur















Mopreme and Tupac Shakur















DJ Quik and Tupac












Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight












Suge Knight, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Doggy Dogg













Da Brat and Tupac Shakur

Lisa Lisa and Tupac at the Source Awards - April 25, 1994

Queen Latifah and Tupac














Madonna and Tupac

Tupac Shakur with Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant

Tupac Shakur, Lawrence Fishburne and Janet Jackson

Tupac Shakur and fiance' Kidada Jones















Tupac at Clinton 
Correctional Facility















Tupac and Big Syke














Tupac Shakur with Jasmine Guy

Tupac Shakur with Rosie Perez at the 7th Annual Soul Train 
Music Awards in Los Angeles, CA - March 9, 1993











Tupac and Tameka "Tiny" Kottle














Tupac and YoYo

Tupac Shakur and long-time friend Jada Pinkett















Tupac and Heather Hunter on the set of "How Do You Want It?"

(Digital Underground) This is an EP Release - 1991

(Digital Underground) Sons of the P - 1991














2pacalypse Now - 1991














Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. - 1993

















 (Thug Life) Thug Life - 1994















Me Against the World - 1995
















All Eyez On Me - 1996

















The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - 1996













Gridlock'd: The Soundtrack - 1997















Gang Related: The Soundtrack - 1997















R U Still Down? (Remember Me) - 1997















(2pac + Outlawz) Still I Rise - 1999

















Until the End of Time - 2001















Better Dayz - 2002














Loyal to the Game - 2004 (Produced by Eminem)















Pac's Life - 2006

Tupac and Snoop Doggy Dogg's St. Ides Commercial

Tupac's St. Ides Commercial

Related:

 

 The Infamous...Haitian Jack

 

The Infamous...James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond

The Infamous...Walter "King Tut" Johnson

The Immortals: Hussein Fatal

 

The Immortals: Yaki Kadafi 

The Immortals: Stretch

The Immortals: Big Syke

 

The Best Tupac Cameos 

The Immortals: MC Breed

City of Compton: Suge Knight

 

The Best Hip Hop of 2014