Musician Spotlight: Tupac Shakur

Almost three decades after his death, Tupac Shakur is still an iconic figure in the hip-hop industry. Tupac was born on June 16, 1971, as Lesane Parish Crooks and shot dead on Sep 13, 1996.

His stage name was 2Pac, and his friends called him Makaveli. Today, the American actor and rapper is still considered the most powerful and influential rapper.

His life was full of scandals, but that never kept him off his target to produce the best music ever. No other artist has been able to illuminate the hip-hop lines as 2Pac did. His contradictory way of life, full of militancy and pride, was a way of protecting himself against a racist America.

Shakur studied Arts at Baltimore School, where he showcased his prowess in academics and creativity. However, his family moved to Marin City in California before his graduation. This is when he took to the streets and got hoodwinked into gang culture.

Music Genre

During his teenage years at Baltimore School, his friend accidentally got shot while playing with a gun. At this moment, Tupac got inspired to write and perform his first-ever rap that talked about gun control. That was the birthplace of his hip-hop genre.

Although his music glorified misogynistic, vicious thug-life, he never failed to signal the reality of racism that forced most black youths down the streets and drug-filled life.

Tupac also wrote songs that accentuated the importance of fatherhood. Most of his songs also elevated women. For example, check out this live performance of “Dear Mama”:

His music is now more relevant than it was when he was alive. Tupac was a self-declared dissident who valued knowledge and books more than luxurious things. His fatalism reflected the dark energy channeled through political aspirations and hopes.

Though he died too early, his opinions still stir an array of emotions. Some people think of him as a young rebel who secretly provoked cynicism and violence. The other divide believes he was the epitome of unaltered truth spoken through his music.

Major Accomplishments

Tupac Shakur dominated the hip-hop industry and got several awards and nominations. They include:

• ECHO Awards– This is a German music award given annually by an association of recording companies, Deutsche Phono-Akademie.
• MOBO Awards – The MOBO Awards were established by Andy Ruffell and Kanya King in 1996. It’s held yearly in the UK to recognize artists of any nationality or ethnicity performing black music. And in 1996, Tupac was nominated for California Love and won the award for Best Video.
• Soul Train Awards – This is an annual award show established to recognize and honour the best black musicians. Tupac was nominated thrice for Best Rap or R$B/ music video, Best Rap Album and Rap or R$B/Soul Album of the year, of which he won two awards out of the three nominations.
• Source Awards – The Source Magazine created Source Awards to honour both R$B and hip-hop musicians and entertainers. In 2003, Shakur was the nominee for the Single of the Year under the best male solo artist category.

Music Instruments and Sounds

Initially, artists produced hip-hop music with synth, drums, and guitars. The advancement of musical instruments has introduced equipment like workstations, harmonizers, audio mixers, voice looper, and keyboards.