Tupac Shakur

Tupac, whose real name is Lesane Parish Crooks, is an actor, poet, producer, sciptwriter and above all one of the greatest rappers, emblematic and important of the hip-hop movement (gangsta rap), with Dr Dre, and Snoop Dogg. He was born on 16 June 1971 in Brooklyn, a district of New York (USA), and died in a brawl between gangs on 13 September 1996 at the age of 25. His death has made him a legend until today. He is recognized as the biggest seller in rap history with more than 75 million albums sold worldwide, and even after his death.

He influenced and touched many young people in the 1990s. One might think that he sings mainly violence, but his rap also contains political and social messages. Since his childhood he has been confronted by the violence, since his parents were part of an African-American movement, called black Panther. His political commitment is all the more marked by his parents’belonging of the Black Panther movement, which defends the rights of black people.

The reason why many young people listen to Tupac’s music is simply because, through the lyrics of his songs, young people find themselves there and become identified by the lyrics . In his songs, 2pac evokes the police violence against young Black Americans, the social injustice, and the brutalization received by black people . His album, 2acalypse encourages young people to violence, its evokes problems with the police, extreme poverty in the “ghettos”, and inter-district conflicts. Tupac clearly expresses his contempt for white people.

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