He is considered by many to be the greatest rapper of all time. 2Pac's lyrics always went deep into the meaning of many political and social subjects including violence, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and broken families.
2Pac was well read as noted by his extensive reading list. 2Pac's poetry also reflected his many sides, some poems were motivated by love, some sought self-understanding and others were angry responses to the cruel injustices of American society.Not only famous for his music, he was also a well respected actor with several films.2Pac was down to die for everything he represented. He was very open and always expressed his mind. Some people consider 2Pac a modern-day prophet. Reading some of 2Pac's interviews, lyrics and quotes, its not hard to see why.
Being real and upfront, trouble always seemed to come naturally. Tupac was charged with rape, a crime he did not commit, but was still convicted of sodomy (forcibly touching the buttocks). Many witnesses seen the girl who made these accusations voluntarily give 2Pac oral sex on a night club dance floor. Tupac was also charged with shooting two off-duty police officers, but those charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence. The fatal shooting in Vegas was the second shooting 2Pac was involved. The first occured in 1994 in New York.
Most likely, 2Pac's killer was Orlando Anderson, a south-side crip. Theories abound as to who coordinated the hit. Some believe it happened spur of the moment out of Orlando's rage. Others believe Suge Knight had 2Pac killed. The Las Vegas Times recently reported Biggie Smalls had 2Pac killed. Still others, believe it was an elaborate scheme and 2Pac is still alive (he faked his own death).
Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born in Brooklyn, New York, May 21, 1972. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant as the son of a preschool teacher. Dropping out of high school at the age of seventeen, Biggie became a crack dealer, which he proclaimed was his only source of income. Hustlin' one's way was a common life for a young Black man trying to make a living in the ghetto. His career choices involved certain risks. However, a trip to North Carolina for a routine drug exchange ended being the soon-to-be MC a nine-month stay behind bars. Once released, Biggie borrowed a friend's four-track tape recorder and laid down some hip-hop tracks in a basement. The tapes were then passed around and played at local radio station in New York.
He was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973, is the son of Olu Dara, an unconventional jazz musician. At age nine he was a member of the Devastatin' Seven in the mid-1980s, the fruits of which can be heard on his 1994 debut, "Illmatic," which was released on Columbia/SME later that year. It attracted attention for its depiction of ghetto life and Nas' refusal to include the misogyny and violence evident in some hip-hop. Nas's first appearance on record was on Main Source's classic "Live at the Barbecue." However, his big break came when former 3rd Bass member 'MC Serch' included his verse in "Halftime" on the soundtrack of Zebrahead (1992), which led to a management deal with Serch's management company, Serchlight Productions. Nas's follow-up albums are "It Was Written," "I Am...," "Nastradamus," "Stillmatic," "From Illmatic to Stillmatic," "The Lost Tapes Vol. 1,"
Eazy-E (Eric Wright) (September 7, 1964 - March 26, 1995) was an African-American rapper, record producer, and record executive who initially rose to fame as a member of the group N.W.A.. Born in Compton, California, Eazy-E dropped out of Compton High School while in tenth grade and began selling drugs. He used the profits to form a record label, Ruthless Records, with Jerry Heller. He soon recruited Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince. Soon the group released their first album, N.W.A. and the Posse in 1987, under the name N.W.A. ("Niggaz With Attitude"). The album was not a success, but the following year's Straight Outta Compton and its title track were incredible smash hits.
(born Oct. 17, 1972, St. Joseph, Mo., U.S.) American rapper, record producer, and actor, who was known as one of the most controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century.
Mathers had a turbulent childhood, marked by poverty and allegations of abuse. At age 14 he began rapping in clubs in Detroit, Mich., and, when unexcused absences kept him in the ninth grade for the third year, he quit school, determined to make it in hip-hop music. As Eminem, he made a name for himself in the hip-hop underground, but his first album, Infinite (1996), sold poorly, and he continued to work menial jobs.
When Eminem placed second in the freestyle category at the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, he came to the attention of Dr. Dre, founding member of pioneering rappers N.W.A. and the head of Aftermath Entertainment. By this time Eminem had developed the persona of the inhibitionless Slim Shady, who gave voice to Eminem's id in often vulgar and violent lyrics. With Dr. Dre as his producer and mentor, Eminem released The Slim Shady LP early in 1999. Benefiting from the inventive channel-surfing music video for the hit song “My Name Is” and the instant credibility of Dr. Dre's involvement, the album went multiplatinum, and Eminem won two Grammy Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards.
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