Biographical essay of Tupac Shakur

BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
"Few rap stars filled their music or their lives with as much violence" as Tupac Shakur, proclaimed Time in its obituary for the performer, adding, "his murder forced a culture that glamorized hate to consider the consequences." While Shakur's 1996 death by multiple gunshot wounds certainly inspired reflection in the rap world and beyond, Time's reduction of his life and work to violent content was not the only point of view. Other observers saw Shakur as a much more complex figure, one who struggled with issues of violence, political power and personal commitment in his music and approached greatness in his film work. "He glowed," journalist dream hampton declared in a Request magazine roundtable following Shakur's death. "He was a star, and that's such a rare thing."
Shakur's notoriety among mainstream audiences had much to do with his outlaw image, which was derived in large part from his frequent and high-profile scrapes with the law. Given his upbringing, how...