On June 16th 1971, Lesane Parish Crooks was born in the Bronx, New York, to an independent young woman named Afeni Shakur, She would call her son Tupac Amaru Shakur, Tupac Amaru after an Incan-Chief, meaning "Shining Serpent" and Shakur Arabic for "Thankful To God."  A Black Panther Party Member who successfully defended herself and 20 other members of the Black Panthers against numerous felony and conspiracy charges while pregnant with her son. Afeni Shakur instilled pride, a sense of justice and accountability,   Strength and a

thirst for Knowledge in her young son.  When Tupac was a young child Afeni would punish Tupac by making him read the New York Times cover to cover, planting a seed that would blossom into his veracious appertite for literature, knowledge and reason. Tupac grew up among soldiers in the Black Liberation Movement; Nurtured by men and women devoted to freeing there people from the oppression of social injustice, drugs and violence, with a family that included Geronimo Pratt as a godfather, Mutulu Shakur as a stepfather and Assata Shakur as an aunt, Tupac watched as adults in his life targeted for those political beliefs, were plagued by the FBI and the Police, he saw men and women that he loved, the people that had been working for the community, jailed or killed by the federal and state officials, and of those that weren't jailed, he saw many, including his own mother succumb to drug addiction.  Circa 1986, Afeni moves her family to Baltimore, were Tupac attended the Baltimore School for the Performing Acts, there Tupac studied acting and began rapping as MC New York When Tupac and his family moved to Marin City, California in 1988 Tupac became 2Pac,  he met an educator Leila Steinberg, who encouraged his talent and offered a sanctuary away from the

harsh reality of his home in the jungle, under Ms Steinberg's tuition Tupac wrote and wrote and wrote.  Before long he asked her to manage his career as a rap artist, Ms Steinberg introduced Tupac to Atron Gregory, Manager of The Digital Underground, who auditioned Tupac before Shock G brought him on as a rapper and dancer. In 1991

Tupac made his explosive debut with "2Pacalypse Now" released on Interscope Records, It was the album that Dan Quayle targeted in his 1992 battle over traditional values, from there Tupac's career skyrocketed, he became ever present in the media, a controversial figure not afraid to speak his mind publicly, his raps were a reflection of the community he voiced the experiences he had bore witness to and lived, his run ins with the law were many and his fame never wavered under the exposure.  In fact while serving time in upstate New York for a sexual assault conviction, Tupac released his third solo album entitled "Me Against The World" which quickly toped the billboard charts, setting the record for the first and only time that an incardinated man has had the number 1 album in the country.  After 8 months in jail Tupac's 1 million dollar bail was paid by Suge Knight, President of Death Row Records, Tupac signed with them in return and many people said that Tupac signed on a piece of toilet tissue. Tupac immediately released Hip Hops first two CDLP, and his most popular album entitled "All Eyez On Me", acting and rapping Tupac seemed invincible.Just before the release of his next album, "Makaveli - The Don Killuminati" Tupac was  shot

 in Las Vegas, Nevada after attending the Mike Tyson vs Bruce Seldon fight with Suge Knight.  He died on Friday

September 13th, 1996, to this day his murder remains unsolved.  Like so many young black men, Tupac became the statistic that he so often rapped about.... But his music lives on.  The people who knew Tupac said that he was always writing always working, now years after his death, albums with his unreleased material is still hitting the shelves. Quincy Jones said "There is nothing worse than a life being cut short - one that has not been allowed to bloom to it's full potential, two and a half decades, 25 years of age.. that's how old Tupac was when we lost him.  Who knows what he would have gone on to do? If we had lost Oprah Whinfrey at 25, we would have lost a relatively unknown anchorwoman, if we had lost Malcolm X at 25, we would have lost a hustler named Detroit Red, and for that matter, if I had left this world at 25 we would have lost a big band trumpet player and aspiring composer - just a sliver of my eventual life potential"