Title	VIBE
Image file	JanetJackson_Vibe.jpg
Editor	Jermaine Hall
Editor title	Editor-In-Chief
Previous editor	Danyel SmithMimi ValdesEmil WilbekinAlan LightJonathan Van Meter
Frequency	Quarterly
Headquarters	New York, New York
Company	InterMedia Partners
Country	U.S.
Based	New York City
Language	English
Website	vibe.com
Issn	10704701 }}

''Vibe'' is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B; and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in Summer 2009, Vibe was purchased by the private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners and is now issued quarterly with double covers, with a larger online presence, aided by the Vibe LifeStyle Network, a group of entertainment/music websites under the Vibe brand. The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip-hop culture.

The magazine owed its success to featuring a broader range of interests than its closest competitors ''The Source'' and ''XXL'' which focus more narrowly on rap music, or the rock & pop-centric ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Spin''. , ''Vibe'' had a circulation of approximately 800,000. Advertisers ran the gamut from record labels to fashion houses to various cognac brands.

Publication history

Quincy Jones launched ''Vibe'' in 1993, in partnership with Time Inc. Though hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was rumored to be an initial partner, publisher Len Burnett revealed in a March 2007 interview that Simmons clashed with editor-in-chief Jonathan Van Meter. Miller Publishing bought Vibe in 1996, and shortly afterward bought ''Spin''. The private equity group Wicks Group of Companies bought the magazine in 2006.

Jonathan Van Meter's successors were Alan Light, Danyel Smith, Emil Wilbikin, Mimi Valdes, and finally Danyel Smith again.

On June 30, 2009, it was announced that ''Vibe'' was shutting its doors and ceasing publication immediately, although according to ''Essence'', Quincy Jones has stated he would like to keep it alive online.

After shutting down, private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners, LP bought Vibe Magazine. They have said they "feel privileged to purchase and resurrect such a storied brand." They added ''Uptown'' magazine to Vibe's parent company, Vibe Holdings.

Covers

Vibe Magazine was known for the creative direction of their covers.R&B; singer Mary J. Blige repeatedly made the cover of ''Vibe'', with countless articles following her career. Trio TLC were photographed for the cover in firefighters' gear, referencing the fact that member Left Eye burned down the house of then-boyfriend and NFL star Andre Rison. The first non-photograph cover of ''Vibe'' was an illustration of late singer Aaliyah by well known artist/illustrator Alvaro; this was Aaliyah's very first appearance on the cover as well. Other famous cover subjects are Brandy, Snoop Dogg, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Amerie, Jennifer Lopez, Keyshia Cole, Janet Jackson, Lil Wayne, The Fugees, Eminem, T.I., R. Kelly, Michael Jackson (whom Quincy Jones' daughter Kidada had dressed in hip-hop clothing, reportedly for the first and only time in the entertainer's career), Ciara, who also appeared on the cover numerous times and rap legend Tupac Shakur's famous cover story in which he reveals important details about his non-fatal 1994 NYC shooting (two years before his death in Las Vegas, Nevada).

Content

Featured segments included the back page list ''20 Questions'', the ''Boomshots'' column about reggae and Caribbean music by Rob Kenner, ''Revolutions'' music reviews and ''Vibe Confidential'', a celebrity gossip column. ''Next'' profiled up-and-coming artists. The magazine also devoted several pages to photo spreads displaying high-end designer clothing as well as sportswear by urban labels such as Rocawear and Fubu.

''Vibe'' made a consistent effort to feature models of all ethnicities in these pages. Former editor Emil Wilbikin was frequently credited with styling those pages and keeping fashion in the forefront of the magazine's identity during the early 2000s. Many clothing brands created or linked to hip-hop celebrities, such as Sean Combs' Sean John, Nelly's Apple Bottoms and G-Unit by 50 Cent found plenty of exposure in ''Vibe'''s pages.

In the September 2003 issue commemorating ten years of publication, the magazine created different covers using black and white portraits of its most popular cover subjects. It also contained "The Vibe 100: The Juiciest People, Places and Things of the Year."

Many successful writers and editors contributed to the publication, including Alan Light, Jeff Chang, Dream Hampton, Cheo Hodari Coker, Kevin Powell, Erica Kennedy, Sacha Jenkins, Noah Callahan-Bever and Miles Marshall Lewis. Mark Shaw was the magazine's art director.

Expanding the brand

In addition to the magazine, ''Vibe'' also publishes books on hip-hop culture. To celebrate the magazine's tenth anniversary, it published "VX: Ten Years of Vibe Photography." Featuring a bare-chested 50 Cent on the cover, the volume includes photos of Alicia Keys, RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, Eve, Chuck D of Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C. Works by prominent photographers Albert Watson, Ellen von Unwerth, David LaChapelle, and Sante D'Orazio are among the 150 photographs in the hardcover edition.

Other books published under the ''Vibe'' banner cover the history of hip-hop, the women of hip-hop, and rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. Additionally, the magazine published a spin-off publication, Vibe Vixen from 2004 to 2007. Aimed at ''Vibe'''s female multicultural demographic, Vibe Vixen included features on beauty, fashion, and female entertainers. R&B; starlet Ciara appeared on the inaugural issue's cover.

A rather short-lived syndicated late-night talk show of the ''Vibe'' same name premiered in August 1997 and was produced by Quincy Jones, hosted by Chris Spencer, and featured President Bill Clinton on its first episode. Like ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' of the early 1990s, it attracted young, urban audiences. Spencer was fired in October of that year and replaced by comedian Sinbad, along with Big Boy as the in-house announcer. The program aired in first-run syndication until the summer of 1998, when it was canceled. The show was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles.

Other platforms featuring the ''Vibe'' brand are VIBE Online, the magazine's online presence; VIBE On Demand, an on-demand network; VIBE film; and MVibe, a wireless content provider for hand-held devices, as well as CD and DVD lines distributed under the same name.

Vibe Awards

Beginning in 2003, ''Vibe'' produced and aired its annual awards show on UPN through 2006, and VH1 Soul in 2007.

An incident occurred at the 2004 Vibe Awards taping at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport hangar, in which G-Unit rapper Young Buck stabbed 26-year-old Los Angeles native Jimmy James Johnson after Johnson approached Dr. Dre under the pretense of asking for an autograph, and then assaulted him. Young Buck later pled no contest to a charge of "assault likely to produce great bodily harm," and was sentenced to three years' probation and 80 hours of community service.

Best Rapper Alive Tournament

''Vibe'' magazine launched the "Best Rapper Alive Tournament" on July 21, 2008. There were four brackets, and four number 1 seeds: Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Andre 3000. The actual final four included Ludacris, The Game, Eminem and Jay-Z. The last two rappers standing were Eminem and Jay-Z, with Eminem eventually garnering 69% of the votes for the victory. When Em heard the news, he stated: "It’s obviously an honor to have won the fans' support by being voted the Best Rapper Alive. I don't think that there is any one rapper that is simply the best though. Everyone who was in consideration and many others are the best at certain things, and at what they do. But since VIBE's offering the distinction, hell yeah I'll accept!"

Other Editions

VIBE ''Vixen'' was a magazine geared towards female readers of Vibe Magazine that covered fashion, beauty, dating, entertainment, and societal issues for "urban minded females". The magazine was initially released in fall of 2004 and sales were considered successful enough for the magazine to be issued on a quarterly basis. VIBE ''Vixen'' folded after it's August/September 2007 issue due to low circulation. Stars who graced VIBE Vixen's covers included Ciara, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kimora Lee Simmons and Kelis.

References

External links

Quincy Jones's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project

''VX: Ten Years of Vibe Photography'' at Amazon.com.

''The Vibe History of Hip-Hop'' at Amazon.com.

An interview with editor-in-chief Danyel Smith

Category:Publications established in 1993 Category:Fashion magazines Category:Hip hop magazines Category:American music magazines

de:Vibe es:Vibe fr:Vibe (magazine) it:Vibe pl:Vibe pt:Vibe tr:Vibe

Name	Soulja Boy
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	DeAndre Cortez Way
Alias	Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
Born	July 28, 1990 Chicago, Illinois
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Occupation	Rapper
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	2007–present
Label	Stacks on Deck/Interscope
Associated acts	Arab, Mr. Collipark
Website	}}

DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, entrepreneur, and internet personality.

In September 2007, his single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was initially self-published on the internet, and it later became a number-one hit in the United States for seven non-consecutive weeks starting in September 2007.On August 17 Way was listed at #18 on the Forbes list of Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2010 earning $7 million for that year.

Way has currently released three studio albums and one independent album: his debut studio album ''Souljaboytellem.com'' (2007) was certified platinum by the RIAA. However, his next two albums, ''iSouljaBoyTellem'' (2008) and ''The DeAndre Way'' (2010) did not match the commercial success of his debut, the latter only selling 80,000 copies, despite the success of several singles across both albums, such as "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" and "Turn My Swag On" (''iSouljaBoyTellem'') and "Pretty Boy Swag" (''The DeAndre Way''), the latter later being certified gold by the RIAA.

Early life

DeAndre Way was born in Chicago and moved to Atlanta at age six, where he became interested in rap music.

Career beginnings

At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi, with his father, who provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions. Way founded his record label "Stacks on Deck Entertainment" in 2004. While Way was signed under Interscope and Collipark Music, he claimed that his label had distribution deals with Interscope, Universal Records, and Koch. In November 2005, Way posted his songs on the website SoundClick. Following positive reviews on the site, he then established his own web pages on YouTube and MySpace. In March 2007, he recorded "Crank That" and released his first independent album ''Unsigned & Still Major: Da Album Before da Album'', followed by a low-budget video filmed demonstrating the "Crank That" dance. By the end of May 2007, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" received its first airplay and Way met with Mr. Collipark to sign a deal with Interscope Records.

Music career

2007-08: souljaboytellem.com

On August 12, 2007, the song appeared on the Emmy-award winning HBO series ''Entourage'', and by September 1, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot RingMasters charts. Way's major label debut album ''Souljaboytellem.com'', which was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio, was released in the United States on October 2, peaking at #4 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

For the 50th Grammy Awards, Way was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song with "Crank That (Soulja Boy)". He lost to Kanye West's and T-Pain's "Good Life".

''Souljaboytellem.com'' received a favorable review from Allmusic, but received mainly negative reviews from other sources such as ''Entertainment Weekly''. Several reviewers credited Soulja Boy with spearheading a new trend in hip-hop, while speculating he will likely be a one-hit wonder.

2008-09: iSouljaBoyTellem

The follow-up to ''souljaboytellem.com'', ''iSouljaBoyTellem'', was released on December 16, 2008, to negative critical reception. The first single from the album, "Bird Walk", peaked at number 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top 20 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart it was performed on the first ''YouTube Live'' on November 22, 2008, with an introduction from MC Hammer. "Kiss Me Thru the Phone", with Sammie, followed, peaking at #3 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks charts. Chris Brown was originally Way's first choice to sing the hook, but respectfully turned down the offer. Way then tried to do it on his own with Auto-Tune but he found it unacceptable. It sold over 2,000,000 digital copies in the United States, becoming his second song to reach the two million mark in downloads.

On January 26, 2009 Way released his third single "Turn My Swag On". it topped the US Rap Charts and peaked at #19 on the Hot 100. it has so far sold over 1,000,000 digital downloads in the US. It became Soulja Boy's third song to sell 1 million or more downloads.

2009-2010: The DeAndre Way

''The DeAndre Way'' is Way's third studio album, Way has stated that the album is intended to be his most personal and successful album thus far. When speaking on possible collaborations, he stated he wished to work with artists such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West, Eminem, among others. The lead single from the album, "POW", was released in January 2009 but failed to garner success and was dubbed a promo single. On October 30, 2009 Way released three mixtapes ''Paranormal Activity'', ''Dat Piff'' & ''Cortez''. Then it was announced on February 18, 2010 that the first single from the album was gone be "All Black Everything" but it was cancelled & was just put on his promotional mixtape ''Legendary''. The album was titled "The DeAndre Way" but was changed in early 2010 to ''Dre'' with a commercial video snippet for "Do It Big" as the first single but it was cancelled as well. However it was reverted back to ''The DeAndre Way'' in July 2010.

But on June 8, 2010, the official lead single from the album was "Pretty Boy Swag". The single has reached number thirty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, number six on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number five on the Billboard Rap Songs chart. The album's second single was due to be "Digital" but it was just used on his promotional mixtape ''Best Rapper''. Then it was announced that "Speakers Going Hammer" was gone be the second single, but "Blowing Me Kisses" was released on August 31, 2010 as the second single instead. On October 13 Soulja Boy performed "Pretty Boy Swag" & a snippet of his third single "Speakers Going Hammer". On October 19, 2010 Way finally released "Speakers Going Hammer" on iTunes the single peaked at #48 on the ''Hot R&B; & Hip Hop tracks'' Billboard. ''The DeAndre Way'' was released on November 30, 2010 it has so far has only sold 70,000 copies making this Way's lowest selling album. Soulja Boy was to be part of the Summerbeatz tour held in Australia alongside Flo Rida, Jay Sean and Travie McCoy in November 2010, but in lieu of his current album release date Soulja Boy had declined the offer & just embarked on his Who They Want tour.

2011-present: Mixtapes and Respect My Hustle

On January 22, Way released his first mixtape of 2011 ''Smooky'' which cover featured a cartoon version of Way on a bicycle doing a 360. Then On March 17, 2011 Way released the mixtape ''1up'' which cover was based on the Naruto anime Way stated "If I was in a video game, this mixtape would advance me to the next level with an extra life. Power up with the new offering". On April 20, 2011 Way released his mixtape ''Juice'' which cover was based on the ''Juice'' the movie Way stated he would also released a mini movie of his own to go along with the mixtape Way stated that he was headed to greatness with the mixtape. In September 2011, Way confirmed he is working on a new album, called ''Respect My Hustle'', which will be released in October.

Personal life

Legal issues

On December 9, 2007, Way was sued by William Lyons (a.k.a. Souljah Boy of Mo Thugs Family) who created the stage name "Souljah Boy" in 1996.

On October 7, 2009, Way was arrested on one count of obstruction, a misdemeanor, for running from police when he'd been ordered to stop. The rapper was released on $550 bond.

In May 2011, Way and his labels were sued by a local Pennsylvania promoter for failing to make promised payments in connection with a rescheduled concert.

Victim of robbery and assault

On December 30, 2008, Way was robbed and assaulted in his home. Initial reports indicated that the robbers were six masked men with AK-47s and pistols but on December 31, 2008, video clips surfaced on the Internet of two masked men claiming sole credit for the crime. Soulja Boy described the incident to MTV News a month later: He had come home very late at night after attending an album release party and was recording songs with friends when the robbers came in pointing their guns.

Family tragedies

On March 22, 2011, Way's little brother Deion Jenkins was killed in a car crash on Sunday night. Then on March 24, 2011 Way's older brother threatened to committ suicide.

Controversies

Way's music has been banned from some school dances for sexual and violent content or innuendo. However, he has denied these claims. In the original YouTube video for "Shootout", Soulja Boy demonstrates his dance while holding a handgun in each hand and pretending to shoot into the audience.

Nas

On February 25, 2008, Way said in an interview that "Nas killed hip hop and his own career". Way later apologized for his comments.

Ice-T

In June 2008, on DJ Cisco's ''Urban Legend'' mixtape, Ice-T told Way to "eat a dick" and criticized Way for "killing hip-hop" and his song "Crank That" for being "garbage" compared to the works of other hip-hop artists such as Rakim, Das EFX, Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube. The two then traded videos back and forth over the Internet. Rapper Kanye West defended Way by arguing that the younger artist created a new, original work for hip-hop, thus keeping the authentic meaning of the music. The feud was parodied in a 2010 episode of The Boondocks.

Charles Hamilton

On December 9, 2008, Charles Hamilton commented in a interview by saying that Way was making it harder for new artists to be signed. Way responded by saying "X out the Sonic and fuck with Mario, you might want to got damn eat a mushroom." Charles Hamilton responded with the diss song "Im You Last Year With Talent". Then the diss song "Word Aight".

Bow Wow

On February 2, 2009, Way challenged Bow Wow to a race in their Lamborghinis and claimed Bow Wow's Lamborghini was a rental. On February 4, 2009 Bow Wow proved that he owned his Lamborghini and said "its halloween in Bankhead for you everyday nigga..you scared..you all nervous and shit". Way responded on twitter by saying "HE FUCKED UP!!!! IM BOUT TO SHITTTT ON THIS NIGGA!! LOL!!!!!". On February 7, 2009 both artist sent diss songs to each other such as Way's "Fuck Bow Wow" & Bow Wow's "What I Think About You". Later that day during a phone conversation both rappers settled their differences.

Fabolous

On December 28, 2010, Fabolous during a radio interview commented on the claim that Way does cocaine, saying "pretty boy swag but never coke my nose though", a reference to Way's song "Pretty Boy Swag. "Soulja Boy went on a tirade on Twitter in response, saying "I ignore dis foo like 5x before this. fuck that. If you send some niggaz to spray me @myfabolouslife at least I die I real nigga fuck you boy." 50 Cent also took to Twitter to say, "leave him the f*** alone before somebody get hurt." Way and Fabolous ended their beef on a radio interview.

"Let's Be Real"

In September 2011, Soulja Boy released the song "Let's Be Real". One of the lines of the song went: ''"Fuck the FBI and the army troops ... fighting for what? Be your own man ... I'll be flying through the clouds with green like I'm Peter Pan."'' After the song was released, Soulja Boy was highly criticized by the military members and their families, especially in regards to the timing relative to the 10th anniversary of the September 11 Attacks. Soulja Boy apologized, "When I expressed my frustration with the US Army, not only did my words come out wrong, I was wrong to even speak them." He adds, "So, I write this to give my sincerest apology to all members of the United States military services, as well as their families that were offended by my most recent lyrics." Representatives for Soulja Boy have indicated that the song has been pulled from his upcoming album, ''Respect My Hustle,'' and will not be available for sale. They are also attempting to remove the video from the internet.

Discography

;Studio albums

''Souljaboytellem.com'' (2007)

''iSouljaBoyTellem'' (2008)

''The DeAndre Way'' (2010)

''Respect My Hustle'' (2011)

Tours

''Americas Most Wanted'' (2009)

''Who They Want'' (2011)

Filmography

Film
! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
2007	''YouTube Live''	Himself	Small Role
2008	''What's at Stake?'''	Himself	Small Role
2009	''School Gyrls''	Himself	Cameo
2010	''Malice N Wonderland''	Soulja	Small Role
2011	''TBA''	''TBA''
Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
	''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''	Himself
''Last Call with Carson Daly''	Himself
	''Live with Regis''	Himself	Minor appearance
''Access Granted''	Himself	For his music video for "Bird Walk"
	''When I Was 17''	Himself
''The Mo'Nique Show''	Himself
''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''	Himself
''Lopez Tonight''	Himself
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''	Himself

Awards and nominations

BET Awards

*2007: Best New Artist (Nominated)

*2008: Viewer's Choice Award: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (Nominated)

*2009: Viewer's Choice Award: "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Nominated)

BET Hip-Hop Awards

*'2007: Best Hip-Hop Dance (Won)'

Grammy Awards

*2008: Best Rap Song: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (Nominated)

Ozone Awards

*'2007: Patiently Waiting: Mississippi (Won)'

*2008: Best Breakthrough Artist (Nominated)

*2008: TJ's DJ's Tastemaker Award (Nominated)

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

*2007: Favorite Male Singer (Nominated)

Teen Choice Awards

*2009: Choice Music: Rap Artist (Nominated)

*2009: Choice Music: R&B; Track for "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Nominated)

*2009: Choice Music: Hook Up for "Kiss Me Thru the Phone"

*2009: Choice Music: Artist (Nominated)

See also

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

References

External links

Official website

Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:African American actors Category:African American rappers Category:African-American businesspeople Category:African American film actors Category:American film actors Category:American film producers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American Internet personalities Category:American music industry executives Category:American music video directors Category:American pop musicians Category:American record producers Category:Businesspeople from Mississippi Category:Hip hop musicians Category:Hip hop singers Category:Interscope Records artists Category:People from Panola County, Mississippi Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Rappers from Chicago, Illinois Category:Rappers from Mississippi

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name	Jim Jonsin
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	James Scheffer
born	Brooklyn, New York, United States
origin	South Florida, United States
genre	Hip hop, Southern Rap, R&B;, Pop, Rock, Dance
occupation	Record producer, songwriter, record executive, DJ
instrument	Turntables, Synthesizer, Keyboard, Drum Machine, Sampler
years active	1988-present
label	Rebel Rock Entertainment
associated acts	B.o.B, Yelawolf, Pitbull, Lil Wayne, Slim Thug
url	www.rebelrock.com }}

James Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur. Jonsin has collaborated with numerous artists including, Beyonce, Usher, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Eminem, Nelly, T.I., Danity Kane, and Jaime Foxx, to name a few, and won a Grammy in 2009 for Best Rap Song for Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop”. That year he was also nominated for his production on TI’s “Whatever You Like” which also garnered a nomination for Best Rap Song. In addition to his own win, Jonsin has contributed his production services to several other Grammy nominated records and albums including Beyonce’s “I Am…Sasha Fierce” (2010 Best Contemporary R&B; album), Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” (2008 Best Rap Album), Usher’s “Raymond V Raymond” (2011 Best Contemporary R&B; album), and Usher’s “There Goes My Baby” (2011 Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance), and Eminem’s “Recovery” (2011 Best Rap Album and Album of the Year).

In 2006, Jonsin started his own record label, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and signed a then unknown artist named B.o.B. Jonsin then partnered with Atlantic Records and later with Grand Hustle to work on B.o.B.’s project. In 2010, Rebel Rock Entertainment/Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records released B.o.B.’s debut album entitled “The Adventures of Bobby Ray” which was executive produced by Jonsin and T.I. The album produced three smash singles which stayed on top of the charts for most of 2010 and was ultimately nominated for several Grammy awards, BET awards, and MTV VMAs. He also signed the production duo, Finatik and Zac, and Danny Morris to his production company, Rebel Rock Productions. In addition to his ventures in music, Jonsin has recently entered into the field of professional racing by forming his own motorsports team, Rebel Rock Racing. Jonsin is managed by Made Communication, Miami, FL.

Early life

Jim Jonsin was born in Brooklyn, NY but was raised in South Florida. Jonsin’s first job in the music business was as a scratch DJ. At the age of 14, Jonsin was spinning records at local skating rinks and other venues. By 18 Jonsin had graduated to spinning at Miami and South Florida dance clubs and formed his own record label called Cut It Up Def Records and produced one of its first singles, “Cut It Up Def” which independently sold 40,000 units. Jonsin had become well known in the region by the time he released his next production, the single “Party Time”, which he also rapped on.

Jonsin’s success in South Florida led him to a deal with California based Heat Wave Records. Going by his new artist moniker, DJ Jealous J, he released a compilation of Miami bass songs titled “Miami Bass Jams”. The first two singles from the collection were certified Gold. Jonsin went on to tour with some of the most popular acts of the time such as Cypress Hill, 2 Live Crew, and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

Music career

In the late 1990s, Jonsin was no longer on tour and returned to Miami to produce more bass records and eventually landed a position as an engineer at Slip N Slide records. At the label Jim produced records for Trick Daddy and Trina. In 2004 Jonsin went on to write and produce Trick Daddy’s hit single “Let’s Go” (featuring Lil Jon & Twista). Soon after the success of this song Jonsin went onto work with Miami rapper Pitbull and produced “Dammit Man” off the rapper’s debut album “M.I.A.M.I.” which was certified Gold. The music industry began to take notice of the Miami-based producer and Jonsin was tapped by Bad Boy Records to produce a record for the group which was made widely popular by the MTV reality show, Making the Band, Danity Kane. Jonsin produced their single entitled "Show Stopper" which went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA.

In 2008, Jonsin wrote and produced for Lil Wayne’s 5x platinum single “Lollipop” released in early 2008. The song was at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 5 weeks which was the first time Lil Wayne had achieved this chart position. In addition to the chart success at the 51st Grammys Jonsin won for Best Rap Song.

A few months after the release of “Lollipop”, Jonsin followed up with writing and producing T.I.’s 4x platinum single “Whatever You Like”. The song found cross over success and was on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 6 weeks. “Whatever You Like” was also a popular ringmaster spending 18 weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot Ringmaster’s chart.

At the close of 2008 continued this string of success with his production on Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s “Kiss Me Thru The Phone”. The song was downloaded over 2 million times and was also a popular ringmaster spending 11 weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot Ringmaster’s chart. The song went on to reach number 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart.

In 2009, Jonsin co-produced the single entitled “Sweet Dreams” on Beyonce’s multi Grammy winning and double platinum album I Am…Sasha Fierce. This record achieved platinum status and reached #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Shortly after "Sweet Dreams" was released Jonsin reteamed with Pitbull, producing “Hotel Room Service” which was certified platinum and reached #8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

The late summer of 2010 proved to be another high point for Jonsin’s career. On August 16 Nelly released “Just A Dream”, co-produced by Jonsin. This single went platinum and reached #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The day after “Just A Dream” was released, Kid Cudi released the Jonsin-produced “Erase Me” featuring Kanye West, which reached #22 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Another August release Jonsin wrote and produced on was former American Idol winner Fantasia on “Falling In Love Tonight” off of Fantasia’s Grammy nominated album “Back To Me”.

In early 2011 Nelly released “Gone” featuring Kelly Rowland, which Jonsin again co-produced. The single is a follow-up to Nelly’s single “Dilemma” from 2002 which also featured Rowland and reigned for 10 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Jonsin produced Eminem’s “Space Bound” off of “Recovery”, the top selling album of 2010 as well as the 53rd Grammy’s Best Rap Album. "On My Level" was released by Wiz Khalifa (which features Too Short) on Rolling Papers on March 29, 2011.

Ventures

Rebel Rock Entertainment

Jonsin formed his record label, Rebel Rock Entertainment, in 2006. He signed B.O.B as the label’s first artist, who in 2010 made his debut appearance on to the music scene with great success. B.o.B first released the double platinum single Nothin' On You which went to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and was nominated for 3 Grammys. The artist followed “Nothin' on You” with the triple platinum single "Airplanes" which made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was itself nominated for a Grammy. B.o.B’s third release “Magic” went platinum and landed at #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Jonsin served as executive producer for B.o.B’s debut album, “The Adventures of Bobby Ray” and is credited with choosing the artist’s first single, “Nothin' on You”. The song ultimately turned out to be one of the biggest records of the year. B.o.B. garnered several awards in late 2010 and early 2011. The rapper was nominated at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for five awards. Additionally in 2010 he was nominated for 3 American Music Awards, 3 BET Awards, 7 BET Hip Hop Awards, 4 MTV Video Music Awards, and 1 MTV Europe Music Award. B.o.B won the 2010 Soul Train Awards for Best Song “Nothin’ On You” and gained a nomination for Best New Artist. B.o.B won the 2010 Teen Choice Awards Hook Up Song for “Airplanes” and was nominated for 5 others. Jonsin plans to follow up the success of his imprint’s first artist with two other singers which he signed in 2011, Nick Merico and Leroy.

Rebel Rock Productions

Jonsin signed three producers, Finatik and Zac—an Australian production duo, and Danny Morris to his production company, Rebel Rock Productions. Danny Morris has worked with Jonsin on several releases including Usher’s “There Goes My Baby”, and “Making Love (Into The Night)", Fantasia’s “Falling In Love Tonight”, Kelly Rowland’s “Take Everything” and “Motivation”, Tank’s “Scream”, N Dubz’ “Girls” and Wiz Khalifa’s “On My Level”. Finatik and Zac also have some upcoming releases for Def Jam artist, Wax (“Two Wheels/DUI”), and Universal Records’ artist, Pac Div on “Loose”.

Rebel Made

Jonsin formed Rebel Made Publishing Company in 2009 as a venture with his management team, Made. Writers signed to Rebel Made’s roster include Terence Reid, formerly of The Network, along with fellow producers Finatik and Zac and Danny Morris.

Rebel Rock Racing

In 2010, Jonsin formed a new venture based on his love for motorsports. His team, Rebel Rock Racing, is composed of him, Bucky Lasek (Pro Skateboarder and ten time X Games gold medalist) and Marius Avemarg (pro driver from Germany). The race team is supported by its ambassadors, Pitbull, Kyle Loza, and Yelawolf and sponsors such as Beats by Dre and Oakley.

American Idol

Jonsin is appearing on the 10th season of American Idol in 2011. Jonsin was handpicked by Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine as one of a handful of producers to serve as mentors to the contestants. Jonsin will be working with the contestants each week to produce and record cover songs which will be released for sale on iTunes.

Awards and Nominations

-2006 BMI Urban Songwriter of the Year

-2006 BMI Urban Award for “Grind With Me”, “Let’s Go”, and “Your Body”

-2006 BMI London Awards – Urban Award for “Here We Go”

-2007 BMI Urban Awards for “Girl Tonite”, “Here We Go”, and “Unpredictable”

-2008 Grammy – Best Rap Song – “Lolipop”

-2009 BMI Creative Inspiration Producer Award

-2009 BMI Urban Award for “Lollipop”

-2009 ''Billboard'' #3 Hot 100 Producer of the Year

-2009 Grammy nomination Album of the Year – Beyonce – I Am…Sasha Fierce

-2010 BMI Pop Award for “Whatever You Like”

-2010 BMI Urban Awards for “Hotel Room Service” and “Kiss Me Thru The Phone”

-2010 BMI London Awards – Pop Awards for “Hotel Room Service” and “Sweet Dreams”

-2010 ''Billboard'' #16 R&B;/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year

-2010 Grammy nomination Album of the Year – Eminem – Recovery

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions					Album
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
	align="left"	7	10	4	–	26
"Dammit Man (Pitbull song)	Dammit Man" (Pitbull)	–	58	–	–	–
	align="left"	7	6	2	24	26	align="left" rowspan="2"
	12	22	5	13	37
align="left"	8	2	–	46	16	align="left" rowspan="1"
		8	33	–	12	–	align="left" rowspan="1"
align="left"	–	–	–	–	–	align="left" rowspan="1"
	align="left"	1	1	1	2	26
align="left"	1	1	1	3	47
align="left"	3	4	1	4	6
"Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé Knowles song)	Sweet Dreams" (Beyoncé)	10	48	–	2	5
align="left"	8	–	7	–	9	align="left" rowspan="1"
	"There Goes My Baby (Usher song)	There Goes My Baby" (Usher)	25	1	–	–	138
align="left"	3	–	6	2	8
	22	–	–	–	58
		119	–	–	–	60	align="left" rowspan="1"
	52	30	19	–	–	align="left" rowspan="1"
align="left"	19	1	–	–	–	align="left" rowspan="1"
	39	–	–	17	3

Discography

Musical Influences/Techniques

Jonsin has cited DJ Jazzy Jeff and Jam Master Jay as strong musical influences on his style and has been known to use an MPC 3000, a Roland TR 808, and an Access Virus TI as his preferred gear.

External links

http://twitter.com/iamjimjonsin

http://WWW.REBELROCK.COM

http://www.rebelrockracing.com

References

Category:Production discographies Category:Discographies of American artists Category:American record producers Category:Hip hop record producers Category:Living people Category:American hip hop record producers

pl:Jim Jonsin pt:Jim Jonsin

Name	Young Jeezy
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jay Wayne Jenkins
Alias	Lil J
Born	October 12, 1977 Columbia, South Carolina
Death date	|origin Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter
Years active	2001–present
Label	Corporate Thugz/Def Jam, Def Jam South
Associated acts	USDA, Freddie Gibbs, Drake, T.I., Kanye West, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Bun B, Usher
Website	www.islanddefjam.com/artist/home.aspx?artistID7320

Jay Wayne Jenkins (born October 12, 1977), better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper and member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America (USDA) and a former member of BMF (Black Mafia Family). He began his career in 2001 under an independent label and joined Boyz 'N Da Hood in 2005, the same year his solo major label debut ''Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'' was released. Its single "Soul Survivor", which featured Akon, became a top-ten hit in the US.

''The Inspiration'' followed in 2006, and ''The Recession'' followed in 2008; both albums yielded chart-topping singles. Jeezy has also appeared on numerous other rap and R&B; singles such as "Say I" by Christina Millian, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, "Hard" by Rihanna, and "Love In This Club" by Usher, the latter being a number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.

Early life

Jay Wayne Jenkins was born in Columbia, South Carolina and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia when he was a toddler. Because his parents were separated, custody of him transferred between family members frequently. At one point, he lived with his grandmother in Hawkinsville, Georgia. In an interview with ''XXL'' magazine, he described his childhood as "empty". In 1994, he spent nine months in YCA (Youth Challenge Academy), a boot camp in Fort Stewart, Georgia, for narcotics possession.

Music career

Independent debut

Jeezy released his first independent album, ''Thuggin' Under the Influence'' (''T.U.I.''), in 2001 under the name Lil J. It featured artists such as Freddy J.,Kinky B, Fidank, and Lil Jon, who also produced some of the tracks. In 2003, Jeezy released (also independently) ''Come Shop wit Me'', a two CD set featuring completely new tracks with some songs from ''T.U.I.'' Jeezy signed with Bad Boy Records in 2004 and joined the group Boyz n da Hood, whose self-titled album was released in June 2005 and peaked at #5 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums charts.

''Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'' (2005)

In May 2004, Jazze Pha's manager Henry 'Noonie' Lee showed Young Jeezy's demo to his friend Shakir Stewart, Vice President Artist and Repertoire (VP A&R;) at Def Jam. Stewart "fell in love with it [the demo] the first time [he] heard it" and took it to L.A. Reid. Reid recognised the talent and gave Stewart the green light to sign him. As the "hottest thing on the street" at the time, various labels - including Warner and Interscope – were after his signature. However, Jeezy decided he wanted to be in business with Stewart and Reid. As a result, signed with Def Jam Records.

Jeezy's major label debut, ''Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released on July 26, 2005. He debuted at #2, selling 172,000 copies in its first week. It spawned several hit singles such as "Soul Survivor" featuring Akon. It reached #4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks charts. "And Then What" featuring Mannie Fresh, which reached #67 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Hot Rap Tracks. "My Hood", #19 on the Rap chart. In an interview with HitQuarters, A&R; Shakir Stewart said that Jeezy had recorded over 60 songs for the album.

Jeezy partially wrote and performed on Gucci Mane's song, "Icy". Supposedly, Jeezy was never paid properly for his services. Those in Gucci Mane's camp have suggested that gang members from the Mechanicsville area attacked Gucci Mane to defend Jeezy's honor. Jeezy put out a track called "Stay Strapped" dissing Gucci Mane to the beat of "T.I.'s" song "A.S.A.P." Jeezy responded to Gucci Mane's, while rapping "even his own momma know, Radric Davis a bitch". In a recent Cutmaster C mixtape, ''The Hood News Page 3: Jay-Z Boycotts Cristal'', Gucci disses Jeezy along with Jay Z in his track, "745". Jeezy addresses Gucci back on the same mixtape. While on the track "Break It Down", featuring Cmillz. On "Streets On Lock", from The Inspiration, Jeezy addressed Gucci Mane again, saying "What type of real nigga name himself after a bag?/Nigga you's a hoe, a Louis Vuitton fag". Towards the end of 2009, DJ Drama brought Young Jeezy to the radio station and called Gucci Mane to settle the beef once and for all. The two stopped feuding but throughout early 2010, the crews of Jeezy & Gucci (CTE & Brick Squad) have been in and out altercations with each other despite the fact Jeezy & Gucci have nothing to do with that. In 2011, Jeezy plans to release a new single featuring DJ Spluge and the rest of the Gangster Brigade.

In interviews and on several records, Jeezy has affirmed his resistance to commercialism in his music. Maintaining his street credibility, according to Jeezy, is of the utmost concern to him as an artist. In 2005, Jeezy was featured in several popular hip hop songs including Gucci Mane's "Icy" and Boyz n da Hood's "Dem Boyz". Due to having a successful solo career, he left the group. From time to time he still keeps in contact with a few of the members, but in early 2010 Jeezy & Jody Breeze (who is still a member of Boyz N Da Hood) began to diss each other which started a new beef between the two.

''The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102'', U.S.D.A. (2006–2007)

In 2006, he was featured in Christina Milian's single "Say I". Jeezy's second major label album was ''The Inspiration'', released in 2006. The album's first single "I Luv It" peaked at #14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Bury Me A G" and "Go Getta" featuring R. Kelly, and "Dreamin’" featuring Keyshia Cole followed.

He also portrayed himself in the hip-hop fighting themed game ''Def Jam: Icon''. In 2007, Jeezy released ''Cold Summer'', an album by rap group USDA which consists of Jeezy, Blood Raw, Slick Pulla, 2Eleven and Boo Rossini.

Jeezy presented a week-long toy drive and charity event series with his CTE family with the first annual Toyz n da Hood toy drive. The series presented 1,000 toys for 1,000 kids at various locations in Macon and Atlanta, which began on December 17, 2007, with the CTE Christmas Kickoff from 10 pm to 5 am at Club Miami. The toy giveaway took place in the Unionville neighborhood of Macon and at the Old Fourth Ward Community in Atlanta.

''The Recession'' (2008)

His third album, ''The Recession'', was released in 2008. "Put On" featuring Kanye West was the lead single, which also led to a Grammy Nomination for Best Rap performance by a duo, but it came short. Put On was followed by "Vacation", "Crazy World", "My President" with Nas, and "Who Dat" to complete the Recession's singles. Jeezy appeared on the R&B; singles "Love in this Club" by Usher and "I'm So Paid" by Akon (also with Lil Wayne). "Love in this Club" peaked at #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Later, he performed on Ciara's single "Never Ever", from her album ''Fantasy Ride''.

In the summer of 2008, Jeezy was at the center of a controversy over his choice for president. While he had previously endorsed Barack Obama, he spoke about meeting and supporting John McCain during an interview with ''Vibe'' magazine. The statement caused a stir, and Jeezy quickly clarified his choice, via a viral video. In the four-minute explanation, Jeezy made it clear, Obama was his main choice. "I represent the Democratic party. ... I've never been nor do I ever plan to be a John McCain supporter", the rapper said. "I support Barack Obama." Jeezy and Jay-Z performed in a concert to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 18, 2009. On ''The O'Reilly Factor'', commentator Bill O'Reilly criticized their performance as a "rant that offended people", but Jeezy responded: "I got white friends. It's nothing like that. I'm a taxpayer, I got a right to voice my opinion at any point in time. I don't think he really understands my struggle."

''TM103'' (2011-present)

Jeezy is working on ''Thug Motivation 103'', his latest LP, as of November 2009. In March 2010, it was reported that Young Jeezy dropped "Young" from his stage name. Later, Young Jeezy denied the name change and claimed it was just a rumor: however, on the cover for his single "Lose My Mind", his name is printed as "Jeezy". On May 17, 2011, Jeezy released the first single for ''Thug Motivation 103'', "Ballin", which features Lil Wayne.

On March 4, 2010 Jeezy released the track "Illin", featuring the group Clipse; specifically Pusha T. On the track Pusha T raps, "No amount of record sales could derail this ...Stuffing dead prezzies in the wall like that Yale bitch..." The line was controversial and many felt the line was in bad taste and demeaned Yale student Annie Le, who was murdered in 2009, by making light of a crime that had grabbed a lot of media attention due to its extremely upsetting and tragic nature. On July 26, 2011, Young Jeezy announced a September 20, 2011 release date for TM103.

Personal life

He is a personal friend of fellow Atlanta rapper Yung Joc. After Hurricane Katrina, Jeezy opened his house to the victims in an effort to help them have a place to stay. In October 2005, the mother of his 9 year old son used this as the basis to petition for child support. Early in the year, she had claimed that she had little income, no assets and did not even have a house.

On March 11, 2005, Jeezy was arrested after an alleged shooting involving some of his friends in Miami Beach, Florida. He was charged with two counts of carrying a concealed firearm without a permit; however, prosecutors dropped his charges two months later over lack of evidence. In the early hours of September 29, 2007, Jeezy totaled his Lamborghini when it was hit by a taxi crossing Peachtree Street, outside of Justin's, Sean Combs’ restaurant in Atlanta. The ''Atlanta Journal Constitution'' reported his claim that this gave him "a new appreciation for life". In Atlanta on June 18, 2008, police arrested him for DUI.

Discography

;Studio albums

2005: ''Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101''

2006: ''The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102''

2008: ''The Recession''

2011: ''Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition''

Independent albums

2001: ''Thuggin' Under the Influence (T.U.I.)''

2003: ''Come Shop wit Me''

;Collaboration albums

2005: ''Boyz n da Hood'' (with Boyz n da Hood)

2007: ''Cold Summer'' (with U.S.D.A)

2011: ''The Afterparty'' (with U.S.D.A)

Filmography

2009: ''Janky Promoters''

Awards

BET Awards

*2010, Viewer's Choice Award ("Hard") with Rihanna [Won]

*2009, Best Male Hip-Hop Artist [Nominated]

2008, Best Collaboration ("I'm So Hood [Remix]") with DJ Khaled, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Rick Ross [Nominated]

BET Hip-Hop Awards

2008, Best Hip-Hop Video ("I'm So Hood [Remix]") with DJ Khaled, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Rick Ross [Nominated]

2008, Best Hip-Hop Collabo ("I'm So Hood [Remix]") with DJ Khaled, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Rick Ross [Won]

2008, People's Champ Award ("Put On") with Kanye West [Nominated]

2006, Hip-Hop CD of the Year ("Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101") [Nominated]

2006, Hip-Hop MVP of the Year [Nominated]

Grammy Awards

2009, Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group ("Put On") with Kanye West [Nominated]

*2010, Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group ("Amazing") with Kanye West (Nominated)

*2011, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Lose My Mind") with Plies (Nominated)

Ozone Awards

*2008, Best Rap Artist [Nominated]

*2008, Best Rap/R&B; Collaboration ("Love in this Club") with Usher (Won)

*2007, Best Rap Album ''The Inspiration'' (Won)

*2007, Best Rap/R&B; Collaboration ("Go Getta") with R. Kelly [Nominated]

*2007, Best Video ("Grew Up a Screw Up") with Ludacris [Nominated]

*2007, Best Group with Slick Pulla & Blood Raw as USDA [Nominated]

References

External links

Official website

Young Jeezy Interview at prefixmag

Young Jeezy Circulate Music Video

Young Jeezy Talks About Nas

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:African American rappers Category:Musicians from South Carolina Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People from Columbia, South Carolina Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Southern hip hop musicians Category:Pseudonymous rappers

cs:Young Jeezy de:Jeezy es:Young Jeezy fr:Young Jeezy ko:영 지지 it:Young Jeezy nl:Young Jeezy ja:ヤング・ジージー no:Young Jeezy pl:Young Jeezy pt:Young Jeezy ru:Young Jeezy simple:Young Jeezy fi:Young Jeezy sv:Jeezy tr:Young Jeezy zh:杰伊·詹金斯

Name	Tupac Amaru Shakur
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lesane Parish Crooks
Alias	2Pac, Pac, Makaveli
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Born	June 16, 1971East Harlem, New York City
Died	September 13, 1996Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, actor, record producer, poet, screenwriter, activist, writer
Years active	1988–1996 (rapping) 1990–1996 (acting)
Label	Interscope, Death Row, Amaru
Associated acts	Outlawz, Johnny "J", Snoop Doggy Dogg, Digital Underground, Richie Rich, K-Ci & JoJo, Dave Hollister, Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound, Boot Camp Clik, Nate Dogg, Young Noble
Website	}}

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), known by his stage names 2Pac (or simply Pac) and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. ''Rolling Stone Magazine'' named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time.

In addition to his career as a rap artist, he was also an actor. The themes of most of Tupac's songs are the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, other social problems, and conflicts with other rappers during the East Coast – West Coast hip hop rivalry. Shakur began his career as a roadie and backup dancer for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground.

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Nevada. He was taken to the University Medical Center, where he died 6 days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

Early life

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. He was named after Túpac Amaru II, a Peruvian revolutionary who led an indigenous uprising against Spain and was subsequently executed.

His mother, Afeni Shakur, and his father, Billy Garland, were active members of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s; he was born just one month after his mother's acquittal on more than 150 charges of "Conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks" in the New York Panther 21 court case.

Although unconfirmed by the Shakur family, several sources (including the official coroner's report) list his birth name as "Lesane Parish Crooks". This name was supposedly entered on the birth certificate because Afeni feared her enemies would attack her son, and disguised his true identity using a different last name. She changed it later, following her separation from Garland and marriage to Mutulu Shakur.

Struggle and incarceration surrounded Shakur from an early age. His godfather, Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, a high ranking Black Panther, was convicted of murdering a school teacher during a 1968 robbery, although his sentence was later overturned. His stepfather, Mutulu, spent four years at large on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list beginning in 1982. Mutulu was wanted in part for having helped his sister Assata Shakur (also known as Joanne Chesimard) to escape from a penitentiary in New Jersey, where she had been incarcerated for shooting a state trooper to death in 1973. Mutulu was caught in 1986 and imprisoned for the robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which two police officers and a guard were killed. Shakur had a half-sister, Sekyiwa, two years his junior, and an older stepbrother, Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, who appeared on many of his recordings.

At the age of twelve, Shakur enrolled in Harlem's 127th Street Repertory Ensemble and was cast as the Travis Younger character in the play ''A Raisin in the Sun'', which was performed at the Apollo Theater. In 1986, the family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland. After completing his second year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School he transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. He performed in Shakespeare plays, and in the role of the Mouse King in ''The Nutcracker''. Shakur, accompanied by one of his friends, Dana "Mouse" Smith, as his beatbox, won most of the many rap competitions that he participated in and was considered to be the best rapper in his school. He was remembered as one of the most popular kids in his school because of his sense of humor, superior rapping skills, and ability to mix in with all crowds. He developed a close friendship with a young Jada Pinkett (later Jada Pinkett Smith) that lasted until his death. In the documentary ''Tupac: Resurrection'', Shakur says, "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life," and Pinkett Smith calls him "one of my best friends. He was like a brother. It was beyond friendship for us. The type of relationship we had, you only get that once in a lifetime." A poem written by Shakur titled "Jada" appears in his book, ''The Rose That Grew From Concrete'', which also includes a poem dedicated to Pinkett Smith called "The Tears in Cupid's Eyes". During his time in art school, Shakur began dating the daughter of the director of the Baltimore Communist Party USA.

In June 1988, Shakur and his family moved to Marin City, California, where he attended Tamalpais High School. He began attending the poetry classes of Leila Steinberg in 1989. That same year, Steinberg organized a concert with a former group of Shakur's, Strictly Dope; the concert led to him being signed with Atron Gregory who set him up as a roadie and backup dancer with the young rap group Digital Underground in 1990.

Career

Rapping career

Shakur's professional entertainment career began in the early 1990s, when he debuted his rapping skills in a vocal turn in Digital Underground's "Same Song" from the soundtrack to the 1991 film ''Nothing but Trouble'' and also appeared with the group in the film of the same name. The song was later released as the lead song of the Digital Underground EP ''This is an EP Release'', the follow-up to their debut hit album ''Sex Packets''. Shakur appeared in the accompanying music video. After his rap debut, he performed with Digital Underground again on the album ''Sons of the P''. Later, he released his first solo album, ''2Pacalypse Now''.

''2Pacalypse Now'' did not do as well on the charts as future albums, spawning no top ten hits. His second record, ''Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.'', was released in 1993.

Thug Life

In late 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life with a number of his friends, including Big Syke, Macadoshis, his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur, and Rated R. The group released their only album ''Thug Life: Volume 1'' on September 26, 1994, which went gold. The album featured the single "Pour Out a Little Liquor" produced by Johnny "J" Jackson, who went on to produce a large part of Shakur's album ''All Eyez on Me''. The group usually performed their concerts without Shakur.

Influences

Shakur's music and philosophy is rooted in many American, African-American, and World entities, including the Black Panther Party, Black nationalism, egalitarianism, and liberty. His debut album, ''2Pacalypse Now'', revealed the socially conscious side of Shakur. On this album, Shakur attacked social injustice, poverty and police brutality on songs "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Trapped" and "Part Time Mutha". His style on this album was highly influenced by the social consciousness and Afrocentrism pervading hip hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On this initial release, Shakur helped extend the success of such rap groups as Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, X-Clan, and Grandmaster Flash, as he became one of the first major socially conscious rappers from the West Coast.

On his second record, Shakur continued to rap about the social ills facing African-Americans, with songs like "The Streetz R Deathrow" and "Last Wordz". He also showed his compassionate side with the anthem "Keep Ya Head Up", while simultaneously putting his legendary aggressiveness on display with the title track from the album ''Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.'' he added a salute to his former group Digital Underground by including them on the playful track "I Get Around". Throughout his career, an increasingly aggressive attitude can be seen pervading Shakur's subsequent albums.

The contradictory themes of social inequality and injustice, unbridled aggression, compassion, playfulness, and hope all continued to shape Shakur's work, as witnessed with the release of his incendiary 1995 album ''Me Against the World''. In 1996, Shakur released ''All Eyez on Me''. Many of these tracks are considered by many critics to be classics, including "Ambitionz Az a Ridah", "I Ain't Mad at Cha", "California Love", "Life Goes On" and "Picture Me Rollin'".; ''All Eyez on Me'' was a change of style from his earlier works. While still containing socially conscious songs and themes, Shakur's album was heavily influenced by party tracks and tended to have a more "feel good" vibe than his first albums. Shakur described it as a celebration of life, and the record was critically and commercially successful.

Personal life

Shakur was a voracious reader. He was inspired by a wide variety of writers, including William Shakespeare, Niccolò Machiavelli, Donald Goines, Sun Tzu, Kurt Vonnegut, Mikhail Bakunin, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Khalil Gibran. In his book, Dyson describes the experience of visiting the home of Shakur's friend and promoter Leila Steinberg to find "the sea of books" once owned by Shakur.

Shakur never professed following a particular religion, but his lyrics in singles such as 'Only God Can Judge Me' and poems such as ''The Rose That Grew from Concrete'' suggests he believed in God. This means many analysts currently describe him as a deist. He believed in Karma, but rejected a literal afterlife and organized religion.

Legal issues

Even as he garnered attention as a rapper and actor, Shakur gained notoriety for his conflicts with the law:

In October 1991, he filed a $10 million civil suit against the law enforcement of the Oakland Police Department, alleging they brutally beat him for jaywalking.

In 1992, a Texas state trooper was killed by a teenager who was listening to ''2Pacalypse Now'' which included songs about killing police. This caused a swirl of media controversy. Dan Quayle, the Vice President of the United States at the time, demanded that the album be withdrawn from music stores and media across the country; Interscope refused. Shakur claimed his first album was aimed at the problems facing young black males, but it was criticized for its graphic language and images of violence by and against law enforcement. Quayle publicly denounced the album as having "no place in our society."

On August 22, 1992, in Marin City, California, Shakur rapped at an outdoor festival, and stayed for an hour signing autographs and pictures. Some earlier negative remarks made by Shakur about Marin City had caught up and when arguments started, voices got loud; he pulled a Colt Mustang, cocked it, fumbled and it fell. Someone picked up the gun and a bullet discharged. Though nobody in the crowd was shot, about 100 yards away, 6-year-old Qa'id Walker-Teal rode a bicycle at a schoolyard and was hit in the forehead with a bullet that killed him. (Some sources reported that the child was the victim of a stray bullet in a shootout between Shakur's entourage and a rival group.) Shakur and Mopreme left in their car and were stopped by an angry mob, by chance, in front of a sheriff's substation. The police "rescued" them and took the two into custody, who were soon released without charge. In 1995, a wrongful death suit was brought against Shakur by Qa'id's mother. Ballistics tests proved the bullet that killed the boy was not from Shakur's or any members of his entourage's guns. No criminal charges were brought. Shakur's lawyer said that the festival was a "nasty situation," and Shakur was saddened by the death of the boy. Shakur's record company settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount, reportedly between $300,000 and $500,000.

In October 1993, in Atlanta, two brothers and off-duty police officers, Mark and Scott Whitwell, were with their wives celebrating Mrs. Whitwell's recent passing of the state bar examination. As they crossed the street, a car with Shakur inside passed by them or "almost struck them," after which the Whitwells began an altercation with the driver, Shakur and the other passengers, which was then joined by a second passing car. Shakur shot one officer in the buttocks, and the other in the leg, back, or abdomen, according to varying news reports. There were no other injuries, but Mark Whitwell was charged with firing at Shakur's car and later lying to the police during the investigation, and Shakur with the shooting, until prosecutors decided to drop all charges against all parties.

In November 1993, Shakur and others were charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room. According to the complaint, Shakur sodomized the woman and then encouraged his friends to sexually abuse her. Shakur denied the charges. According to Shakur, he had prior relations days earlier with the woman; she performed oral sex on him on a club dance floor and the two later had consensual sex in his hotel room. The complainant claimed sexual assault after her second visit to Shakur's hotel room; she alleged that Shakur and his entourage gang banged her, and she said to Shakur when she left, "Why you let them do this to me?" Shakur claimed that he fell asleep shortly after the woman arrived and later awoke to her accusations and legal threats. In the ensuing trial, Shakur was convicted of sexual abuse. In sentencing Shakur to 1½–4½ years in prison, the judge described the crime as "an act of brutal violence against a helpless woman." After serving part of his sentence, Shakur was released on bail pending appeal. On April 5, 1996, a judge sentenced him to serve 120 days in jail for violating terms of his release on bail.

November 1994 shooting

On the night of November 30, 1994, the day before the verdict in his sexual abuse trial was to be announced, Shakur was shot five times and robbed after entering the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan by two armed men in army fatigues. He would later accuse Sean Combs, Andre Harrell, and Biggie Smalls—whom he saw after the shooting—of setting him up. Shakur also suspected his close friend and associate, Randy "Stretch" Walker, of being involved in the attempt. According to the doctors at Bellevue Hospital, where he was admitted immediately following the incident, Shakur had received five bullet wounds; twice in the head, twice in the groin and once through the arm and thigh. He checked out of the hospital, against doctor's orders, three hours after surgery. In the day that followed, Shakur entered the courthouse in a wheelchair and was found guilty of three counts of molestation, but innocent of six others, including sodomy. On February 6, 1995, he was sentenced to one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison on a sexual assault charge.

A year later on November 30, 1995, Stretch was killed after being shot twice in the back by three men who pulled up alongside his green minivan at 112th Ave. and 209th St. in Queens Village, while he was driving. His minivan smashed into a tree and hit a parked car before flipping over.

On March 27, 2008, the ''Los Angeles Times'' issued an apology to Combs for blaming him for having a role in the November 1994 shooting. The article stated that Shakur was led to the studio by Biggie's associates to gun him down to make favor with Biggie. The newspaper relied on forged documents that The Smoking Gun proved to be faked. Combs stated that he was disgusted with the ''LA Times'' for printing the story.

On June 15, 2011, an inmate admitted to this shooting and robbery, claiming to have been hired to do so by James Rosemond, owner of Czar Entertainment.

Prison sentence

Shakur began serving his prison sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility on February 14, 1995. Shortly afterwards, he released his multi-platinum album ''Me Against the World''. Shakur became the first artist ever to have an album at number one on the Billboard 200 while serving a prison sentence: the only other artist to have achieved this feat is fellow rapper Lil Wayne, whose album ''I Am Not a Human Being'' reached number one in 2010 whilst he was serving a nine-month prison term for criminal possession of a weapon. ''Me Against the World'' made its debut on the Billboard 200 and stayed at the top of the charts for four weeks. The album sold 240,000 copies in its first week, setting a record for highest first week sales for a solo male rap artist at the time. While serving his sentence, he married his long-time girlfriend, Keisha Morris, on April 4, 1995; the couple later divorced in 1996. While imprisoned, Shakur read many books by Niccolò Machiavelli, Sun Tzu's ''The Art of War'' and other works of political philosophy and strategy. He also wrote a screenplay titled ''Live 2 Tell'' while incarcerated, a story about an adolescent who becomes a drug baron.

In October 1995, Shakur's case was on appeal but due to all of his legal fees he could not raise the $1.4 million bail. During his time in jail prisoners were telling Shakur about the illuminati. After serving eleven months of his one-and-a-half year to four-and-a-half year sentence, Shakur was released from the Attica Correctional Facility due in large part to the help and influence of Suge Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records, who posted a $1.4 million bail pending appeal of the conviction in exchange for Shakur to release three albums under the Death Row label.

Death Row Records

Upon his release from Clinton Correctional Facility, Shakur immediately went back to song recording. He began a new group called Outlaw Immortalz. Shakur began recording his first album with Death Row and released the single "California Love" soon after. On February 13, 1996, Shakur released his fourth solo album, ''All Eyez on Me''. This double album was the first and second of his three-album commitment to Death Row Records. It sold over nine million copies. The record was a general departure from the introspective subject matter of ''Me Against the World'', being more oriented toward a thug and gangsta mentality. Shakur continued his recordings despite increasing problems at the Death Row label. Dr. Dre left his post as house producer to form his own label, Aftermath. Shakur continued to produce hundreds of tracks during his time at Death Row, most of which would be released on his posthumous albums ''R U Still Down? (Remember Me)'', ''Still I Rise'', ''Until the End of Time'', ''Better Dayz'', ''Loyal to the Game'' and ''Pac's Life''. He also began the process of recording an album with the Boot Camp Clik and their label Duck Down Records, both New York–based, entitled ''One Nation''.

On June 4, 1996, he and Outlawz released the diss track "Hit 'Em Up", a scathing lyrical assault on Biggie and others associated with him. In the track, Shakur claimed to have had sexual intercourse with Faith Evans, Biggie's wife at the time, and attacks Bad Boy's street credibility. Though no hard evidence suggests so, Shakur was convinced that some members associated with Bad Boy had known about the '94 attack on him beforehand due to their behavior that night and what his sources told him. Shakur aligned himself with Suge, Death Row's CEO, who was already bitter toward Combs over a 1995 incident at the Platinum Club in Atlanta, Georgia, which culminated in the death of Suge's friend and bodyguard, Jake Robles; Suge was adamant in voicing his suspicions of Combs' involvement. Shakur's signing with Suge and Death Row added fuel to building an East Coast-West Coast conflict. Both sides remained bitter enemies until Shakur's death. On July 4, 1996, he performed live at the House of Blues with Outlawz, Tha Dogg Pound, and Snoop Doggy Dogg also headlining. This was Shakur's very last live performance.

While incarcerated in Clinton Correctional Facility, Shakur read and studied Niccolò Machiavelli and other published works, which inspired his pseudonym "Makaveli" under which he released the album ''The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory''. The album presents a stark contrast to previous works. Throughout the album, Shakur continues to focus on the themes of pain and aggression, making this album one of the emotionally darker works of his career. Shakur wrote and recorded all the lyrics in only three days and the production took another four days, combining for a total of seven days to complete the album (hence the name). The album title has the word killuminati because Tupac wanted to kill the illuminati with his songs (hence the name).

Outlawz

On forming the Outlawz, Tupac gave each of them a name of a dictator/military leader or an enemy of America.

Yaki Kadafi, after Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi

Hussein Fatal, after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein

Mussolini (formerly Big Syke), after Italian dictator Benito Mussolini

Komani (Shakur's half brother Mopreme), after Iranian Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Kastro, after Cuban leader Fidel Castro

E.D.I. Mean, after Ugandan dictator Idi Amin

Napoleon, after French strategist Napoleon Bonaparte

For himself, Tupac created the alias "Makaveli" from Renaissance Italian philosopher and strategist Niccolo Machiavelli, whose writings inspired Shakur in prison, but who also preached that a leader could eliminate his enemies by all means necessary.

He mentioned Makaveli Records a few times before his death. This was supposed to be a music label for up and coming artists that Shakur had an interest in developing or potentially signing, and his own future projects would have also been published through it as well.

September 1996 shooting and death

On the night of September 7, 1996, Shakur attended the Mike Tyson–Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After leaving the match, one of Suge's associates spotted 21-year-old Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a member of the Southside Crips, in the MGM Grand lobby and informed Shakur, who then attacked Anderson. Shakur's entourage, as well as Suge and his followers, assisted in assaulting Anderson. The fight was captured on the hotel's video surveillance. Earlier that year, Anderson and a group of Crips had robbed a member of Death Row's entourage in a Foot Locker store, precipitating Shakur's attack. After the brawl, Shakur went to rendezvous with Suge to go to Death Row-owned Club 662 (now known as restaurant/club Seven). He rode in Suge's 1996 black BMW 750iL sedan as part of a larger convoy including many in Shakur's entourage.

At 10:55 pm, while paused at a red light, Shakur rolled down his window and a photographer took his photograph. At around 11:00–11:05 pm, they were halted on Las Vegas Blvd. by Metro bicycle police for playing the car stereo too loud and not having license plates. The plates were then found in the trunk of Suge's car; they were released without being fined a few minutes later. At about 11:10 pm, while stopped at a red light at Flamingo Road near the intersection of Koval Lane in front of the Maxim Hotel, a vehicle occupied by two women pulled up on their left side. Shakur, who was standing up through the sunroof, exchanged words with the two women, and invited them to go to Club 662. At approximately 11:15 pm, a white, four-door, late-model Cadillac with an unknown number of occupants pulled up to the sedan's right side, rolled down one of the windows, and rapidly fired a volley of gunshots at Shakur; bullets hit him in the chest, pelvis, and his right hand and thigh. One of the rounds apparently ricocheted into Shakur's right lung. Suge was hit in the head by fragmentation, though it is thought that a bullet grazed him. According to Suge, a bullet from the gunfire had been lodged in his skull, but medical reports later contradicted this statement.

At the time of the drive-by Shakur's bodyguard was following behind in a vehicle belonging to Kidada Jones, Shakur's then-fiancée. The bodyguard, Frank Alexander, stated that when he was about to ride along with the rapper in Suge's car, Shakur asked him to drive Kidada Jones' car instead just in case they were too drunk and needed additional vehicles from Club 662 back to the hotel. Shortly after the assault, the bodyguard reported in his documentary, ''Before I Wake'', that one of the convoy's cars drove off after the assailant but he never heard back from the occupants.

After arriving on the scene, police and paramedics took Suge and a mortally wounded Shakur to the University Medical Center. According to an interview with one of Shakur's closest friends the music video director Gobi, while at the hospital, he received news from a Death Row marketing employee that the shooters had called the record label and were sending death threats aimed at Shakur, claiming that they were going there to "finish him off". Upon hearing this, Gobi immediately alerted the Las Vegas police, but the police claimed they were understaffed and no one could be sent. Nonetheless, the shooters never arrived. At the hospital, Shakur was in and out of consciousness, was heavily sedated, breathed through a ventilator and respirator, was placed on life support machines, and was ultimately put under a barbiturate-induced coma after repeatedly trying to get out of the bed.

Despite having been resuscitated in a trauma center and surviving a multitude of surgeries (as well as the removal of a failed right lung), Shakur had gotten through the critical phase of the medical therapy and was given a 50% chance of pulling through. Gobi left the medical center after being informed that Shakur made a 13% recovery on the sixth night. While in the critical care unit on the afternoon of September 13, 1996, Shakur died of internal bleeding; doctors attempted to revive him but could not impede his hemorrhaging. His mother, Afeni, made the decision to tell the doctors to stop. He was pronounced dead at 4:03 pm (PDT) The official cause of death was noted as respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest in connection with multiple gunshot wounds. Shakur's body was cremated and some of his ashes were later mixed with marijuana and smoked by members of the Outlawz.

Murder case

Due largely to a perceived lack of progress by law enforcement in the investigation of Shakur's murder, many independent investigations and theories emerged. Because of the acrimony between Shakur and Biggie (who was murdered in March 1997), there was speculation from the outset about the possibility of Biggie's involvement. Biggie, as well as his family, relatives, and associates, vehemently denied all such accusations. In 2002, the ''LA Times'' published a story by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Chuck Philips, who claimed to have uncovered evidence implicating Biggie, in addition to Anderson and the Southside Crips, in the attack. Philips quoted unnamed gang-member sources who claimed Biggie had ties to the Crips, often hiring them for security during West Coast appearances, and that Biggie colluded with the Crips to murder Shakur. In 2008, after The Smoking Gun reported that the documents relied upon by Philips for his story were fraudulent, the ''LA Times'' printed an official front-page retraction of Philips' story. Less than five months later, Philips accepted a buyout and left the ''LA Times''.

In support of their claims, Biggie's family submitted documentation to MTV suggesting that he was working in a New York recording studio the night of the drive-by shooting. His manager Wayne Barrow and fellow rapper James "Lil' Cease" Lloyd made public announcements denying Biggie's partaking in the crime and claimed further that they were both with him in the recording studio during the night of the event.

The high profile nature of the killing and ensuing gang violence caught the attention of English filmmaker Nick Broomfield, who made the documentary film ''Biggie & Tupac'' which examines the lack of progress in the case by speaking to those close to the two slain rappers and the investigation. Shakur's close childhood friend and member of Outlawz, Yafeu "Yaki Kadafi" Fula, was in the convoy when the drive-by occurred and indicated to police that he might be able to identify the assailants, however, he was shot and killed shortly thereafter in a housing project in Irvington.

A DVD titled ''Tupac: Assassination'' was released on October 23, 2007, more than eleven years after Shakur's murder. It explores aspects surrounding the event and provides fresh insights into the cold case with new details about the environment.

Legacy

At a Mobb Deep concert following the death of the famed icon and release of ''The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'', Cormega recalled in an interview that the fans were all shouting "Makaveli," and emphasized the influence of ''The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'' and of Shakur himself even in New York at the height of the media-dubbed 'intercoastal rivalry'. Tupac Shakur was also one of the few rappers that were paid a tribute during the Up in Smoke Tour that featured many west coast hip-hop artists.

Shakur is held in high esteem by other MCs – in the book ''How to Rap'', Bishop Lamont notes that Shakur “mastered every element, every aspect” of rapping and Fredro Starr of Onyx says Shakur, "was a master of the flow." "Every rapper who grew up in the Nineties owes something to Tupac," wrote 50 Cent. "He didn't sound like anyone who came before him." About.com for their part named Shakur the most influential rapper ever.

To preserve Shakur's legacy, his mother founded the Shakur Family Foundation (later re-named the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation or TASF) in 1997. The TASF's stated mission is to "provide training and support for students who aspire to enhance their creative talents." The TASF sponsors essay contests, charity events, a performing arts day camp for teenagers and undergraduate scholarships. The Foundation officially opened the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (TASCA) in Stone Mountain, Georgia, on June 11, 2005. On November 14, 2003, a documentary about Shakur entitled ''Tupac: Resurrection'' was released under the supervision of his mother and narrated entirely in his voice. It was nominated for Best Documentary in the 2005 Academy Awards. Proceeds will go to a charity set up by Shakur's mother Afeni. On April 17, 2003, Harvard University co-sponsored an academic symposium entitled "All Eyez on Me: Tupac Shakur and the Search for the Modern Folk Hero." The speakers discussed a wide range of topics dealing with Shakur's impact on everything from entertainment to sociology.

Many of the speakers discussed Shakur's status and public persona, including State University of New York at Buffalo English professor Mark Anthony Neal who gave the talk "Thug Nigga Intellectual: Tupac as Celebrity Gramscian" in which he argued that Shakur was an example of the "organic intellectual" expressing the concerns of a larger group. Professor Neal has also indicated in his writings that the death of Shakur has left a "leadership void amongst hip-hop artists." Neal further describes him as a "walking contradiction", a status that allowed him to "make being an intellectual accessible to ordinary people."

Professor of Communications Murray Forman, of Northeastern University, spoke of the mythical status about Shakur's life and death. He addressed the symbolism and mythology surrounding Shakur's death in his talk entitled "Tupac Shakur: O.G. (Ostensibly Gone)". Among his findings were that Shakur's fans have "succeeded in resurrecting Tupac as an ethereal life force." In "From Thug Life to Legend: Realization of a Black Folk Hero", Professor of Music at Northeastern University, Emmett Price, compared Shakur's public image to that of the trickster-figures of African-American folklore which gave rise to the urban "bad-man" persona of the post-slavery period. He ultimately described Shakur as a "prolific artist" who was "driven by a terrible sense of urgency" in a quest to "unify mind, body, and spirit".

Michael Eric Dyson, University of Pennsylvania Avalon Professor of Humanities and African American Studies and author of the book ''Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur'' indicated that Shakur "spoke with brilliance and insight as someone who bears witness to the pain of those who would never have his platform. He told the truth, even as he struggled with the fragments of his identity." At one Harvard Conference the theme was Shakur's impact on entertainment, race relations, politics and the "hero/martyr". In late 1997, the University of California, Berkeley offered a student-led course entitled "History 98: Poetry and History of Tupac Shakur."

In late 2003, the Makaveli Branded Clothing line was launched by Afeni. In 2005, Death Row released ''Tupac: Live at the House of Blues''. The DVD was the final recorded performance of Shakur's career, which took place on July 4, 1996, and features a plethora of Death Row artists. In August 2006, ''Tupac Shakur Legacy'' was released. The interactive biography was written by Jamal Joseph. It features unseen family photographs, intimate stories, and over 20 removable reproductions of his handwritten song lyrics, contracts, scripts, poetry, and other personal papers. Shakur's sixth posthumous studio album, ''Pac's Life'', was released on November 21, 2006. It commemorates the 10th anniversary of Shakur's death. He is still considered one of the most popular artists in the music industry .

According to ''Forbes'', in 2008 Shakur's estate made $15 million. In 2002, they recognized him as a Top Earning Dead celebrity coming in on number ten on their list.

Library of Congress

Shakur's hit song "Dear Mama" is one of 25 songs that was added to the National Recording Registry in 2010. The Library of Congress has called "Dear Mama" "a moving and eloquent homage to both the murdered rapper's own mother and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference." This honor comes seven days after his birthday, where the rapper would have been 39. Shakur is the third rapper to enter the library, behind Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy.

Honors

In a 2005 Rolling Stones Magazine Vote, Tupac was named No.6 of the '100 immortal artists of all time' behind the likes of Elvis and Lennon.

MTV ranked him at No.2 on their list of ''The Greatest MCs of All Time''. Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002.

Ranked No.3 on VH1's 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists.

In 2003, MTV's "22 Greatest MCs" countdown listed Shakur as the "Number 1 MC", as voted by the viewers. In 2004, at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors Shakur was honored along with DJ Hollywood, Kool DJ Herc, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Run-D.M.C., Rock Steady Crew, and Sugarhill Gang. A ''Vibe'' magazine poll in 2004 rated Shakur "the greatest rapper of all time" as voted by fans. At the First Annual Turks & Caicos International Film Festival held on Tuesday, October 17, 2006, Shakur was honored for his undeniable voice and talent and as a performer who crossed racial, ethnic, cultural and medium lines; his mother accepted the award on his behalf. In 2008, The National Association Of Recording Merchandisers in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognized him as a very influential artist and has added him in their Definitive 200 list. On Wednesday, June 23, 2010, Shakur was inducted to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. The seat of the Catholic Church released a list of 12 songs onto the social networking Web site's streaming music service. Among the artists included are Mozart, Muse and Dame Shirley Bassey; the list also includes Shakur's song "Changes", which was released two years after his shooting death on a greatest hits album in 1998. His double album, ''All Eyez on Me'', is one of the highest-selling rap albums of all time, with over 5 million copies of the album sold in the United States alone by April 1996; it was eventually certified 9x platinum in June 1998 by the RIAA.

Discography

Studio albums

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Posthumous albums

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Film

Acting career

In addition to rapping and hip hop music, Shakur acted in films. He made his first film appearance in the motion picture ''Nothing But Trouble'', as part of a cameo by the Digital Underground. His first starring role was in the film ''Juice''. In this story, he played the character Bishop, a trigger happy teen, for which he was hailed by ''Rolling Stone'''s Peter Travers as "the film's most magnetic figure." He went on to star with Janet Jackson in ''Poetic Justice'' (for which he was nominated outstanding actor in 1994, but did not win) and with Duane Martin in ''Above the Rim''. After his death, three of Shakur's completed films, ''Bullet'', ''Gridlock'd'' and ''Gang Related'', were released.

He had also been slated to star in the Hughes brothers' film ''Menace II Society'' but was replaced by Larenz Tate after assaulting Allen Hughes as a result of a quarrel. Director John Singleton mentioned that he wrote the script for ''Baby Boy'' with Shakur in mind for the leading role. It was eventually filmed with Tyrese Gibson in his place and released in 2001, five years after Shakur's death. The film features a mural of Shakur in the protagonist's bedroom as well as featuring the song "Hail Mary" in the film's score.

Filmography

1991 ''Juice (film) ''Drexell's Class'' ''A Different World (TV series) ''Poetic Justice (1993 film) ''In Living Color'' ''Above the Rim'' ''Murder Was the Case: The Movie'' ''Bullet (1996 film) ''Gridlock'd'' ''Gang Related (film) ''Tupac: Resurrection'' ''Notorious (2009 film) Tupac ''Live 2 Tell''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
	|	Nothing But Trouble (1991 film)>Nothing But Trouble''	Himself	(Brief appearance)
	1992	Juice'' ||	Bishop	First starring role
	1992	|	Himself	Season 1: "Cruisin'"
	1993	A Different World'' ||	Piccolo	Season 6: "Homie, Don't You Know Me?"
	1993	Poetic Justice'' ||	Lucky	Co-starred with Janet Jackson
	1993	|	Himself	Season 5: "Ike Turner and Hooch"
	1994	|	Birdie	Co-starred with Duane Martin
	1995	|	Himself	(Uncredited)
	1996	Bullet'' ||	Tank	Released one month after Shakur's death
	1997	|	Ezekiel 'Spoon' Whitmore	Released several months after Shakur's death
	1997	Gang Related'' ||	Detective Rodríguez	Shakur's last performance in a film
	2003	|	Himself	Official documentary film
	2009	Notorious'' ||	Himself (archive footage)	Portrayed by Anthony Mackie
	2011/2012	|	Himself (archive footage)	The official biographical motion picture of Tupac Shakur. The film is currently being filmed.
	20??	|	Screenwriter	(Written in 1995)

Documentaries

Shakur's life has been recognized in big and small documentaries each trying capture the many different events during his short lifetime, most notably the Academy Award–nominated ''Tupac: Resurrection'', released in 2003.

1997: ''Tupac Shakur: Thug Immortal''

1997: ''Tupac Shakur: Words Never Die'' (TV)

2001: ''Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake...''

2001: ''Welcome to Deathrow''

2002: ''Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel''

2002: ''Biggie & Tupac''

2002: ''Tha Westside''

2003: ''2Pac 4 Ever''

2003: ''Tupac: Resurrection''

2004: ''Tupac vs.''

2004: ''Tupac: The Hip Hop Genius'' (TV)

2006: ''So Many Years, So Many Tears''

2007: ''Tupac: Assassination''

2009: ''Tupac: Assassination II: Reckoning''

See also

List of best-selling music artists

List of number-one albums (United States)

List of number-one hits (United States)

References

Sources

. .

External links

2Pac Legacy (Official website)

Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation for the Arts

Tupac Legacy Tour

Yaki Kadafi Official Website

Online catalog of Shakur's personal library from his apartment at the time of his death, online at LibraryThing

FBI file on Tupac Shakur

Category:1971 births Category:1996 deaths Category:African American film actors Category:African American poets Category:African American rappers Category:African American record producers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American people convicted of assault Category:American screenwriters Category:American sex offenders Category:American shooting survivors Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Death Row Records artists Category:Deaths by firearm in Nevada Category:Deaths from respiratory failure Category:English-language poets Category:Interscope Records artists Category:Murdered African-American people Category:Murdered entertainers Category:Murdered rappers Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:People from Harlem Category:People from Marin County, California Category:People murdered in Nevada Category:Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Road crew Category:Shakur family Category:Unsolved murders in the United States Category:West Coast hip hop musicians

af:Tupac Shakur ar:توباك شاكور ast:Tupac Shakur az:Tupak Şakur bs:Tupac Shakur bg:Тупак Шакур ca:Tupac Shakur cs:Tupac Shakur da:Tupac Shakur de:Tupac Shakur et:Tupac Shakur el:Τούπακ Σακούρ es:Tupac Shakur eo:Tupac Shakur fa:توپاک شکور fr:Tupac Shakur fy:Tupac Shakur gl:Tupac Shakur ko:투팍 샤커 hi:तुपाक शकूर hr:Tupac Shakur id:Tupac Shakur is:Tupac Shakur it:Tupac Shakur he:טופאק שאקור ka:ტუპაკ ამარუ შაკური sw:Tupac Shakur lv:Tupaks Šakurs lt:Tupac Shakur lmo:Tupac Shakur hu:Tupac Shakur ml:റ്റുപാക് ഷക്കൂർ mn:Тупак Шакур nl:Tupac Shakur ja:2パック no:2 Pac nn:Tupac Shakur nds:Tupac Shakur pl:Tupac Shakur pt:Tupac Shakur ro:Tupac Shakur ru:Шакур, Тупак Амару stq:Tupac Shakur simple:Tupac Shakur sk:Tupac Shakur sl:Tupac Shakur sr:Тупак Шакур sh:Tupac Shakur fi:Tupac Shakur sv:Tupac Shakur ta:டூப்பாக் ஷகூர் te:టూపాక్ షకుర్ th:ทูแพ็ก ชาเคอร์ tr:Tupac Shakur tk:Tupac Shakur uk:Тупак Шакур yo:Tupac Shakur zh:吐派克·夏庫爾