Name	Outlawz
Background	group_or_band
Alias	Outlaw Immortalz, Tha Outlawz, Dramacydal
Origin	Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1995–Present
Label	1Nation, Amaru, Death Row, Cashville Records, Real Talk Entertainment
Associated acts	Tupac Shakur, Young Buck, Dead Prez
Website	outlawzmedia.net
Current members	E.D.I. MeanHussein FatalYoung Noble
Past members	Yaki KadafiNapoleonStormMussoliniKomaniKastro Stormey Coleman }}

Outlawz, formally known as Outlaw Immortalz, is an American hip hop group founded by Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they are probably best known for appearing in the video "Hit 'Em Up", in a diss track aimed at Biggie Smalls and other New York rappers.

History

In the earlier years of the Outlawz they were known as Dramacydal. Dramacydal first appeared on Tupac Shakur's 1993 single Holler If Ya Hear Me, they were on the track "Flex". Dramacydal was composed of K-Dog who later became Kastro, Young Hollywood who later became Yaki Kadafi, Mutah or Mu who later became Napoleon, and Big Malki who later became E.D.I. Mean.

Outlawz

When 2Pac signed to Death Row upon his release from prison, he recruited his step brother Mopreme Shakur and Big Syke from Thug Life. Hussein Fatal, Napoleon, E.D.I. Mean, Kastro, Yaki Kadafi, and Storm (the only female Outlaw) were also added, and together they formed the original lineup of the Outlaw Immortalz that debuted on 2Pac's multi-platinum smash All Eyez on Me. Young Noble was later added and appeared on 2Pac's second Death Row release The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

The idea behind the group was for each member to have a rap name coinciding with the names of various tyrants or enemies of America, past and present. Outlawz chose in later years to make a motto out of the letters of their group name Operating Under Thug Laws As Warriorz although it does not stand for the groups name and is used infrequently.

All together, there were 11 Original Members of the Outlawz, including Tupac and Daniel Linsay:

Tupac Shakur was the leader of the group, and gave himself the title of Makaveli after the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, whose writings inspired Shakur in prison.

Yaki Kadafi, also known as Young Hollywood, was given the name Yaki Kadafi after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He was also Shakur's godbrother and an original member of Dramacydal.

Kastro, also known as K-Dog, was given the alias Kastro after Cuban leader Fidel Castro. He is also blood cousin of Shakur and an original member of Dramacydal.

E.D.I. Mean, also known as Big Malcolm, was given the alias E.D.I. Mean after Ugandan president Idi Amin and was also an original member of Dramacydal.

Hussein Fatal, introduced to 2Pac by childhood friend Yaki Kadafi. Given alias after former leader of Iraq Saddam Hussein. Hussein left the group after the tragic killings of Pac and Yak. He felt that the remaining group members were going against Tupac's wishes by signing contracts with Death Row. He recently returned on an Outlawz mixtape.

Napoleon, childhood friend of Kadafi, was given the name Napoleon after French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and was also an original member of Dramacydal. Left the group to be a Muslim motivational speaker.

Big Syke, who was in 2Pac's first group Thug Life, joined the Outlawz under the alias Mussolini after Italian leader Benito Mussolini.

Mopreme Shakur, 2Pac's stepbrother, who was in 2Pac's first group Thug Life, joined the Outlawz under the alias Komani after the Iranian political figure Ruhollah Khomeini.

Storm, The only female member of the group, she met Tupac during the shooting of a film. After he found out how well she could rap, he immediately signed her on the spot and added her to the group, which later became known as The Outlaw Immortalz. Storm was to be Tupac's solo artist. She was introduced on the multiplatinum selling album All Eyez on Me.

Young Noble, the final member of the group to be signed as the last official Outlaw member by Tupac himself. He was introduced to Tupac by Kadafi and Hussein Fatal in Los Angeles, a few months before his death. He appeared in many of 2Pac's last recordings, and featured heavily on 2Pac's last album and the now legendary The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. He was always known as Young Noble and was never given an alias from Tupac.

Later years

Shortly after joining the group, Mopreme and Big Syke severed all ties with Death Row and left the Outlawz for financial and personal reasons. Two months after the death of Shakur, Kadafi was killed in a housing project in New Jersey; after two years, Napoleon convinced his cousin to turn himself in for shooting Kadafi.

Though Tupac had told them specifically to never sign to Death Row Records, after his death, the leftover members of the Outlawz decided to do just that. As a result, Fatal left the group, claiming they weren't being loyal to 2Pac. Napoleon left the group due to his conversion to Islam and is now traveling all around the globe to spread the teachings of Islam. While managing and working on her solo project, Tupac signed Storm to Death Row Records. She left the group shortly after the tragic death of Tupac. In 2009, Kastro had confirmed he had left the Outlawz to pursue a solo career. He reunited with the group on Outlaw Culture Radio in October 2010. Currently there are 5 active Outlaw members.

New Child and Muszamil were never official members but have worked closely with the Outlawz and remain good friends.

The Outlawz are also known for their longtime relationship with Brooklyn's Boot Camp Clik, a relationship that begun as a result of 2Pac's friendship with Boot Camp's Smif-n-Wessun and Boot Camp Clik, while working on the yet unreleased "One Nation" album. Despite stylistic differences and divergent fanbases, the two crews maintained connections on the basis of personal relationships. Members of the Outlawz were featured on Boot Camp releases like Heltah Skeltah's "Magnum Force" and Rock's "Veterans' Day."

In 1999, the Outlawz released their first album as a group with original unreleased recordings of 2Pac, entitled Still I Rise. The album was released on Death Row Records. Member Hussein Fatal did not appear on any of the album as he was edited out of the original recordings due to issues with the record labels. Storm was also edited out of some of the original recordings for unknown reasons. Original member Big Syke also appeared on the album.

Current Years

As of 2010, The Outlawz, reunited with former member Hussein Fatal, who immediately left the group following the deaths of 2Pac and Yaki Kadafi.

The group has teamed up with allhiphop.com to release a new Outlawz song every week on the site in a series entitled "RETURN OF THE REAL" in anticipation for their upcoming studio album "Perfect Timing".

The Outlawz put out 2 new mixtapes before the official album, Killuminati 2k10 and Killuminati 2k11 available online for free download.

The studio album "Perfect Timing" is slated for release on September 13, 2011. Although The Outlawz are yet to speak on how each track is taking shape, sources close to the group assert that 'Perfect Timing' will feature guest appearances from many big name rappers and singers and features production from Cozmo, Maxwell Smart, The Network and CyFyre.

Discography

Studio albums

1999: Still I Rise

2000: Ride wit Us or Collide wit Us

2001: Novakane

2002: Neva Surrenda

2005: Outlaw 4 Life: 2005 A.P.

2011: Perfect Timing

Collaboration albums

2006: Can't Sell Dope Forever (With Dead Prez)

Digital albums

2006: Retribution: The Lost Album

2008: We Want In: The Street LP

2010: The Lost Songs Vol. 1 (iTunes Exclusive)

2010: The Lost Songs Vol. 2 (iTunes Exclusive)

2010: The Lost Songs Vol. 3 (iTunes Exclusive)

2010: Killuminati 2K10

2011: Killuminati 2K11

DVDs

2002: Outlawz: Worldwide

References

External links

OutlawzMedia.net

Yaki Kadafi

Category:People from Essex County, New Jersey Category:American hip hop groups Category:Death Row Records artists Category:Tupac Shakur Category:Cashville Records artists Category:Rappers from New Jersey Category:East Coast hip hop groups

de:Outlawz es:Outlawz fr:Outlawz it:Outlawz lv:Outlawz mk:Outlawz nl:Outlawz ja:アウトロウズ no:Outlawz pl:Outlawz pt:Outlawz ru:Outlawz sr:Аутлоз fi:Outlawz sv:Outlawz

name	James Wade
fullname	James Martin Wade
nickname	The Machine
birth date	April 06, 1983
birth place	Aldershot, England
hometown	Aldershot
homecountry	England
since	2001
darts	20g Unicorn James Wade
laterality	Left-handed
music	I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
bdo	2001–2004
pdc	2004 – present
currentrank	3
bdo world	Round 2 2004
world masters	Last 64 (2) 2002, 2003
world darts trophy	Round 2 2003
int. darts league	Quarter Finalist (2) 2004, 2007
pdc world	Semi Finalist 2009
matchplay	Winner 2007
grand prix	Winner (2) 2007, 2010
uk open	Winner (2) 2008, 2011
european	Semi Finalist 2009
vegas	Runner Up 2008
grand slam	Runner Up 2010
premier league	Winner 2009
championship league	Winner 2010
pc finals	Semi Finalist 2009
tournament	Players Ch'ship UK Open Regional (NW) UK Open Regional UK Open Regional UK Open Regional (WIG) Swiss Open Irish Masters Norfolk Open Players Ch'ship Players Ch'ship Players Ch'ship Derby
resultyears	2008 2007, 2009 2007 2007 2010 2002 2005 2006 2008 2008 (Lei) 2009
achievement	2006 PDC Young Player of the Year 2006 Three Nine dart finishes during a calendar year (a record) 2007 PDC Player of the Year
updated	23 October 2007 }}

James Wade (born James Martin Wade on 6 April 1983 in Aldershot, Hampshire) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007. He has since won the 2007 World Grand Prix, the 2008 and 2011 UK Opens, the 2009 Premier League, the 2010 World Grand Prix and 2010 Championship League Darts, and has been at a career-high ranking of second in the PDC Order of Merit. James Wade is officially the second most successful player in PDC history, after Phil Taylor.

Early career

Wade reached the final of the British Classic in 2001 at the age of just 18, losing to John Walton but the following year he won the Swiss Open and then made his television debut at the 2003 Lakeside World Championship, but lost 2–3 in the first round to Dennis Harbour having missed eight darts to win the match in the fourth set. In other BDO Open events during 2003, he reached the Norway Open final, Belgian Open semi-finals and Dutch Open quarter finals.

At the 2004 Lakeside World Championship, he beat Shaun Greatbatch 3–0 in the first round, before losing to Darryl Fitton in the second round. Later in 2004, he reached a series of quarter-finals including the German Open, the Isle of Man Open and the prestigious International Darts League in May – which was his last tournament as a BDO affiliated player.

PDC switch

In May 2004, despite having qualified for the final stages of many BDO tournaments, Wade took the decision to forfeit his automatic place in the 2004 World Darts Trophy and 2005 BDO World Championship to join the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) and the PDC circuit.

He made his PDC World Darts Championship début in 2005, losing in the first round to Mark Holden. He bounced back from this to win the Irish Masters in February and reach the last 16 of the UK Open later that year. He also qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic (beating the experienced Ronnie Baxter) and the World Grand Prix during the year as well. He also qualified for the 2006 World Championship, losing again in the first round, this time 3–2 to Wayne Jones, who would go on to reach the semi-finals, despite having won the first six legs for a two-set lead.

Wade reached the last 16 of the 2007 PDC World Championship losing to Terry Jenkins having earlier beaten New Zealand qualifier Warren French and Dave Ladley.

Major breakthrough

He made his major breakthrough on television during the 2006 World Matchplay in July. He sensationally reached the final, beating four experienced and respected darts players, in his first ever appearance at the Winter Gardens. He beat Denis Ovens in the first round 10–1, having had darts to make it a 10–0 whitewash. In the second round he beat former World Championship finalist Kevin Painter 13–9, ending one leg with two double-20s to cause a minor controversy, and beat Chris Mason 16–4 in his quarter-final. In the semi-finals he came back from 1–5 down to beat Roland Scholten 19–17 in a tiebreaker, which requires the winner to win by two clear legs. In the final he played Phil Taylor but despite being 8–5 up, he lost 18–11.

He then returned to Blackpool in 2007 to claim the title – his first major televised tournament success and became the youngest player ever to win a PDC televised event in doing so. His route to the title and £50,000 cheque saw him beat Wayne Jones, Dennis Priestley, Mervyn King, Adrian Lewis and Terry Jenkins (who beat Taylor in the semi-final) in the final.

Although Wade's victory was nothing short of emphatic over the ever-tenacious Jenkins, many believe his semi-final victory over Lewis was one of the finest performances ever seen at the Winter Gardens . He consistently checked out ton-plus scores whilst Lewis, fresh from defeating world champion Raymond van Barneveld, having a 3-dart average of over 100, was unable to keep up with the fast-improving Wade.

Wade also won the next PDC major tournament – the 2007 World Grand Prix in Dublin in October beating van Barneveld by 5 sets to 1 in the semi-final and repeating his Blackpool success over Jenkins in the final.

Wade's aforementioned successes in 2007 were rewarded with him winning the 2007 PDC Player of the Year. Wade became the second recipient of this award, following in the footsteps of Taylor in 2006. He was presented with it at the annual PDC Awards Dinner in January 2008.

Wade reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 PDC World Championship, being defeated 5 sets to 4 in a close encounter against John Part, who went on to win the tournament.

In January 2008, Wade became the first player to defeat Taylor in the Premier League, winning the match 8 legs to 6. Taylor however exacted revenge with a 16–8 victory in the final on 26 May 2008 after Wade had defeated van Barneveld in the semi-final.

On 8 June 2008, Wade beat American Gary Mawson 11–7 in the final to win the 2008 UK Open, claiming his third major trophy within a year. The following month, he reached the finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, losing 13–7 to Taylor. Then in July reached his 3rd World Matchplay final in a row, losing for the 2nd time in 3 years in the final to Taylor 18–9, making this the 3rd major final loss of the year against Taylor.

In the 2009 PDC World Championship, Wade reached a stage further than the previous year, reaching the semi-finals before losing 4–6 to van Barneveld.

Wade won the 2009 Premier League Darts tournament, defeating Mervyn King 13–8 at the Wembley Arena. However, he failed to defend his UK Open title in 2009 after losing to Peter Manley 9–8 in the third round. He then failed to reach the World Matchplay final for the first time, losing in the quarter-finals to Ronnie Baxter.

Wade lost to an on-fire Simon Whitlock in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Championship. Whitlock won 5–3 in sets.

Defending his Premier League title, Wade reached the final of the 2010 Premier League, where he played against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 10–8, hitting two nine-dart finishes during the match.

Wade won the 2010 World Grand Prix, beating Adrian Lewis 6–3 in the final. Four days later, he won his second major tournament inside a week by defeating Taylor 6–5 in the 2010 Championship League Darts final.

Wade reached another major final in 2010 at the Grand Slam, seeing both Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King squander match darts against him before Wade himself threw away an 8–0 lead against BDO player Scott Waites as Waites won 16–12.

2011 Season

Despite the loss at the Grand Slam, Wade was touted by many as the favourite to win the 2011 World Championship due to his Grand Prix and Champions League Darts victories as well as Taylor's slight dip in form. However, Wade was beaten by world number 47 Mensur Suljovic 4–2 in the second round. He got of to a poor start in the Premier League of Darts losing 8–3 to an on form Mark Webster he went on to defeat World Champion Adrian Lewis 8–6 in week 2 and then lost 8–5 to Simon Whitlock, during the match he took some stick from the Belfast crowd. He regained some form in the latter weeks of the League drawing with Raymond Van Barneveld 7–7 while averaging over 100. In June he won the 2011 UK Open Darts title after a 11–8 to win against Wes Newton.

Nicknames

Whilst it is somewhat traditional for a darts player to adopt a sobriquet, Wade has adopted several in his short career so far. His first nickname, The Gladiator was changed following his nine-dart exploits in 2006 to 009 – a take on James Bond's 007. This was used during the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship.

In November 2007, during the 2007 Grand Slam of Darts – he was introduced on television graphics as having "no nickname". In December 2007, following a competition which invited fans to provide him with a new nickname, Wade became known as Spectacular. A play on the fact that Wade is one of the few players who wears spectacles when he plays. For his Premier League debut in January 2008 he unveiled another nickname – "The Machine" which is now regarded as his permanent nickname and used in his walk on in all tournaments.

Nine dart finishes

He became the first player to hit three tournament nine-dart finishes in a calendar year during 2006. They came at the North-West UK Open Regional Final in March, the PDPA Players Championship at Hayling Island in June and he completed his hat-trick at the Vauxhall Men's Open in November. None of these achievements were in televised competitions.

Wade came within one dart of achieving the first ever nine-darter with a double start at the 2007 World Grand Prix in Dublin. In the semi-final against van Barneveld he hit double top to open the leg, then six treble 20s, treble 17 then missed a bullseye for a unique nine-darter.

On 20 November 2008, Wade completed his first live nine-darter hitting two 180s then T20, T19 and D12 against Gary Anderson in the second round of the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts which was shown on ITV4. However, Anderson went on to win the match 10–8, therefore Wade became the first man to hit a nine-dart finish in a major televised tournament in the UK and then go on to lose the match. (Michael van Gerwen had previously done so in a tournament on Dutch television.) Wade was also the first left-handed player to hit a live nine-darter.

Outside darts

Wade quit his job at a garage in Aldershot twelve days before the World Matchplay 2006, to concentrate on becoming a full-time professional darts player.

Wade dated Soccer AM presenter Helen Chamberlain but the pair split after roughly a year together. The pair had reportedly "drifted apart" from each other. Wade has admitted it hit him hard, affecting his darts.

World Championship Performances

2003 (BDO) – First Round lost to Dennis Harbour 2–3

2004 (BDO) – Second Round lost to Darryl Fitton 1–3

2005 (PDC) – First Round lost to Mark Holden 0–3

2006 (PDC) – First Round lost to Wayne Jones 2–3

2007 (PDC) – Third Round lost to Terry Jenkins 3–4

2008 (PDC) – Quarter-finalist lost to John Part 4-5

2009 (PDC) – Semi-finalist lost to Raymond van Barneveld 4–6

2010 (PDC) – Quarter-finalist lost to Simon Whitlock 3–5

2011 (PDC) – Second Round lost to Mensur Suljovic 2–4

Career finals

PDC premier event finals: 13 (7 titles, 6 runner-ups)

{| |- | style="width:40%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"|

Legend

World Championship (0–0)

World Matchplay (1–2)

Premier League (1–2)

Other (5–2)

References

5. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/sportdarts/3600811/I-lay-in-bed-all-day-crying-I-wished-I-could-have-a-heart-attack-and-die.html

External links

James Wade's official web site

James Wade wins PDC Player Of The Year award

Category:1983 births Category:English darts players Category:Living people Category:People from Aldershot Category:Professional Darts Corporation players Category:British Darts Organisation players

de:James Wade nl:James Wade ja:ジェイムズ・ウェイド

name	Colt Ford
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jason Farris Brown
origin	Athens, Georgia, U.S.
instrument	Vocals, Guitar
genre	Country rap
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	2008-present
label	Average Joe's Entertainment
associated acts	Brantley Gilbert
website	http://www.coltford.com }}

Jason Farris Brown (born in Athens, Georgia), known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country music artist and former professional golfer. He has released three albums via his own Average Joe's label, and has charted four singles on the Hot Country Songs charts. Ford has also written a theme song for Professional Bull Riders, and has worked with John Michael Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry, and Cledus T. Judd, among others.

Biography

Brown was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He was a professional golfer, playing in one Nationwide Tour but mostly serving as a golfing instructor. Later, he turned his interests to music, taking influence from country music and hip hop. Assuming the stage name Colt Ford, he released his debut album, Ride Through the Country, on December 2, 2008 through Average Joe's Entertainment, which he cofounded. This album included the singles "No Trash in My Trailer" (a cover of a Gene Watson song) and "Ride Through the Country" (a duet with John Michael Montgomery), the latter of which did not chart until the week of October 10, 2009 when it debuted at #57 on the Hot Country Songs chart. He also appeared on a rap remix of Montgomery Gentry's late-2008 Number One single "Roll with Me." Ford's debut album also has guest appearances from country singer Jamey Johnson, as well as Bone Crusher and Jermaine Dupri, Adrian Young of NoDoubt and Jeremy Popoff of Lit. The album did not enter the Billboard albums charts until 2009.

Ford co-wrote and originally recorded the song "Dirt Road Anthem" for his debut album Ride Through the Country, which was later released by Brantley Gilbert who co wrote the song on his 2010 album Halfway To Heaven, and again by Jason Aldean on his album My Kinda Party, also from 2010.

Ford wrote the theme song "Buck 'em" for the Professional Bull Riders association. He also appears as a guest vocalist on the track "Tailgatin'" on Cledus T. Judd's 2009 album Polyrically Uncorrect, a song which Ford wrote with Johnson and Popoff. Ford's second studio album, Chicken & Biscuits, was released in April 2010, following the release of its title track.

Ford released a third studio album on May 3, 2011 called Every Chance I Get. The album's lead-off single, "Country Thang", debuted at number 55 on country charts for the chart week ending February 19, 2011. "She Likes to Ride in Trucks", featuring Craig Morgan, serves as the album's second single.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
Ride Through the Country		* Release date: December 2, 2008	* Label: Average Joe's Entertainment	Compact disc>CD, music download	24	140	2	18	12
Chicken & Biscuits		* Release date: April 20, 2010	* Label: Average Joe's Entertainment	* Formats: CD, music download	8	28	—	4	4
Every Chance I Get		* Release date: May 3, 2011	* Label: Average Joe's Entertainment	* Formats: CD, music download	3	26	—	5	3

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
Country Is as Country Does		* Release date: October 6, 2009	* Label: Average Joe's Entertainment	* Formats: CD, music download	41	14	46

Live albums

Title	Album details	Peak chartpositions
		! width="45"	! width="45"
Live from the Suwannee River Jam		* Release date: December 8, 2009	* Label: Average Joe's Entertainment	* Formats: CD, music download	45	17

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		! width="60"
	"No Trash in My Trailer"	—
"Ride Through the Country" (with John Michael Montgomery)	57
	"Cold Beer" (with Jamey Johnson)	53
"Chicken & Biscuits"	60
	"Country Thang"	54
! scope="row"	—

Other charted songs

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		! width="60"
2010	"Mr. Goodtime"	60	Ride Through the Country

Music videos

! Year	Video	! Director
	"No Trash in My Trailer"
"No Trash in My Trailer" (version 2)
2009	"Mr. Goodtime"	Colt Ford
	"Chicken & Biscuits"	Potsy Ponciroli
"Hip Hop in a Honky Tonk" (with Kevin Fowler)	Wes Edwards
	"Country Thang" (with Dallas Davidson)	Potsy Ponciroli
"Waste Some Time" (with Nappy Roots and Nic Cowan)

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Association	! Category	! Result
2011	Academy of Country Music Awards	Vocal Event of the Year — "Cold Beer" (with Jamey Johnson)

References

Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:People from Athens, Georgia Category:Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Average Joe's Entertainment artists

de:Colt Ford

Name	Slim Thug
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Stayve Jerome Thomas
Birth date	September 08, 1980 Houston, Texas
Genre	Hip hop Gangsta rap
Height	6'6
Years active	1998–present
Label	Swishahouse, Boss Hogg Outlawz, Interscope, E1
Associated acts	Bun B, Chalie Boy, Chamillionaire, Dice, Z-RO, Yelawolf, Mike Jones, T.I., Pharrell, Gwen Stefani
Website	www.immahogg.com }}

Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known as Slim Thug, Boss Hogg or Thug Boss, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the popular single from rapper Mike Jones, "Still Tippin'".

Early life

Slim Thug grew up in Houston's Northside neighborhood of Homestead/Scenic Woods. Slim says that his rap name come from the fact that as a teenager, he was very tall and skinny before he filled out. He stands 6'6" tall. The Thug part comes from people's assumptions of him due to his fresh braids and sunglasses. At age 17, he performed freestyle raps at local high school parties. He began his rap career with Swishahouse in the late 1990s. After realizing how much money he could make distributing his own mixtapes, he parted ways with Swishahouse on good terms and formed his own independent label, Boss Hogg Outlawz. Thomas bought two record stores and worked in real estate.

Music career

Already Platinum (2005-2008)

Slim Thug's debut album with Star Trak Entertainment & Interscope Records, Already Platinum, was released in July 2005 after many delays. It premiered on #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and sold 130,000 copies in its first week. Singles included "3 Kings" (featuring T.I. and Bun B), and "I Ain't Heard of That" (featuring Pharrell and Bun B). Slim Thug appeared on Still Tippin' with Mike Jones and Paul Wall, Beyoncé Knowles's #1 single "Check on It" and Gwen Stefani's "Luxurious". With the Boss Hogg Outlawz, Slim Thug released three albums, Boyz N Blue (2004), Serve & Collect (2007) and Back by Blockular Demand: Serve & Collect II (2008). He left Interscope Records in 2008.

Boss of All Bosses (2009)

Slim Thug's second solo album Boss of All Bosses was released in 2009. Although not as successful as his debut album Boss of All Bosses debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 copies sold in the first week released. It included the single "I Run".

Tha Thug Show (2010-present)

Slim Thug is third studio album Tha Thug Show. His first single was "Gangsta" which featured Z-Ro. His second single featured rapper/singer B.o.B entitled "So High". It was released November 30, 2010.

Other Ventures

Acting career

In October 2009 he appeared on The Daily Show, in a parody discussing the effects of the recession upon wealthy rappers such as himself. The skit was filmed in part at The Lion's Den Recordings in Houston, Texas.

Personal life

Slim Thug dated singer LeToya Luckett until 2006. He claimed the two broke up as a result of his cheating and child with another woman.

According to MTV News, Lupe Fiasco's video for "Hip Hop Saved My Life" was based on Slim Thug's life story. "It is based on Slim Thug," Fiasco revealed. On June 7, 2010, Vibe released controversial statements Slim Thug had made regarding treatment of black men by black and white women saying "it’s hard to find [a successful black man] so Black women have to bow down and let it be known that they gotta start working hard; they gotta start cooking and being down for they man more. ...White women treat they man like a king."

The article stirred many varied reactions from bloggers and online commentators. Cultural critic and Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill, singers Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods, and Talib Kweli have all responded publicly to his comments.

Discography

;Studio albums

2005: Already Platinum

2009: Boss of All Bosses

2010: Tha Thug Show

Awards and Nominations

MTV Video Music Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
align=center	"Still Tippin'"
align=center	"Check On It"

References

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas Category:E1 Music artists

cs:Slim Thug de:Slim Thug es:Slim Thug fr:Slim Thug it:Slim Thug nl:Slim Thug no:Slim Thug pl:Slim Thug pt:Slim Thug fi:Slim Thug sv:Slim Thug

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

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