Commemorative Manuscript On Tupac Shakur, Music, College Term Papers.com


		Data Bases
		• Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism?

		Links
		• Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com

		Free Essays
		• Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers

Search Lots of Essays

Back to Subjects - Music

Commemorative Manuscript On Tupac Shakur

Commemorative Manuscript On Tupac Shakur Central theme: Tupac was a very misunderstood individual, and a lot can be learned from his life. 1. When most people hear the name Tupac, they think of a tattooed thug, a gangsta rapper killed in a tragic shooting who only got what was coming to him, a man who lived by the gun, and who died by the gun. However, those people probably have never taken a chance to look beyond what their eyes tell them, past the ignorance and into the depths of the man who really was Tupac. 2. Tupac Shakur was born on September 17, 1971, in Brooklyn New York. Tupac got into acting early in his life, landing his first role in an acting ensemble when he was 12 years old. Tupac also began writing many poems and love songs, keeping them in a journal, which has since been published. Soon after however, he and his family moved to Baltimore. 3. In Baltimore, at the age of 15, Tupac enrolled in the illustrious Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting and ballet with white kids. He always said that this was where he felt he finally got in touch with himself, because up until this point he had been searching. While he was there, he discovered rap music, showing potential as a strong lyricist and impressing his teachers with his acting and rhyming skills. 4. Unfortunately, Tupac was not able to continue his training. He moved out west to Oakland, California in 1988 with the rest of his family, where he began to, as he called it, “hang with the wrong crowd.” He started selling drugs and got off track, joining a gang and spending time in and out of jail. 5. In 1990, he joined a rap group known as the Digital Underground, and over the next two years released two albums with them, before finally starting a very successful solo career, releasing the eventual platinum selling album “2Pacalypse Now” on November 12, 1991. Over the next five years, Tupac enjoyed a lot of success in both the rap industry and as an actor. He released four more albums including raps first ever double CD, all going multiple platinum. He also acted in three movies earning high remarks from directors and actors. However, for the first half of this successful solo career, Tupac continued to go further off track. He was arrested several times over the next three years, but was acquitted of every crime. In 1993, he was arrested for the last time, but while on trial, he was shot five times during an alleged robbery. Tupac underwent surgery and checked himself out of the hospital two hours after that. Tupac was still on trial however, and this time earned a four and a half year sentence on February 14, 1995. During April of that year, Tupac conducted an interview with Vibe magazine, in which he renounced the life that he had been living and promised to do nothing but positive works from then on. On October of 95, record company CEO signed Tupac to a record deal and then posted bond for Tupac. Tupac immediately began work on what would be his last album, All Eyez On Me, which was released on February 13, 1996. Tupac also began to live up to his promise that he made in prison, performing many charitable acts and staying away from the things that had previously gotten him into trouble. His rap music also began to carry a message of hope for those who grew up on the streets. 6. Around this time, a group of rap artists from New York began a feud with rappers from California. In fact many say that this group were the ones who shot Tupac while he was on trial. This feud, known as the West Coast Vs. East Coast feud, eventually cost rap two of its biggest stars. During this feud, Tupac refused to fight with his fellow rappers, even offering forgiveness to the East Coast rappers who allegedly shot him. Because of this he was one of the main targets of the feud. On September 7, 1996, Tupac, while on the way to a concert he was performing for charity, was shot four times by unknown assailants. He was in critical condition over the next six days, and on September 13, 1996, at 4:03 PM, Tupac was pronounced dead. During the last year of Tupac’s life, he made mention to many people that he wasn’t going to live very much longer. He stepped up his charity work and pleaded with children not to go down the road that he had traveled, telling them that there were other ways for them to escape the streets instead of becoming a victim to them. Although it isn’t certain whether or not Tupac gave his life over to the Lord, he spoke frequently of God and his love for Him. Tupac really had become a changed man, living up to the promises he made instead of forgetting about them as most people expected him to. And still to this day, people refuse to give credit to this man for the good things he did for the underprivileged and for the message of hope and love he brought. Many only remember the songs in which he glorified thug life and choose to forget his later work in which he denounced his past and the life of the street, and because of this, Tupac has never been recognized for his true self. 7. When people see pictures of him now, they see his tattoos and his imposing looks, they don’t look into his eyes and see the desperation burning there for children who never have chances to live a normal life. They see a rugged tough man and ignore the sensitivity that 25 years of life had taught him. But when I see him, when I look at pictures of him I see the man who wrote the following two poems. The first titled “In The Event of my Demise,” which says this: In the event of my demise, when my heart can beat no more, I hope that I die for a principle or a belief that I had lived for I will die before my time, because I feel the shadows depth So much I wanted to accomplish before I reached my death I have come to grips with the possibility and wiped the last tear from my eyes I loved all who were positive, in the event of my demise. The second poem, titled “And Tomorrow,” goes like this: Today is filled with anger, fueled with hidden hate Scared of being outcast, afraid of common fate Today is built on tragedies, which no one wants to face Nightmares to realities and morally disgraced Tonight is filled with rage, violence in the air Children bred with ruthlessness because no one at home cares Tonight I lay my head down but this pressure never stops Gnawing at my sanity, content when I am dropped But tomorrow I see change, a chance to build anew Built on spirit intent of heart, and ideals based on truth And tomorrow I wake with second wind and strong because of pride To know I fought with all my heart to keep my dream alive Words of a man who, as some say, was of a violent nature? I say these are words of a man who wanted to give himself up to change the way things were for the good. And for this, he was killed. And for this, people hate him now after he is gone. As I go, I would like to read Tupac’s favorite verse, Exodus 18:11 which was tattooed on his back: Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1291