Focuses exclusively on the studio craft of the late rap legend, Featuring exclusive interviews with many of his producers, including a lengthy, multi-chapter interview with Shakur's closest musical collaborator, Johnny J, among others, offering fans never-before-revealed insight into 2-Pac's recording method, the inter-workings of his songwriting process
The highly anticipated anthology from music industry executive Aiyisha T. Obafemi chronicles and commemorates the societal, and cultural contributions of legendary icon, Tupac Amaru Shakur. Tupac Amaru Shakur, is unquestionably hailed as one of the most influential rappers of all time. Known to many by his stage names 2pac and Makaveli, his contributions to the entertainment industry and the world as a songwriter and actor consciously shaped the destiny of scores of generations through his unapologetic activism and efforts to shed light against a backdrop of an America in search of justice for all. Born June 16, 1971, in East Harlem, New York, NY as the son of Black Panthers, Tupac's destiny was to challenge societal norms that far too often justified inequality and systemic oppression. Through an offering of poignant, unabridged, stories and anecdotes, A Light On A Hill is an unyielding compilation told through the eyes of a vast array of cultural icons and influencers who recognized the heroism in documenting divine wisdom and insight imparted by Tupac prior to his untimely passing. Candid interviews from Angie Martinez, Bun B., D.J. Trauma, Marshawn Lynch, Free Marie, Omari Hardwick, YZ, D-Nice, April Walker, David Banner, Big Krit, Chaka Zulu, Terri J. Vaughn, Shanti Das, Stephen Hill, Mack Wilds, and more with a moving foreword by Sway Calloway, and afterword by Tupac's sister, Set Shakur serve to further preserve his genius and commemorate his 50th birthday.
It's been almost 20 years since poet, revolutionary, convict, and movie star, Tupac Amaru Shakur (a.k.a 2Pac, Makaveli, or simply 'pac), was gunned down at age 25 while he sat in traffic with Suge Knight near the Las Vegas Strip following a Mike Tyson fight at MGM Grand. In the new updated and expanded third edition of this acclaimed biography, Las Vegas crime writer Cathy Scott has finally been able to include the previously unpublished chapter featuring the account of that last fateful night from "Big Frank," the rapper's now-deceased personal bodyguard. The raw no-holds-barred narrative, which includes exclusive photo evidence (including of Tupac's autopsy), is the definitive account of the unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur: the many possible motives, the failed investigation, the rap wars, the killing of Biggie Smalls, the Bloods-Crips connection, the Suge Knight and Death Row Records association, and the subsequent fate of numerous principals involved in the aftermath. It is also a sensitive, candid, and insightful account of the contradictory icon who remains not only one of the most influential rappers ever but, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide, he's also one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The music of Tupac Shakur is the legacy of his life. The Killing of Tupac Shakur is the legacy of his death.
A New Yorker writer’s intimate, revealing account of Tupac Shakur’s life and legacy, timed to the fiftieth anniversary of his birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death. In the summer of 2020, Tupac Shakur’s single “Changes” became an anthem for the worldwide protests against the murder of George Floyd. The song became so popular, in fact, it was vaulted back onto the iTunes charts more than twenty years after its release—making it clear that Tupac’s music and the way it addresses systemic racism, police brutality, mass incarceration, income inequality, and a failing education system is just as important now as it was back then. In Changes, published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Tupac’s birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, Sheldon Pearce offers one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive accounts yet of the artist’s life and legacy. Pearce, an editor and writer at The New Yorker, interviews dozens who knew Tupac throughout various phases of his life. While there are plenty of bold-faced names, the book focuses on the individuals who are lesser known and offer fresh stories and rare insight. Among these are the actor who costarred with him in a Harlem production of A Raisin in the Sun when he was twelve years old, the high school drama teacher who recognized and nurtured his talent, the music industry veteran who helped him develop a nonprofit devoted to helping young artists, the Death Row Records executive who has never before spoken on the record, and dozens of others. Meticulously woven together by Pearce, their voices combine to portray Tupac in all his complexity and contradiction. This remarkable book illustrates not only how he changed during his brief twenty-five years on this planet, but how he forever changed the world.
Acclaimed for his writings on Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as his passionate defense of black youth culture, Michael Eric Dyson has emerged as the leading African American intellectual of his generation. Now Dyson turns his attention to one of the most enigmatic figures of the past decade: the slain hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. Five years after his murder, Tupac remains a widely celebrated, deeply loved, and profoundly controversial icon among black youth. Viewed by many as a "black James Dean," he has attained cult status partly due to the posthumous release of several albums, three movies, and a collection of poetry. But Tupac endures primarily because of the devotion of his loyal followers, who have immortalized him through tributes, letters, songs, and celebrations, many in cyberspace. Dyson helps us to understand why a twenty-five-year-old rapper, activist, poet, actor, and alleged sex offender looms even larger in death than he did in life. With his trademark skills of critical thinking and storytelling, Dyson examines Tupac's hold on black youth, assessing the ways in which different elements of his persona-thug, confused prophet, fatherless child-are both vital and destructive. At once deeply personal and sharply analytical, Dyson's book offers a wholly original way of looking at Tupac Shakur that will thrill those who already love the artist and enlighten those who want to understand him. "In the tradition of jazz saxophonists John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, Dyson riffs with speed, eloquence, bawdy humor, and startling truths that have the effect of hitting you like a Mack truck."-San Francisco Examiner "Such is the genius of Dyson. He flows freely from the profound to the profane, from popular culture to classical literature." -- Washington Postbr Philadelphia Inquirer "Among the young black intellectuals to emerge since the demise of the civil rights movement" -- undoubtedly the most insightful and thought-provoking is Michael Eric Dyson." -- Manning Marable, Director of African American Studies, Columbia University
Journalist Soren Baker’sThe History of Gangster Rap takes a deep dive into this fascinating music subgenre. Foreword by Xzibit Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that fascinates music junkies and remains at the forefront of pop culture. Filled with interviews with key players such as Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and dozens more, as well as sidebars, breakout bios of notorious characters, lists, charts, and beyond, The History of Gangster Rap is the be-all-end-all book that contextualizes the importance of gangster rap as a cultural phenomenon. “History has so often been written by the victors, that you very rarely ever get the real story behind anything. So it’s really important to hear from the people that were there, which is exactly what Soren Baker shares in this book. He writes about it and he’s honest about it.” —The D.O.C.
A collection of deeply personal poems by Tupac Shakur - a mirror into his enigmatic world and its many contradicitions written from the time he was nineteen.
Jane’s Addiction’s instantly-legendary catalog of albums spawned a generational movement that would change the face of rock n’ roll forever, giving way to mainstream alternative rock in the 1990s. Now, for the first time fans are taken behind the scenes and quite literally into the studio for V.I.P. access inside the writing and recording of the legendary classics Jane Says, Coming Down the Mountain, Three Days, Been Caught Stealing, Stop, and a host of other songs. Chronicled via exclusive interviews with lead producer Dave Jerden, engineer Ronnie S. Champagne, legendary Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin, as well as early players in discovering the band, including former Triple X Records A&R head Charlie Brown, and members of Perry Farrell’s first L.A. band PSI COM (where the sonic foundations of Jane’s experimental sound were first discovered/fine-tuned), this is by far the most definitive study of Jane’s Addiction’s legendary musical legacy. Now in the pages of ‘Jane’s Addiction: in the Studio,’ fans get the first and only definitive look inside the making of Jane's Addiction's legendary, genre-altering catalog of hits!
The infamous Suge Knight, former Death Row Records CEO, and Keffe D are the only living eyewitnesses to the deadly confrontation on the Las Vegas strip between the occupants of our two vehicles. A violent confrontation that led to the deaths of two of Hip-Hop's biggest stars (Tupac Shakur & Christopher 'Notorious B.I.G.' Wallace) and changed Hip-Hop history forever. There's a strict code on the streets. One that real street players live, kill, and die by. Compton Street Legend reveals the street-level code violations and the explosive consequences when the powerful worlds of the streets, entertainment, and corrupt law enforcement collide. More than twenty years after the premature deaths of Tupac and Biggie there have been numerous TV specials, documentaries, books, magazine and newspaper, and social media dedicated to the subject. But at the end of the day, none of the private investigators, retired police officers, informants, Hip-Hop heads, actors, or academics that have weighed in on the topic truly know what happened and the reasons behind it, because none of them were there. Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, a native of Compton, California, admittedly lived most of his life as a gangster; a real gangster that did the shit that real gangsters do. He rose up the gang-banging ranks to become a shot-caller for the notorious Southside Compton Crips, while running a multi-million dollar, multi-state drug empire. Keffe D has been a central figure in both the Tupac Shakur and Biggie murders for the past 20 years. COMPTON STREET LEGEND will add valuable information about two of the biggest "unsolved" crimes in American history. It will serve as the missing piece of the puzzle that Hip-Hop Fans have been waiting for. On the surface, COMPTON STREET LEGEND will look like a story based on violence and hate, it is actually a story about Love, Family, Brotherhood, Loyalty, Trust, and Honor. It's time to set the story straight. Fasten your seatbelts.
