Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. Raised by his mother, he relocated to Baltimore in 1984 and to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. With the release of his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he became a central figure in West Coast hip-hop for his conscious rap lyrics. Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993) and Me Against the World (1995). His Diamond certified album All Eyez on Me (1996), the first double-length album in hip-hop history, abandoned his introspective lyrics for volatile gangsta rap. In addition to his music career, Shakur also found considerable success as an actor, with his starring roles in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), Above the Rim (1994), Bullet (1996), Gridlock'd (1997), and Gang Related (1997).
During the later part of his career, Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio and experienced legal troubles, including incarceration. In 1995, Shakur served eight months in prison on sexual abuse charges, but was released pending an appeal of his conviction. Following his release, he signed to Marion "Suge" Knight's label Death Row Records and became heavily involved in the growing East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas; he died six days later. Following his murder, Shakur's friend-turned-rival, the Notorious B.I.G., was at first considered a suspect due to their public feud, but was also murdered in another drive-by shooting six months later in March 1997 while visiting Los Angeles.
Five more albums have been released since Shakur's death, all of which have been certified Platinum in the United States. In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Shakur among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. While born Lesane Parish Crooks, at age one he was renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur. He was named after Túpac Amaru II, the descendant of the last Incan ruler, Túpac Amaru, who was executed in Peru in 1781 after his failed revolt against Spanish rule. Shakur's mother explained, "I wanted him to have the name of revolutionary, indigenous people in the world. I wanted him to know he was part of a world culture and not just from a neighborhood."
Shakur had an older stepbrother, Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, and a half-sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, two years his junior.
2 Pac Tupac
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where every other had a pops and a motha
I was the product of a heated lover
Nobody knew how deep it screwed me
And since my pops never knew me
My family didn't know what to do with me
Was i somebody they despised?
Curious look in they eyes
And poor momma can't control me
"Quit trying' to save my soul
I wanna roll with my homies!"
A tickin timebomb, can't nobody fade me
Packin' a 380 and fiendin' for Mercedes
Suckers scatter but it don't matter
I'm a cool shot punks drop from all the
Buckshots the fools got
I'm tired of being a nice guy
I've been poor all my life
But don't know quite why
So they label me a lunatic
Could care leas death or success
Is what i quest cause i'm fearless
The streets are deathrow
I just murdered a man
I'm even more stressed wearin' a vest
Hopin' that they're aimin' at my chest
Much too young to bite the bullet
Hand on the trigga
I see my life before my eyes
Each time i pull it
I hope I live to be a man
Must be part of some big plan to
Keep a brotha in the state pen
Counting pennys over the years
I'd done stacked many proving wrong those
Who swore i'd wouldn't live till twenty
Now they gotta cope
Since it's the only thing I know
It's difficult to let it go
I'm startin' to loose my hair cause i worry
Hustlin' to keep from gettin' buried
But now i gotta move away now
Cause these suckers love ta' spray
Where I lay down
My homie lost his family, he snapped
Shot up half the block to bring them back
The streets are deathrow
I'm dangerous when drunk, I only drink beer
Gin makes me sin unable to think clear
Henessey makes me think my
Enemy is getting close bOOM BOOM BOOM!
Got me shooting at a ghost
Some call me crazy but this
Is what you gave me
Amongst the babies who raised
Up from the slavery
I sport a vest and hit the
Sess to kill the stress
Moved out west and I invest in all the best
Those who test will find a
Bullet in they chest
Put to rest by a brotha who was hopeless
Grow up broke on the rope of insanity
How many pistols smoking coming
From a broken family i'm sick of being tired
Sick of the sirens, body bags
And the gun firing
Tell bush, "Push the button!" cause i'm fed
Tired of hearin' these voices in my head
The steeets are deathrow
The lyrics of 2Pac and James Brown's song Thug Mansion describe the quest for a peaceful place for thugs to rest and escape from the pressures of life. The singer is tired of getting shot at, chased by police and arrested. He is seeking a place where he and other thugs can be free from the constraints of society and Hollywood's expectations. He contemplates suicide but holds back when he thinks of his mother. He seeks a place to spend his quiet nights and where he can unwind from the pressures of life. He found such a place in Thug Mansion where thugs get in for free, and only G's are welcome. He envisions Thug Mansion as an ideal spot where people can smoke and drink in peace.
The song also talks about the struggle of life and how differences can create trouble. The singer sees himself as a victim of the system and wants a place where he can escape the deadly places where drugs are being sold. He needs a place where he can find peace in a world full of fights and darkness. Thug's Mansion is the only place where he can find solace and feel at home. The song ends with a prayer to God, asking him to save a spot in thug's mansion so he can find peace with all the people he knew and loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Shit, tired of gettin' shot at
I am exhausted from constantly being in danger and getting shot at.
Tired of gettin chased by the police and arrested
I am fed up with constantly getting chased by the police and ending up getting arrested.
Niggas need a spot where WE can kick it
A spot where we can be ourselves and relax would be great.
A spot where WE belong, that's just for us
We want to have a place where we feel like we fit in and don't have to impress anyone who doesn't understand us.
Niggas ain't gotta get all dressed up and be Hollywood
We don't want to have to dress up and pretend to be something we're not.
Y'knahmean? Where do niggas go when we die?
Do you understand what I'm saying? Where do people like us go when we die?
Ain't no heaven for a thug nigga
Society doesn't accept us, so why would we expect to be accepted into heaven?
That's why we go to thug mansion
Thug mansion is our own version of heaven, a place where we can feel accepted and appreciated.
That's the only place where thugs get in free and you gotta be a G, at thug mansion
Thug mansion is exclusive to people who truly understand what it means to be a thug and won't try to get in just to look cool.
A place to spend my quiet nights, time to unwind
We need a place where we can relax after a long day and not have to worry about anything else.
So much pressure in this life of mine, I cry at times
I am under a lot of stress and sometimes it gets overwhelming and brings me to tears.
I once contemplated suicide, and woulda tried
I have been so low that I considered ending my own life and might have followed through if I didn't have something to hold onto.
But when I held that 9, all I could see was my momma's eyes
When I held a gun, I realized I couldn't go through with it because I thought about my mother and how she would feel if I died.
No one knows my struggle, they only see the trouble
People only see the bad things that happen to me, but they don't see the internal struggles I go through.
Not knowin' it's hard to carry on when no one loves you
It's difficult to keep going when it feels like nobody cares about you.
Picture me inside the misery of poverty
Imagine being in my shoes and experiencing the difficulties of life in poverty.
No man alive has ever witnessed struggles I survived
It's hard to find someone who truly understands the struggles I've faced and overcome.
Prayin' hard for better days, promise to hold on
I have faith that things will get better and I promise to keep going even when it's tough.
Me and my dogs ain't have a choice but to roll on
My friends and I have had to keep moving forward no matter what obstacles we face.
We found a family spot to kick it
We finally found a place where we feel like we belong and can be ourselves.
Where we can drink liquor and no one bickers over trick shit
We can relax and have a good time without anyone arguing over anything trivial.
A spot where we can smoke in peace, and even though we G's
We don't have to hide who we are, even when we're smoking, and we can feel safe.
We still visualize places, that we can roll in peace
We still dream of finding places where we can be safe and happy without worrying about anything else.
And in my mind's eye I see this place, the players go in fast
I have a clear vision of what this place looks like and how we get there.
I got a spot for us all, so we can ball, at thug's mansion
I have a place where we can all hang out and live our lives to the fullest without any interference or judgment.
Will I survive all the fights and the darkness?
I wonder if I will be able to overcome all the struggles I face and come out on top.
Trouble sparks, they tell me home is where the heart is, dear departed
People say that home is where you feel most comfortable and loved, but for me, it's hard to feel at home when so many of my loved ones have passed away.
I shed tattooed tears and couldn't sleep good
I cry so much that the tears feel like they're tattooed on my face and I struggle to sleep at night.
For multiple years, witness peers catch gunshots
I've seen too many of my friends get shot and killed over the years.
Nobody cares, seen the politicians ban us
Nobody seems to care about the issues we face, and politicians have even tried to ban us.
They'd rather see us locked in chains, please explain
People in power would rather see us locked up in prison than try to help us find a way out of poverty and violence.
Why they can't stand us, is there a way for me to change?
I don't understand why people hate us so much, and I wonder if there's anything I can do to change their minds.
Or am I just a victim of things I did to maintain?
Maybe the reason people hate us is because of the things we've done to try to survive and make a better life for ourselves.
I need a place to rest my head
I need a safe place to go and relax when things get too hard.
With the little bit of homeboys that remains, cause all the rest dead
I want to be with the few friends I have left who are alive, because so many others have passed away.
Is there a spot for us to roll, if you find it
If you find a place where we can hang out and be safe, let me know.
I'll be right behind ya, show me and I'll go
I am willing to follow wherever you lead me, as long as it's a safe place for me and my friends.
How can I be peaceful? I'm coming from the bottom
It's hard for me to feel at peace when I come from such a difficult and dangerous background.
Watch my daddy scream, "Peace," while the other man shot him
I witnessed my father getting shot and killed, even though he was trying to make peace.
I need a house that's full of love when I need to escape
I want a place where I can be surrounded by love and happiness when I need to take a break from all the struggles of my life.
The deadly places slingin' drugs, in thug's mansion
I'd rather be in a place like thug mansion than in a place where people are selling drugs and violence is rampant.
Dear momma don't cry, your baby boy's doin good
Mom, don't worry about me, everything is going to be okay.
Tell the homies I'm in heaven and they ain't got hoods
Let my friends know that I'm in a better place, where nobody has to worry about being shot or killed.
Seen a show with Marvin Gaye last night, it had me shook
Last night I had a dream where I saw a show with Marvin Gaye and it really affected me.
Drippin' peppermint Schnapps, with Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke
In my dream, I was drinking peppermint Schnapps with some of my favorite musicians.
Then some lady named Billie Holiday
Another musician I saw in my dream was Billie Holiday.
Sang sittin' there kickin' it with Malcolm, 'til the day came
In my dream, I spent time with Malcolm X and Billie Holiday until it was time for me to leave.
Little Latasha sho' grown
In my dream, I saw Latasha, who was just a child when she died, all grown up.
Tell the lady in the liquorstore that she's forgiven, so come home
In my dream, I forgave someone and I want them to come home so we can be friends again.
Maybe in time you'll understand only God can save us
Maybe someday you'll realize that only God can help us and make a difference in our lives.
When Miles Davis cuttin' lose with the band
In my dream, I saw Miles Davis playing music with his band and it was amazing.
Just think of all the people that you knew in the past
Think about all the people you knew who have passed away in the past.
That passed on, they in heaven, found peace at last
Those people have passed on and are now in heaven, where they have finally found peace.
Picture a place that they exist, together
Imagine a place where all the people you knew who have passed away are together.
There has to be a place better than this, in heaven
There must be a better place than this, a place in heaven where we can be truly happy.
So right before I sleep, dear God, what I'm askin'
Before I go to sleep, I want to ask God for something.
Remember this face, save me a place, in thug's mansion
Please God, remember me and save me a place in thug mansion, the place where I feel like I truly belong.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Josh_Andrade
Diddy going to prison, you can rest now, Pac. The whole world miss you
@shubotube
let's be honest, This doesn't come to your recommendation, you searched for it.
@itamar3800
Hell yea
@yosi8246
Yeah...
@johnlucas5581
You just feel the beat in your head and you know you have to give it a listen
@klausm6137
Of course :D
@boris2656
True story
@Taby86
Nothing can beat 90s rap.
@andrewg4553
FACTS!!!!👍🏼💯🔥❤️🔥🤘🏼🔊🔊🔊
@suspedomaxxin
it aint even rap anymore.. i dont know what the hell this stuff is these days