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.
Die Slow
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey yo assasin... gimme one of them tracks I can just ride on motherfuckers
with...
mobb deep...
niggaz talkin bout we can't rap? Niggaz must nota' never heard no motherfuckin
track offa death row nigga...
DEATH ROW... WESTSIDE...
Let's get it on... daylight or fuckin nightbreak...
Go into these niggaz... to the motherfuckin death...
Come hell or high water
Down to slaughter opposes
Just another lost soul stuck callin Jehova
Outlaw til it's over
Brandish my strap. black like a cobra
I stay drunk. cause I'm a MADMAN. whenever sober
On a one man mission
My ambitions to hold up the rap game
While I pluck holes in niggaz like donuts
And still, down to die for all my souljas.
Like hillbillies, they don't feel me, so we FEUD. bringin war to the city
With each breath... death before dishonor
Never let you swallow me, no apologies. your honor
A general in war, I'm the first to bomb
With a squad of trusted killers quick to move shit. heavily armed
I'm similar to Sadaam... sometimes I question "who's sane"
Like fiends frantic for that last vein, stuck in the game!
I hit the scene like sandstorm.
then transform. WATCH ME!
I take the figure of thirty niggas who all got me
While bitches wonderin who shot me
No love. keep a grudge. shootin slugs like my Muammar Quadaffi
Murder my friends, built a new posse
We takin shots at paparazzi
Gonna fly now. nigga like Rocky
You got a lotta nerve to play me
Another gay rapper.
Bustin caps at JayZ. and still avoid capture
While y'all caught up in the rapture
Still after me I'm in Jamaica sippin' daqueries.
No doubt
We used to havin nothin
Then grabbin somethin and bustin
Wanted to be the thug nigga. that my old man wasn't
I came to a fear of catchin cases
Litigation. niggaz playahatin'. got me crooked in all fifty states
I'm screamin DEATH ROW. throwin westside. ain't no thing
We was raised off driveby's. brought up to bang
We claim mob. MOB. if you be specific
We control. ALL cash from the Atlantic, Pacific
And get this. I'm hard to kill
While I build with this live spot
Father. how the hell did I SURVIVE. these five shots?!
Live it up or give it up
And like DEMONS. late night. hear 'em screamin.
WE GOIN ALL OUT!...
With money clutchin, bail, come muder man, po's rushin
Cap tilted to the side, on the lean out the ride bustin'
Outlaws enforce the secrets of war, but won't abuse it
Burnt, bury my burners with my dead buddies when I use it
Give a fuck about later. shots warm through the equator
Death to you traitors, shots bitin' through your bones like alligator
Payin my dues. lookin for miscellaneous infamous crews
Old ladies sing the blues. leave them smokin from they shoes...
Now with my every wakin' moment
I'm on a quest to be better, yeah
Position myself to prosper state, prepared for whatever
But at times, I slip slightly, shit I ain't afraid to admit it
To gone, off that novacaine, like in too hard to live it
And I'm just a smidgeon past my teenage years. into adulthood
Now I ride with G's finally, knowin myself good
And it felt good, when I was young but playtime's over
EDI here take this gun nigga... it's over...
I piss cold blood, shit hot liquor out my liver
Smoke like a tail pipe, and write when I'm bitter
All my life I been considered a downright, dirty nigga
From when daddy knocked mama' s twat popped the last drop from the litter
Tell me give the world hell
But in hell I give 'em mo'
And I bail outta jail
Screamin fuck the Po' Po'
When I run to take that enough, from a simple fuck
to multimillion dollar luck
Plus I think it's time to grab all pistols. wave them shits in the air
Celebrate Outlaw livin nigga, I wouldn't be here
To you death is losin, and to me this shit's a family reuinion
And to hell wit a peace treaty, never call it, cause it wouldn't feed me
My wallet. be as empty as the day I got started
Twelve shots in my pocket, left my niggaz departed
It's a shame that these snake vultures niggaz coldhearted
In a dirty world where only God know yo death and can call it...
We thugged out, low cut, Outlawz rush and royal flush
Bomb first kickin dust. out in Cali, but I ain't in it so much
make 'em pay state to state, NJ to CA
Them cowards felt the weight, and turned feminen like Michel'le
Niggaz change they whole style when the outlawz comin
A million miles and thuggin
Young Noble.I keep 'em buzzin
While the rapture. capture this fuckin style that I master
Bringin terminal disaster. HIT YOU UP when I pass nigga...
US, THE FIRST TO BUST, WHO DO WE TRUST? OUT FOR MOBB DEEP AND JAYZ, DEAD IN
THE DUST,
I TOLD YOU PUNKS THAT I WAS AFTER BIGGIE... YOU GOT INVOLVED, NOW WE BOUT TO
BUST ON ALL Y'ALL... GOIN ALL OUT...
US, THE FIRST TO BUST, WHO DO WE TRUST? OUT FOR MOBB DEEP AND JAYZ, DEAD IN
THE DUST,
I TOLD YOU PUNKS THAT I WAS AFTER BIGGIE... YOU GOT INVOLVED, NOW WE BOUT TO
BUST ON ALL Y'ALL... GOIN ALL OUT...
US, THE FIRST TO BUST, WHO DO WE TRUST? OUT FOR MOBB DEEP AND JAYZ, DEAD IN
THE DUST,
I TOLD YOU PUNKS THAT I WAS AFTER PIGGIE... YOU GOT INVOLVED, NOW WE BOUT TO
BUST ON ALL Y'ALL... WESTSIDE... GOIN ALL OUT...
JayZ... haha boy you at yo funeral... punk motherfucker
WESTSIDE... OUTLAW... DEATHROW... MAKAVELI THA DON... OUTLAWZ THE CRIMINAL
DESPERADO'S... WESTSIDE THUG LIVIN...
DIE, DIE SLOW,
(think my memory ain't bad you about the buisness...)
DIE, DIE SLOW,
(BANG, you dead)
DIE, DIE SLOW,
(haha mobb deep, you lil young ass juvenile delinquent...)
DIE, DIE SLOW,
(BANG BANG, you dead)
DIE, DIE SLOW,
(biggie... BANG, you dead)
DIE, DIE SLOW,
(puffy... BANG, you dead)
DIE, DIE, DIE SLOW,
(you robbed the game, no need to explain, get outta here)
DIE, DIE, DIE SLOW,
DIE, DIE, DIE SLOW,
mmh, DIE, DIE SLOW,
MY LABEL, THE NOTORIOUS, UNTOUCHABLE, DEATH ROW...
The lyrics of 2Pac's "Die Slow" from his "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" album reflect the rapper's violent and aggressive attitude towards his perceived enemies. As soon as the track starts, he calls out several other rappers, including Jay-Z and Mobb Deep, and threatens to attack them. The lyrics contain graphic descriptions of violence, including shooting and killing people, and boastful claims of power and control over the rap industry.
In the first verse, 2Pac introduces himself as a warrior on a mission to hold up the rap game and take down his enemies. He compares himself to a hillbilly, and states that his enemies don't understand him, which causes them to feud with him. He emphasizes his readiness to die for his cause repeatedly and boasts that he is heavily armed and ready to move quickly.
The second verse contains more violent imagery, with 2Pac depicting himself as a merciless killer who is impervious to harm. He claims he's hard to kill, and he questions whether he is insane. He brags about his ability to blend in with others and escape detection. Finally, he references the fact that he was shot five times in real life, but he managed to survive.
Overall, "Die Slow" is a violent and uncompromising song that reflects the hardcore attitude of 2Pac during a tumultuous period in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
jayz... come out to play...
Hey JayZ, come and face me in this battle...
niggaz talkin bout we can't rap? Niggaz must nota' never heard no motherfuckin track offa death row nigga...
People who say we can't rap must have never listened to any of the amazing tracks from Death Row Records...
Let's get it on... daylight or fuckin nightbreak...
Let's start this fight, no matter the time of day or night...
Go into these niggaz... to the motherfuckin death...
We're going all out, attacking our enemies until they're defeated...
Come hell or high water
No matter what challenges or obstacles come my way...
Down to slaughter opposes
Ready to defeat anyone who opposes me...
Just another lost soul stuck callin Jehova
Feeling lost and searching for guidance or purpose...
Outlaw til it's over
Remaining a rebel or outsider until the end...
Brandish my strap, black like a cobra
Holding my weapon, which is black and deadly like a cobra...
I stay drunk. cause I'm a MADMAN. whenever sober
I drink to escape my madness because when I'm sober, my insanity overwhelms me...
On a one man mission
I am focused on accomplishing my goals alone...
My ambitions to hold up the rap game
My goal is to dominate and elevate the rap industry...
While I pluck holes in niggaz like donuts
I expose and criticize weak individuals in the rap game...
And still, down to die for all my souljas.
I am willing to sacrifice my life for my loyal companions...
Like hillbillies, they don't feel me, so we FEUD. bringin war to the city
Similar to feuding hillbillies, these people don't understand me, so I bring conflict to their territory...
With each breath... death before dishonor
I value death over being disloyal or dishonorable...
Never let you swallow me, no apologies. your honor
I will never let you defeat or control me, and I have no apologies for my actions...
A general in war, I'm the first to bomb
I am a leader on the battlefield, always initiating the attack...
With a squad of trusted killers quick to move shit. heavily armed
I have a team of loyal assassins who are always ready for action and well-equipped with weapons...
I'm similar to Sadaam... sometimes I question 'who's sane'
I compare myself to Saddam Hussein, and I sometimes wonder who is truly mentally stable...
Like fiends frantic for that last vein, stuck in the game!
Just like drug addicts desperately searching for their next fix, I feel trapped and unable to escape the rap industry...
I hit the scene like sandstorm. then transform. WATCH ME!
I enter the rap scene with a powerful and unpredictable force, and I demand everyone's attention...
I take the figure of thirty niggas who all got me
I become the embodiment of all the enemies who have targeted me...
While bitches wonderin who shot me
While people are curious about who attempted to assassinate me...
No love. keep a grudge. shootin slugs like my Muammar Quadaffi
I have no love or forgiveness, and I retaliate with violence, just like Muammar Gaddafi...
Murder my friends, built a new posse
After losing my friends to death, I have assembled a new group of allies...
We takin shots at paparazzi
We are attacking and targeting the intrusive paparazzi...
Gonna fly now. nigga like Rocky
I will rise and succeed, just like Rocky Balboa...
You got a lotta nerve to play me
You are incredibly bold and audacious for disrespecting me...
Another gay rapper. Bustin caps at JayZ. and still avoid capture
Referring to another rapper as homosexual, suggesting they lack authenticity, and expressing the ability to attack JayZ without consequences...
While y'all caught up in the rapture
While others are mesmerized or captivated by something...
Still after me I'm in Jamaica sippin' daqueries
Even though there are still people pursuing me, I am relaxed and enjoying myself in Jamaica...
We used to havin nothin
We were accustomed to having nothing...
Then grabbin somethin and bustin
But now we have something and we are willing to act violently to defend it...
Wanted to be the thug nigga. that my old man wasn't
I desired to become the kind of dangerous man that my father was not...
I came to a fear of catchin cases
I developed a fear of getting arrested or being charged with crimes...
Litigation. niggaz playahatin'. got me crooked in all fifty states
Facing lawsuits and dealing with jealous individuals has caused trouble for me across the entire United States...
I'm screamin DEATH ROW. throwin westside. ain't no thing
I proudly represent Death Row Records and the Westside without any hesitation...
We was raised off driveby's. brought up to bang
Our upbringing involved witnessing and participating in drive-by shootings and gang violence...
We claim mob. MOB. if you be specific
We identify and align ourselves with the criminal underworld, specifically the mob...
We control. ALL cash from the Atlantic, Pacific
We have dominance and power in both the East Coast and West Coast rap scenes, controlling all the money...
And get this. I'm hard to kill
I am extremely difficult to eliminate or defeat...
While I build with this live spot
As I continue to develop my reputation and presence in the rap industry...
Father. how the hell did I SURVIVE. these five shots?!
Father, how did I manage to survive being shot five times?!
Live it up or give it up
Enjoy life to the fullest or give up and surrender...
And like DEMONS. late night. hear 'em screamin
Similar to demons, I hear voices and chaos in my mind during the late hours of the night...
WE GOIN ALL OUT!...
We are fully committed and dedicated to giving our all in everything we do...
With money clutchin, bail, come muder man, po's rushin
I tightly hold onto my money, using it to post bail and hire a hitman while the police are after me...
Cap tilted to the side, on the lean out the ride bustin'
Wearing my cap tilted to the side, leaning out of the car, and shooting my gun...
Outlaws enforce the secrets of war, but won't abuse it
As Outlaws, we uphold the unwritten laws of warfare and won't misuse or exploit them...
Burnt, bury my burners with my dead buddies when I use it
I choose to destroy and bury my guns along with my deceased friends when I no longer need them...
Give a fuck about later. shots warm through the equator
I don't care about the consequences, and my gunshots echo throughout the world...
Death to you traitors, shots bitin' through your bones like alligator
I wish death upon those who betray us, and my bullets penetrate their bones like an alligator's bite...
Payin my dues. lookin for miscellaneous infamous crews
I am paying my dues and searching for notorious and infamous groups to associate with...
Old ladies sing the blues. leave them smokin from they shoes...
Even elderly women are afraid and shocked by our actions to the point where they are overwhelmed and astounded...
Now with my every wakin' moment
In each moment that I am awake...
I'm on a quest to be better, yeah
I am striving to improve and become a better version of myself...
Position myself to prosper state, prepared for whatever
I am working on putting myself in a position to succeed and be ready for anything that comes my way...
But at times, I slip slightly, shit I ain't afraid to admit it
Occasionally, I make mistakes, and I am not afraid to acknowledge them...
To gone, off that novacaine, like in too hard to live it
To escape from the pain and harsh reality of life, I sometimes indulge in substances like novocaine...
And I'm just a smidgeon past my teenage years. into adulthood
I am currently in my early twenties and transitioning into adulthood...
Now I ride with G's finally, knowin myself good
Now I associate with genuine gangsters, and I have a strong sense of self and confidence...
And it felt good, when I was young but playtime's over
I used to enjoy a carefree lifestyle when I was younger, but now it's time to be serious and mature...
EDI here take this gun nigga... it's over...
EDI, take this weapon from me, the battle is finished...
I piss cold blood, shit hot liquor out my liver
I am so full of rage and anger that it feels like my blood is cold, and I consume alcohol excessively...
Smoke like a tail pipe, and write when I'm bitter
I constantly smoke like a car's exhaust pipe and write when I am filled with resentment and bitterness...
All my life I been considered a downright, dirty nigga
Throughout my entire life, I have been regarded as a completely ruthless and immoral person...
From when daddy knocked mama' s twat popped the last drop from the litter
Since the moment my father impregnated my mother and I was born as the last child from that union...
Tell me give the world hell
Encourage me to bring chaos and destruction to the world...
But in hell I give 'em mo'
However, I bring even more chaos and destruction to those residing in hell...
And I bail outta jail
And I escape or get released from incarceration...
Screamin fuck the Po' Po'
Yelling out my disdain and hatred towards the police...
When I run to take that enough, from a simple fuck to multimillion dollar luck
When I engage in criminal activities to obtain wealth, starting from nothing to gaining millions...
Plus I think it's time to grab all pistols. wave them shits in the air
I believe it's the right moment to gather all the guns and proudly brandish them...
Celebrate Outlaw livin nigga, I wouldn't be here
We should rejoice in our rebellious and outlaw lifestyle because it has shaped us into who we are today...
To you death is losin, and to me this shit's a family reuinion
You view death as a defeat, but to me, death is a reunion with my deceased loved ones...
And to hell wit a peace treaty, never call it, cause it wouldn't feed me
I have no interest in making peace agreements because they would not satisfy or benefit me...
My wallet. be as empty as the day I got started
My wallet remains as empty now as it was when I first began my journey...
Twelve shots in my pocket, left my niggaz departed
Carrying twelve bullets in my pocket, which caused the deaths of my comrades...
It's a shame that these snake vultures niggaz coldhearted
It is disappointing to see that these deceitful and greedy individuals have no compassion or empathy...
In a dirty world where only God know yo death and can call it...
In this corrupt world, only God has knowledge of when your death will occur...
We thugged out, low cut, Outlawz rush and royal flush
We are fully immersed in the thug lifestyle, wearing low-cut hairstyles, and the Outlawz move swiftly and triumphantly...
Bomb first kickin dust. out in Cali, but I ain't in it so much
We initiate the attack by exploding like a bomb, raising dust, and causing chaos in California, although I am not currently involved in it as much...
make 'em pay state to state, NJ to CA
We make our enemies suffer financially regardless of their location, from New Jersey to California...
Them cowards felt the weight, and turned feminen like Michel'le
Those weak individuals felt the pressure and became frightened, exhibiting feminine qualities similar to Michel'le...
Niggaz change they whole style when the outlawz comin
People completely alter their behavior and style when the Outlawz are approaching...
A million miles and thuggin
We have traveled a long journey and endured the hardships of being thugs...
Young Noble.I keep 'em buzzin
As a member of the Outlawz, I continue to keep the streets and the rap community buzzing with our presence and actions...
While the rapture. capture this fuckin style that I master
While everyone is captivated, I demonstrate and showcase the unique style that I have perfected...
Bringin terminal disaster. HIT YOU UP when I pass nigga...
I bring an overwhelming and destructive catastrophe, and I will strike you down when I cross paths with you...
US, THE FIRST TO BUST, WHO DO WE TRUST? OUT FOR MOBB DEEP AND JAYZ, DEAD IN THE DUST, I TOLD YOU PUNKS THAT I WAS AFTER BIGGIE... YOU GOT INVOLVED, NOW WE BOUT TO BUST ON ALL Y'ALL... GOIN ALL OUT...
We are the first ones to initiate violence, and we only trust each other. We are targeting Mobb Deep and JayZ, leaving them defeated and forgotten. I warned you fools that I was coming for Biggie, and now we are about to attack all of you. We are going all out...
WESTSIDE... OUTLAW... DEATHROW... MAKAVELI THA DON... OUTLAWZ THE CRIMINAL DESPERADO'S... WESTSIDE THUG LIVIN...
Representing the Westside, the Outlawz, Death Row Records, and embodying the persona of Makaveli the Don, we are the criminal desperados. This is the Westside thug lifestyle...
DIE, DIE SLOW, (think my memory ain't bad you about the buisness...) DIE, DIE SLOW, (BANG, you dead) DIE, DIE SLOW, (haha mobb deep, you lil young ass juvenile delinquent...) DIE, DIE SLOW, (BANG BANG, you dead) DIE, DIE SLOW, (biggie... BANG, you dead) DIE, DIE SLOW, (puffy... BANG, you dead) DIE, DIE, DIE SLOW, (you robbed the game, no need to explain, get outta here) DIE, DIE, DIE SLOW, DIE, DIE, DIE SLOW, mmh, DIE, DIE SLOW, MY LABEL, THE NOTORIOUS, UNTOUCHABLE, DEATH ROW...
Contributed by Aria A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@yasserkhan4279
You can hear the ruthlessness in Pacs voice in this one no doubt he means business... Rest Easy Pac ❤️💯
@adamgordon2572
Man... Just hearing PAC's voice in this track gets me hype as fuck... You can tell he was on one when he recorded this !! Jay -z was about to get his ass served if PAC didn't die.
@vampirascoffin870
FACTS OG!!!!!!
@adrianandrade5281
M
@Gabriel-vg9no
He not dead
@Dxb20003
by the way, its his last song
@chrisrodriguez8490
Facts!! He was about to get Ether’d before ether 😂
@FlipStar26
No rapper in history could make you feel his emotions on wax quite like Pac.
The most iconic rap artist of all time.
@yasserkhan4279
Yeah you hear it on this no doubt bro.... Every word sound like gunfire 💯💯💯
@amanteapasionado6836
"A General in war, im the first to bomb, with a clique of trusted killers quick to move shit, heavily armed, im similar to Sadam, sometimes i question who sane/ Hussain, like feeling frantic for that last vein, stuck in the game, i hit the scene like sand storms, ill transform watch me, ill take the figure of 30 niggas who all got me" - Pac was so far ahead of everyone else