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.
Doggfather
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
More hits than Mafioso made
And Lucky Luciano 'bout to sing soprano
And I know, I know the way you feel
And baby bubba we gon' keep it on the real
Just to get you caught up in amazement
We puffin' on Cubans so it might get dangerous
And let the Bizzow Wizzow ride the trizzack (ha ha)
Now, how you feelin'? I'm up to set it, I'm ridin' like a villain
Makin' a killin', I"m thrillin' the crowd with my new hairdo
Outfits from Hugh's (what?)
Fifty-dollar socks (uh-uh), hundred-thousand dollar shoes
Man, I give the blues to them sucka MC's
Who you be? You know who I be
Young nigga, I'm the Doggfather
(Snoop Doggy Dogg is Doggy-Doggfather)
Yeah, come on, yeah, now come on, it's Dogg
Yeah, yeah, come on, yeah
Ah, come on, yeah, ah, come on, yeah (Snoop Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Snoop)
Now come on, Dogg, yeah, Doggfather (Snoop Doggy Dogg is Doggy-Doggfather)
Ah, come on, uh, come on, uh
Uh, come on
Let's make a move for this paper (ayo where we rollin' Dogg?)
We gots to get paid, makin' money, all y'all
I mean I steps to the stage in my G-boy stance (what?)
And kick a few rhymes to make your girls wanna dance
I'm so fly like a dove (dove), I come from up above ('bove)
You trippin' on your girl 'cause she showed me love
Nigga don't beat her (beat her)
'Cause if you beat 'em (beat 'em), you don't need 'em (need 'em)
You lay your hands on baby, watch how fast they take your freedom
I delete 'em ('lete 'em), and don't mistreat 'em (treat 'em)
I stay up on 'em (on 'em), but that's one to grow on (grow on)
Let me flow on (flow on, flow on)
You can rock to the rhythm you see
Or you can rock to the rhythm of me (uh), me (uh), me
But when you do your thang
Make sure you do your thang on a hang
And everythang, is everythang
Man, I'm on this paper chase
Like them white boy D.A.'s was on the case
But you know I ain't tryin' to floss, but, uh
Murder was the, murder was the case that they lost
I'm the Doggfather
(Snoop Doggy Dogg is Doggy-Doggfather)
Come on, yeah, come on, come on
Somebody say, "Hell, yeah" (come on) (hell, yeah)
Say, Hell yeah" (come on) (hell, yeah)
Do anybody in the house remember (when there wasn't no Snoop Dogg?)
Come on, come on, yeah (hell yeah)
Come on, yeah, come on (hell yeah, hell yeah)
Come on (hell yeah, hell yeah)
Now Snoop tell me somethin'
Do anybody in the house remember (what?)
When there wasn't no Snoop Dogg? (Hell yeah!)
There wasn't no rappers hollin' 'bout L-B-C (L-B-C)
Am I trippin' y'all? (Hell nah!)
Now, when I grow up, I wanna be like Snoop (uh-huh)
Have prestigious women
And stay true from the beginning
In and out of the flyest hotels
They say your family don't know me
Hold on homie, that's promo and foremost
Sales (sales), tails (tails), scales and jails
Success before death
No one in my clique fails
As we bails with the Almighty Fatherly (yeah)
Exceeding to give our peoples what they need
And it ain't no party like this kind (uh-uh)
'Cause you can leave your worries behizzind (alright, uh-uh)
But I'ma get back to the grizzind
Snoop D-O-Double-G comin' back for mizzine (come on, come on, now come on, uh)
And I'm the Doggfather
Yo Doggy, yo Doggy
Ooh-wee (it's about that time) (yeah)
In the opening lines of 2Pac’s “Doggfather,” he greets Snoop Dogg, referring to him as a famous rapper who has achieved more hits than the Italian-American Mafiosos. Pac then goes on to sing about how he knows how Snoop feels and promises to keep it “on the real.” The two rap about their luxurious lifestyles, with reference to expensive Cuban cigars, designer outfits, socks worth $50 and shoes worth $100,000. They rap about their success in music, thrilling crowds with their performances, and making a killing in the industry.
The lyrics take a turn towards advocating for non-violence and treating women with respect. Pac condemns violence against women and suggests that one should not beat them. He goes on to explain that laying hands on a woman could result in the loss of one’s freedom, and encourages listeners to treat women with kindness and respect. Finally, the two rappers take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, asking if anyone remembers a time before Snoop Dogg or rap artists from the LBC area.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, Snoop! (Wassup?)
Starting a conversation with Snoop Dogg.
More hits than Mafioso made
Having a lot of success in music industry.
And Lucky Luciano 'bout to sing soprano
Other rival artists can not compete in terms of success and popularity.
And I know, I know the way you feel
Understanding Snoop's perspective or feelings.
And baby bubba we gon' keep it on the real
Keeping it honest and true always.
Just to get you caught up in amazement
Wanting to impress or surprise Snoop.
We puffin' on Cubans so it might get dangerous
Smoking expensive cigars might lead to dangerous consequences.
Now when it dizzo, you can sit on bizzack
When it settles down, one can relax.
And let the Bizzow Wizzow ride the trizzack (ha ha)
Let the party continue and have fun.
Now, how you feelin'? I'm up to set it, I'm ridin' like a villain
Feeling good and ready to perform like a boss.
Makin' a killin', I"m thrillin' the crowd with my new hairdo
Earning a lot of money and entertaining the crowd with new music and style.
Outfits from Hugh's (what?)
Wearing expensive clothing from designer Hugh.
Fifty-dollar socks (uh-uh), hundred-thousand dollar shoes
Wearing expensive accessories like socks and shoes.
Man, I give the blues to them sucka MC's
Competing with other less talented artists and outshining them.
Who you be? You know who I be
Making it clear who he is and his success.
Young nigga, I'm the Doggfather
Referring to himself as the 'Doggfather', signifying his authority as a successful artist.
We gots to get paid, makin' money, all y'all
Focus on earning money and being successful.
I'm so fly like a dove (dove), I come from up above ('bove)
Feeling great and unique, above others.
You trippin' on your girl 'cause she showed me love
Others are jealous of his female fanbase.
Nigga don't beat her (beat her)
Advocating against domestic violence.
'Cause if you beat 'em (beat 'em), you don't need 'em (need 'em)
If one abuses their partner, they do not deserve them.
You lay your hands on baby, watch how fast they take your freedom
If someone is abusive towards their partner, they will face legal consequences.
But that's one to grow on (grow on)
Providing advice for growing and developing as a person.
You can rock to the rhythm you see
Encouraging others to enjoy the music in their own way.
Or you can rock to the rhythm of me (uh), me (uh), me
Encouraging others to enjoy his music together.
Make sure you do your thang on a hang
Enjoying and being successful in one's own way.
Man, I'm on this paper chase
Focused on earning money and being successful.
But you know I ain't tryin' to floss, but, uh
Being successful but not trying to brag or show off.
Murder was the, murder was the case that they lost
Referencing his past legal issues and ultimate success.
There wasn't no rappers hollin' 'bout L-B-C (L-B-C)
Being one of the first and most successful artists from LBC (Long Beach, California).
Am I trippin' y'all? (Hell nah!)
Asking if he's delusional and everyone confirms he is not.
Now, when I grow up, I wanna be like Snoop (uh-huh)
Being an inspiration to young people who aspire to be like him.
As we bails with the Almighty Fatherly (yeah)
Referring to his spiritual and religious beliefs.
Exceeding to give our peoples what they need
Focusing on producing music that is impactful and resonates with his fans.
And it ain't no party like this kind (uh-uh)
This is a unique and special party.
'Cause you can leave your worries behizzind (alright, uh-uh)
This party is an escape from one's problems.
Snoop D-O-Double-G comin' back for mizzine
Referring to himself and his return to the music industry.
Yo Doggy, yo Doggy
Referring to Snoop Dogg as 'Doggy'.
Ooh-wee (it's about that time) (yeah)
Getting hyped and ready for the party.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Calvin Cordazar Broadus, Charlie Wilson, Delmar Arnaud, Lonnie Simmons, Ronnie James Wilson, Rudy Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Apprentess J Gooden
Hearing these stories takes me back to those days, the younger people don't realize how huge 2pac was, dude had a five year run like no other.
The Shadow
They don't get it. He was falsely accused of gRAPE locked up with a #1 album on the charts getting hate from SOME on the east. People still rode for him. He got out & dropped "All Eyez" & it was definitely over.
space_dog
he actually had a longer run. i think his run ended when that eminem project came out (2005?), before that the pac records that came out sounded authentic. things like changes, until the end of time, running (dying to live), ghetto gospel, sounded like pac records. that eminem record sounded so bad, people finally realized that pac was dead and weren't into no new records anymore
D -money
I was 16 back then
Don Tiberius
Chock hold on the game 5 years straight 💯🔥🔥🐐🐐 Immortal
Andre Davis
Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive. Never surrender. Tupac Shakur. 🙏🏽🕊️🕊️🕊️
Tee Williams
That’s profound!
Erick Alvarado
RIP Orlando Anderson
Mars NoeL
🙏🏽🙏🏽👏🏾👏🏾
𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌
Powerful