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.
Don
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo, this C-Note, Rollers tried to jack a nigga up
'Cause a nigga with a pearl rollin' on a Coupe with goldens
Yo, man, what's up? This Rod
Motherfucker jacked me up, rollin' 'round bumping
'Cause music's too loud, you know what I'm sayin'?
Yo, this is P-O to the G-O
Motherfuckin' cop just jacked me, 'cause I was drinking beer in Mill Valley
Aight, man, fuck 'em
I don't give a fuck
They done push me to the limit, I'm all in
I might blow up any minute, did it again
And now I'm in the back of the paddy wagon
While this cops braggin' about the nigga he's jacking
I see no justice
All I see is niggas dying fast
The sound of a gun blast
Then watch the hearse past
Just another day in the life, G
Gotta step lightly 'cause cops tried to snipe me
The catch, they don't wanna stop for a brother man
But then they'll have an accident and pick up another man
I went to the bank to cash my check
I get more respect from the motherfuckin' dope man
The Grammy's and the American music shows, they pimp us like hoes
They got dough but they hate us though
You better keep your mind on the real shit
And fuck trying to get with these crooked ass hypocrites
The way they see it, we was meant to be kept down
Just can't understand why we getting respect now
Mama told me they're be days like this
But I'm pissed 'cause it stays like this
And now they trying to send me off to Kuwait
Gimme a break
How much shit can a nigga take?
I ain't goin' nowhere, no how
What you wanna throw down?
Better bring your guns pal
'Cause this is the day we make 'em pay
Fuck balin' hay, I bail and spray with an AK
And even if they shoot me down
There'll be another nigga bigger
From the motherfuckin' underground
So step but you better step quick
'Cause the clocks goin' tick and I'm sick of the bullshit
You're watching the makings of a psychopath
The truth didn't last
Before the wrath and aftermath
Who's that behind the trigger?
Who do you figure?
A motherfuckin' 90's nigga
Ready to buck and rip shit up
I had enough (yeah)
And I just don't give a fuck
Niggas, ain't just the blacks
Also a gang of motherfuckers dressed in blue slacks
They say niggas hang in packs and their attitude is shitty
Tell me, who's the biggest gang of niggas in the city?
They say niggas like to do niggas
So me and the cop are just two niggas
A street walkin' nigga and a beat walkin' nigga with a badge
I end his future and his past with a blast, take his cash
Before bash and bash his head in, dump him at the dead in
And that's just his luck
'Cause a nigga like P
Don't really give a fuck
(Right, that's how you do that shit) (yeah)
Walked in the store what's everybody staring at?
They act like they never seen a mother fucker wearing black
Following a nigga and shit
Ain't this a bitch?
All I wanted was some chips
I wanna take my business else where
But where?
'Cause who in the hell cares
About a black man with a black need
They wanna jack me like some kind of crack fiend
I wonder if knows that my income is more than
His pension, salary and then some
Your daughter is my number one fan
And your trife ass wife wants a life with a black man
So who's the mac? In fact, who's the black jack?
Sit back and get fat off the fat cat
While he thinks that he's getting over
I bust a move as smooth as Casanova
And count another quick meal
I'm getting paid for my trade but its still real
And if you look between the lines you'll find a rhyme
As strong as a fuckin' nine
Mail stacked up niggas wanna act up
Let's put the gats up and throw your blacks up
But the cops getting dropped by the gunshot
Used to come but he's done, now we run the block
To my brothers stay strong keep your heads up
They know we fed up
But we they just don't give a fuck
(Yeah)
They just don't give a fuck
I don't give a fuck either man (Yeah)
I gotta give my fuck offs
Fuck you to the San Francisco police department (fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you)
Fuck you to the Marin County Sheriff department (you're another one)
Fuck you to the F.B.I (you're another one)
Fuck you to the C.I.A (you're another one)
Fuck you to the B-U-S-H (you're another one)
Fuck you to the Ameri-KKK-a (you're another one)
Fuck you to all you redneck prejudice mother fuckers (you're another one)
That wanna fuck with me, fuck y'all (you're another one, you're another one, you're another one)
Punk gay sensitive little dick bastards (lil tiny tiny tiny)
2pacalypse mother fuckin' now (yeah)
Y'all can kiss my ass and suck my dick (yeah, yeah))
And my uncle Tommy's balls (haha)
Fuck Y'all (yeah)
Punks, punks, punks, punks, punks
"Don" is a song by 2Pac that addresses the systematic oppression and neglect of Black people by society. The lyrics express anger, frustration, and defiance against a world that doesn't care about Black lives. The song is composed of four verses, each expressing a different aspect of the struggle for survival and resistance against a world that doesn't value Black existence.
The first verse opens by calling on the listener to take a hard look at their situation and realize that no one in power cares about them. The repetition of the phrase, "They don't give a fuck about us," drives the point home. The second verse addresses the way that Black men are viewed as violent and dangerous, even when they are trying to protect themselves and their communities. The third verse critiques the way that the entertainment industry and political systems exploit Black culture and use it for their own gain. The final verse expresses a sense of hopelessness and despair, but also an unyielding determination to keep fighting for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Y'all ain't never just tripped and pictured
Have you ever taken a step back and looked at the whole situation?
'Cause once you look at it
Because once you understand the situation
You know (Really do)
You truly understand
They don't give a fuck about us
They don't care about us
If I choose to ride, thuggin' 'til the day I die
If I choose to remain a thug for the rest of my life
Nobody gives a fuck about us
No one cares about us
A hero in their children's eyes
Once our struggles and actions are recognized and celebrated by the younger generation
Now they give a fuck about us
Now they care about us
They claim we inferior, so why the fuck these devils fear ya?
They say we are inferior, so why do they fear us?
Expect a blood bath, the aftermath is y'alls
There will be a lot of bloodshed, and the mess afterwards will be for all of you to clean up
Ignore my whole plea, watchin' us in disgust
They ignore our desperate cry for help, instead watching us in disgust
Now my homies got love for me
Now my friends and associates care for me
Nobody else could give a fuck
No one else cares
If I'm tore down, from the floor down, six-feet deep in the cut
If I am struggling and down in the dumps, all the way to being buried in a grave
So as you loaded up that MAC and continue to bust
So as you load up your gun and continue shooting
Why you stuck thinkin' that they give a fuck?
Why are you delusional about them actually caring?
But while I'm kickin' rhymes
But while I'm expressing myself through my music
Kick it to their children's minds
Trying to make a positive impact on the younger generation
They wanna see us die, they kick us every time we try
They want us to fail and suffer, constantly pushing us down
Rise, rise
We must stand up and rise above it all
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Teah Hari, Mickey Cooley, Ramon Russell Gooden, Rodney Cooley, Tupac Amaru Shakur
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@duff2224
What Elvis was to rock and Michael Jackson was to pop PAC IS TO RAP THE KING!!!
THE BEST THAT EVER DID IT !!!!
THE REALIST!!!!
R.I.P PAC ✝️👑
@HerboTK
She ain talkin bout music shes talkin bout the begotten son of a God
@STJ605
I took this journey cuz pac the don you just know
@milemajetic8104
He has so much energy behind him and his lyrics like the biggest atom bomb that ever existed love pac RIP will never be forgotten till we meet again homie
@codybrooks7297
D
@tampatony4430
Can we get more like this? I love how djs and YouTubers bringing my boy back from the dead
@21stCentMusicMeastro
He ain't never died.. he has been with us this whole time. He's living it up in Cuba. I partied with him 2 years ago down in Cuba.. he is very alive and still producing his shit .. frfr
@mitchy4509
@21stCentMusicMeastro proove it
@21stCentMusicMeastro
@Mitchy 450 oh yes I thought you'd never ask
@mitchy4509
@21stCentMusicMeastro cant tell lie about dead people so brings facts