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.
Temptations
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know what time
Boo-ya, I know it's time for you
So grab one by the hand, you know what I'm sayin'?
And uh, throw up that finger
Hey yo, yo, yo throw y'all fingers up
Thug style, baby, thug style, y'know?
I can help ya if ya only let me touch ya
If I'm wrong, love, tell me, 'cause I get caught up
And the life I live is Hell, see, I never thought I'd see
The day when I would calm down, you ain't heard
I've been known to clown and get around, that's my word
See you walkin' and you lookin' good, yes, indeed
Got a body like a sex fiend, you're killin' me
With your attitude to match right, don't be phony
'Cause I hate it when you act like you don't know me
I've be stressin' in the spotlight, I want the fame
But the industry's a lot like a crap game
Ain't no time for commitment, I gotta go
Can't be with you every minute, miss, another show
And even though I'm known for my one night stands (look here)
I wanna be an honest man, but temptations go
Throw up the finger
And all my homies go
Throw them the finger
You know what? Baby, it's like
I know you've been searchin' for someone
To make you happy, and get the job done
You say you needed a man with money
But I can't be there, and will you still care
Will I cheat or will I be committed, heaven knows
Gettin' weak and I wanna hit it, so here I go
In my ride and I'm all in, gettin' high
I can hear the people callin', I'm passin' by
Everybody knows I'm ballin', and to God
Gotta keep myself from fallin', but it's hard
All the cuties know I'm under pressure, what do I do
Gettin' shaky when she pull the dress up, and say it's cool
Should I stroke or should I wait a while? You decide
If you tell me that you don't want it, that's a lie
Move close and let me whisper some dirty words
In your ears as I kiss ya on every curve
Slow down, baby, don't rush, I like it slow
Can't hold it any longer, so let it go
Open the gates to your waterfall up in heaven
And don't worry, I let myself in, all I heard was
Give 'em the finger
All my homies go
Throw your fingers up
That's just the thug in me girl, you know
Peep out all my homies, y'know, it's like
I know you've been searchin' for someone
To make you happy and get the job done
You say you needed a man with money
But I can't be there (what?), and will you still care?
A lotta people think it's easy to settle down
Got a woman that'll please me in every town
I don't wanna, but I gotta do it, the temptation
Got me ready to release the uh, the sensation
Sit down and conversate like you know me, take my hand
'Cause even thugs get lonely, understand
Even the hardest of my homies need attention
Catch you blowin' up the telephone, reminiscin'
I wanna take you to the movies and the park
Let's find a spot for you to do me in the dark
Now that's passion, hold me tight
Don't need lights, I can see you by the moonlight
I know your man ain't lovin' you right
You're lonely and depressed, you need a thug in your life
Enough talkin', you want me to leave, I'll get to walkin'
See you later, 'cause baby, I'm a player, and all I heard was
Give 'em the finger, and all my homies go
Yo, this how we gonna do this in the nine-trey, y'know?
Throw your fingers up
You know? They gon' peep this
This how we run game on you, check it out
All my niggas go
Uptown in the, give 'em the finger
Throw your hands up, give 'em the finger
In the song "Temptations," Tupac Shakur talks about his struggles with fidelity and commitment to a romantic partner. He admits that his difficult job as a celebrity makes it difficult to be in a committed relationship, as he's constantly on the go and has a lifestyle that makes it challenging to prioritize his relationships.
The song shows how Tupac grapples with temptation and the desire for a fulfilling, loving relationship, as he knows he struggles with commitment. He highlights that even the hardest of his homies need attention, showing his sensitivity to emotional vulnerabilities.
Throughout the song, Tupac alternates between rapping about his emotional troubles and bragging about his life as a successful rapper. He talks about the difficulties of the industry and the pressures it puts on him, but he also celebrates the glamorous aspect of his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, Mo Bee, mane, drop that shit
Hey Mo Bee, drop the beat
You know what time
You know what it is
Boo-ya, I know it's time for you
I know you're ready for this
So grab one by the hand, you know what I'm sayin'?
Take someone by the hand, you know what I mean?
And uh, throw up that finger
And put your middle finger up
Hey yo, yo, yo throw y'all fingers up
Hey, everybody put your middle fingers up
Thug style, baby, thug style, y'know?
This is the thug way, you know?
Tell me, baby, are you lonely? Don't wanna rush ya
Are you feeling lonely? I don't want to pressure you
I can help ya if ya only let me touch ya
I can make you feel better if you let me
If I'm wrong, love, tell me, 'cause I get caught up
If I'm doing something you don't like, tell me because I get carried away
And the life I live is Hell, see, I never thought I'd see
My life is hard, and I never expected it to be like this
The day when I would calm down, you ain't heard
The day when I would settle down, you haven't heard about it
I've been known to clown and get around, that's my word
I've been known to act foolishly and have many relationships, that's what I've done
See you walkin' and you lookin' good, yes, indeed
I see you walking and you look attractive, for sure
Got a body like a sex fiend, you're killin' me
You have a very attractive body, it's driving me crazy
With your attitude to match right, don't be phony
Your attitude matches your appearance, don't act fake
'Cause I hate it when you act like you don't know me
I don't like it when you pretend like you don't know me
I've be stressin' in the spotlight, I want the fame
I've been under a lot of pressure because of my fame, but I still want it
But the industry's a lot like a crap game
The music industry is like a game of chance
Ain't no time for commitment, I gotta go
I don't have time for commitment, I have to leave
Can't be with you every minute, miss, another show
I can't be with you all the time, I have another show to perform
And even though I'm known for my one night stands (look here)
Even though I'm known for having short-term relationships
I wanna be an honest man, but temptations go
I want to be honest, but it's hard to resist temptation
I know you've been searchin' for someone
I know you've been looking for someone
To make you happy, and get the job done
To make you happy and satisfy you
You say you needed a man with money
You said you needed a man with financial stability
But I can't be there, and will you still care
But I can't be there for you, will you still care about me?
Will I cheat or will I be committed, heaven knows
Will I cheat on you or be faithful? Only God knows
Gettin' weak and I wanna hit it, so here I go
I'm getting weak and I want to have sex with you, so I'm going ahead with it
In my ride and I'm all in, gettin' high
I'm in my car and I'm fully committed, getting high
I can hear the people callin', I'm passin' by
I can hear people calling me as I drive past them
Everybody knows I'm ballin', and to God
Everyone knows I'm doing well financially, and even God knows it
Gotta keep myself from fallin', but it's hard
I have to keep myself from giving in to temptation, but it's difficult
All the cuties know I'm under pressure, what do I do
All the attractive women know I'm under pressure, what should I do?
Gettin' shaky when she pull the dress up, and say it's cool
I'm getting nervous when she takes off her dress and says it's okay
Should I stroke or should I wait a while? You decide
Should I have sex with her now or wait? It's up to you to decide
If you tell me that you don't want it, that's a lie
If you tell me that you don't want sex, you're lying
Move close and let me whisper some dirty words
Come closer and let me say some vulgar things to you
In your ears as I kiss ya on every curve
As I kiss you all over your body
Slow down, baby, don't rush, I like it slow
Take it slow, I like it that way
Can't hold it any longer, so let it go
I can't hold it back any longer, so I'll let it out
Open the gates to your waterfall up in heaven
Let me pleasure you and bring you to orgasm
And don't worry, I let myself in, all I heard was
And don't worry, I made myself welcome there, all I heard was moaning
A lotta people think it's easy to settle down
Many people think it's easy to have a committed relationship
Got a woman that'll please me in every town
I have a woman who will please me in every place I go
I don't wanna, but I gotta do it, the temptation
I don't want to, but I have to give in to temptation
Got me ready to release the uh, the sensation
I'm ready to orgasm
Sit down and conversate like you know me, take my hand
Let's talk like we know each other, and hold hands
'Cause even thugs get lonely, understand
Because even tough guys get lonely, you know?
Even the hardest of my homies need attention
Even the toughest of my friends need love and affection
Catch you blowin' up the telephone, reminiscin'
I catch you calling me on the phone, reminiscing
I wanna take you to the movies and the park
I want to take you to the movies and the park
Let's find a spot for you to do me in the dark
Let's find a place to have sex in the dark
Now that's passion, hold me tight
That's passion, hold me close
Don't need lights, I can see you by the moonlight
We don't need lights, I can see you by the moonlight
I know your man ain't lovin' you right
I know your man isn't treating you right
You're lonely and depressed, you need a thug in your life
You're lonely and unhappy, and you need a tough guy like me in your life
Enough talkin', you want me to leave, I'll get to walkin'
Enough talking, if you want me to leave, I will
See you later, 'cause baby, I'm a player, and all I heard was
Goodbye, because I'm a womanizer, and all I heard was moaning
Yo, this how we gonna do this in the nine-trey, y'know?
This is how we do it in 1993, you know?
They gon' peep this
They're going to notice this
All my niggas go
All of my friends do this
Uptown in the, give 'em the finger
In uptown areas, put your middle finger up
Throw your hands up, give 'em the finger
Throw your hands up and put your middle finger up
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Spradley, Garry Shider, George Jr. Clinton, Larry Troutman, Ostin Jr. Harvey, Reggie Noble, Roger Troutman, Shirley Murdock, Tupac Shakur
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shanghunter7697
I'm almost a 60 yr old white man, my whole neighborhood hated me when this CD came out. This is the fliest song on the CD in my opinion.
@faceripper77
It just flows too well man
@shanghunter7697
@@faceripper77 It sure does brother ! Have a great summer John !
@faceripper77
Shang Hunter you too man take care
@sandski5174
Keep it rocking!
@micheletriplett5249
I hear ya, i'm over 50 miss you PAC and need ya these haters fucking with me, trying to do like God said, Thou shall not kill, God has saved me a couple of times. I can't keep dealing with thus, I know they go tty again. And its go be Self Defense
@cokestar4143
This is literally Tupac’s best song.
This is everything.
@djflawless8730
I am a big fan of tupac and I say you straight this man has no "best song". He recorded 713 songs HE DONT HAVE THE BEST BECAUSE ALL SONG ARE HIS BEST IN THEIR OWN WAY
@cokestar4143
I listen to this song 🎧 driving at night nothing beats it.
Tupac’s music got me through hard times.
@coolt497
Alot slept on this one his best for sure.