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.
The Realist Killaz
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is that 50 Cent/Pac joint ready?
Let me know, holla
There's gon' be some stuff you gon' see
That's gon' make it hard to smile in the future
Yeah nigga! Ha ha
2Pac cut his head bald
Then you wanna cut yo' head bald (You pussy nigga!)
2Pac wear a bandana
You wan' wear a bandana
2Pac put a cross on his back
You wanna put crosses on yo' back
Nigga you ain't 2Pac, this 2Pac!
Is it, money or women to funny beginnings, tragic endings
I can make a million and still not get enough of spending
And since my life is based on sinnin', I'm hell bound
Rather be buried than be worried, livin' held down
My game plan to be trained and, military
Mind of a Thug Lord, sittin' in the cemetery
Caught, I've been lost since my adolescence, callin to Jesus
Ballin' as a youngster, wonderin' if he sees us
Young black male, crack sales got me three strikes
Livin' in jail, this is hell, enemies die
Wonder when we all pass is anybody listenin?
Got my, hands on my semi shotty, everybody's bitchin'
Please God can you understand me, bless my family
Guide us all, before we fall into insanity
I make it a point, to make my peep bumpin' warlike
Drop some shit, to any stupid bitches don't fight
'Til Makaveli returns, it's All Eyez On Me
(What do we have here now?)
And you can hate it or love it, but that's what it's gon' be
(Ohh)
You shoulda listened, I told you not to fuck with me
(What do we have here now?)
Now can you take the pressure, that's what we gon' see
Now since you're cryin' for mercy I promise
My success'll be the death of you
Lo and behold you sold your soul
Nigga there's nuttin' left of you
Look in the mirror, ask yourself who are you?
If you don't know who you are, how could your dreams come true?
Motherfucker, I sat back and watched
You pretended to be 'Pac, you pretended to be hot
But you're not (Now) I see it so clear
You can't take the pressure, you pussy
I warned you not to push me
You see me and chills run up your spine
Hardly even in the same war, but your heart ain't like mine
Press, they look at me like I'm a menace
I was playin' with guns
While your momma had your punk ass playin' tennis
I'm a nightmare, you see me when you dream
Wake up, turn on your TV and see my ass again
You cowardly hearted, you couldn't make it on your own
Fuck The Source, I'm on cover of Rolling Stone
(You pussy!)
'Til Makaveli returns, it's All Eyez On Me
(What do we have here now?)
And you can hate it or love it, but that's what it's gon' be
(Ohh)
You shoulda listened, I told you not to fuck with me
(What do we have here now?)
Now can you take the pressure, that's what we gon' see
G-G-G-G-Unit!
'Til Makaveli returns, it's All Eyez On Me
(What do we have here now?)
And you can hate it or love it, but that's what it's gon' be
(Ohh)
You shoulda listened, I told you not to fuck with me
(What do we have here now?)
Now can you take the pressure, that's what we gon' see
The Realist Killaz by 2Pac is a diss track directed at his former friend and collaborator, The Game. The song is a response to The Game's decision to distance himself from 50 Cent and G-Unit, friends of 2Pac's who he believed had become disloyal. The lyrics make use of 2Pac's persona as a gangster and his experiences with violence and incarceration, contrasting this with what he sees as The Game's lack of authenticity.
The chorus of the song refers to 2Pac's lasting influence on hip-hop culture, suggesting that while he may be gone, his legacy lives on. The verses are filled with insults directed at The Game, accusing him of copying 2Pac's style and persona without truly embodying the experience of living as a gang member.
Overall, The Realist Killaz is a powerful statement of 2Pac's loyalty to his friends and his community, as well as his commitment to authenticity in both his music and his life.
Line by Line Meaning
There's gon' be some stuff you gon' see
That's gon' make it hard to smile in the future
Life is full of difficult experiences that will make it hard to stay positive.
Is it, money or women to funny beginnings, tragic endings
I can make a million and still not get enough of spending
In my life, I can't decide if money or women bring me more joy, but even with a lot of money, I still can't stop spending.
And since my life is based on sinnin', I'm hell bound
Rather be buried than be worried, livin' held down
I've done a lot of bad things in my life, so I'm probably going to hell, but I'd rather die than live a life of worry and imprisonment.
My game plan to be trained and, military
Mind of a Thug Lord, sittin' in the cemetery
My vision for myself is to have the discipline of a soldier, but the mentality of a gangster, even if it leads me to an early grave.
Caught, I’ve been lost since my adolescence, callin to Jesus
Ballin' as a youngster, wonderin' if he sees us
I've been lost since I was young, always searching for something spiritual to guide me. Even when I was having fun and making money, I wondered if God was watching us.
Young black male, crack sales got me three strikes
Livin' in jail, this is hell, enemies die
As a young black man, I've been caught selling drugs three times, and now I'm living in hell in prison, surrounded by enemies and violence.
Please God can you understand me, bless my family
Guide us all, before we fall into insanity
I'm asking God to have mercy on me and my family, and to help us all stay sane in this crazy world.
'Til Makaveli returns, it's All Eyez On Me
(What do we have here now?)
And you can hate it or love it, but that's what it's gon' be
(Ohh)
You shoulda listened, I told you not to fuck with me
(What do we have here now?)
Now can you take the pressure, that's what we gon' see
I'm the center of attention until Tupac comes back, and whether you like me or not, that's how it's going to be. I warned you not to mess with me, now let's see if you can handle the pressure.
Now since you're cryin' for mercy I promise
My success'll be the death of you
Lo and behold you sold your soul
Nigga there's nuttin' left of you
You're begging for mercy now, but my success will be the thing that destroys you. You've given up your integrity, so there's nothing left of you as a person.
Look in the mirror, ask yourself who are you?
If you don't know who you are, how could your dreams come true?
If you don't take the time to know yourself, you'll never have true success or happiness.
Motherfucker, I sat back and watched
You pretended to be 'Pac, you pretended to be hot
But you're not (Now) I see it so clear
You can't take the pressure, you pussy
I warned you not to push me
I've been watching you try to copy Tupac and act like you're hot, but I can see right through you now. You can't handle the pressure and you're weak. I told you not to mess with me.
Press, they look at me like I'm a menace
I was playin' with guns
While your momma had your punk ass playin' tennis
I'm a nightmare, you see me when you dream
Wake up, turn on your TV and see my ass again
You cowardly hearted, you couldn't make it on your own
Fuck The Source, I'm on cover of Rolling Stone
(You pussy!)
The media portrays me as a danger to society, but while you were playing tennis, I was playing with guns. I'm like a nightmare that haunts you even in your dreams. You're weak and can't make it on your own, and I'm more successful than you. And by the way, you're a coward.
G-G-G-G-Unit!
Shoutout to my crew, G-Unit!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: DELMAR DREW ARNAUD, CALVIN BROADUS, RUFUS COOPER, KATARI COX, MIKE DEAN, YAFEU A FULA, JAMES HARRIS III, CURTIS JACKSON, CURTIS JAMES JACKSON, BRAD JORDAN, TERRY LEWIS, JOSEPH PAQUETTE, TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR, ANDY THELUSMA, BRUCE WASHINGTON, TYRONE J WRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Konjo316
Fuck, as soon as Tupac goes in he starts ripping the track, man this dude was insane.
@oathraw2135
Subs is that u from tns 😂😂😂
@Konjo316
@@oathraw2135 I dunno what tns is so i think you mighz have the wrong person.
@Catthatisblue
Stfu nigga
@Nuksukow
@@Catthatisblue lmaooooo I was thinking same thing. These noobs commenting on pac less than a year ago clueless to how he good he was, at least they waking up. Music so bad today that people are at least doing the right thing and going back to find the good shit.
@sombra1412
@@Catthatisblue all you had to do was follow the damn train homie wft u doing here
@jarnold813
"Money and women, funny beginnings, tragic endings
I can make a million and still not get enough of spendin'.."👍🔥
The way he spits that... 😲
@saschaherdt2162
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@milenceveliki9205
Real G
@GhostTower
Money and women are, from the beginning, tragic endings