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 Struggle Continues
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The struggle continues...
The struggle continues...
The struggle continues...
Makin' trouble for the devil
Take this gangbang shit... to a whole 'nother level
Can you feel me now?
Armies in every city
Definition of power
Playas...are you with me?
See the war is the prophecy
Survival is the strategy
Rest in peace!
To my comrades that's deceased
Organize your streets in time
You'll have these devils petrified of a nigga in his right mind
They tell us that we hopeless and hellbound
It's for the brothas in penitentaries jailed down
I got you in my heart until the day I die
Think of the damage we could do... if we wasn't high
Can you picture me loc?
It's a thug's wrath
Political contracts and blood baths
For Matulu Shakur up in the Rikers
Though they got you
I'll never let 'em stop me
The struggle continues...
In "The Struggle Continues," Tupac starts by referring to himself as a rebel, who is here to create trouble for the devil. He goes on to say that he has elevated gangbanging to a whole new level and asks if people can feel him. Then he talks about the armies in every city and their power. He tells the playas that the war is the prophecy and survival is the strategy. Tupac respects his comrades who have passed away and asks people to organize their streets for them. He says that the devils will be petrified of a man in his right mind, which is the reason why they tell them that they are hopeless and hellbound. He sympathizes with his brothers who are jailed in Penitentiaries and says that they have them in his heart until he dies. Tupac thinks that they could do much more damage if they weren't high. Further in the lyrics, Tupac mentions Thug's wrath, political contracts, and blood baths. He also takes the name of his uncle, Matulu Shakur, who is in the Rikers, and vows to not let him stop him.
The message that Tupac is trying to convey is that the struggle against oppression and inequality is constant and never-ending. Tupac urges people to keep fighting for their rights and freedom, to never give up or lose hope, and to stand in solidarity with each other. He acknowledges the challenges that they face but also emphasizes that there is strength in unity.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I was born as a rebel
From the moment he was born, he was born to rebel
Makin' trouble for the devil
His acts of rebellion were not for the sake of justifying the devil
Take this gangbang shit... to a whole 'nother level
Raising rebellion and revolution to a new level
Can you feel me now?
Can you understand and empathize with the situation I describe?
Armies in every city
There are people everywhere who are fighting the same fight
Definition of power
Power is being a part of this movement
Playas...are you with me?
Are you truly with me in this revolution?
See the war is the prophecy
Predicting that the war will continue as it is the nature of the movement
Survival is the strategy
The strategy should be focused on survival and protection rather than the glamorization of the movement
Rest in peace!
Remembering and respecting the ones who sacrificed for the movement
To my comrades that's deceased
To the fallen comrades, you will always be respected
Organize your streets in time
The streets should be organized so that the people can have the opportunity to understand the movement
You'll have these devils petrified of a nigga in his right mind
The opposition will be scared of an informed person of color
They tell us that we hopeless and hellbound
The opposition tells us that we are destined for poorer outcomes which are untrue
It's for the brothas in penitentaries jailed down
Fighting for the underprivileged and incarcerated
I got you in my heart until the day I die
You are held in a special place in my heart and I will never forget you
Think of the damage we could do... if we wasn't high
Imagine the potential of the movement if people's minds weren't clouded by drugs
Can you picture me loc?
Can you envision me as a crazy person?
It's a thug's wrath
The power and momentum of the movement comes from the anger of its members
Political contracts and blood baths
People are willing to fight and die for political progress
For Matulu Shakur up in the Rikers
Honoring and fighting for people who are fighting for the same cause as him
Though they got you
Despite that the opposition has captured someone fighting for the movement
I'll never let 'em stop me
He will continue to fight no matter the opposition's actions
The struggle continues...
The fight continues
Contributed by Aaliyah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chykeluejoseph3968
Living man. '2pac in Cuba 🇨🇺
Hiding with her God Mother 👩
Who was in exile for decades
For murder of one past American president
Just to fulfilling his plan to act like his role model DON MAKAVELI, an italianate maf
Who faked his death for 30yrs and later
Come out life. Though was arrested for
Faking his own death . He paid a hugely sum of money and escape the prison,
Then took the title " DON MAKAVELI"
That's why in one of track he said, "I took the private to survive the game"
So, keep 'u head up
Look forward seeing him
But don't believe everything you read.
@ronakshah9976
'Think Of the Damage We Could Do if We Wasn't High' True Words right there. Pac's a Legend 4 life.
@gregthegreatofficial
ur an indian. wtf is u saying lol
@themaclife3425
Ronak Shah I’m going sober lad this year and the damage We can do is next level
@shahnawazsooba7904
@Monte Wolf Indians like rap too.
@JS-up8tk
Monte Wolf he is talking to Gods people it don’t matter your nationality. Stop the separation and the hate spread love to all bro
@gstar8425
@Jason Scott amen 🙏 kill this division! That's what these demonically influenced people want. Us to destroy each other
@Reek90
Another PAC track I never heard of 😭 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@ShadowCat3292
Right. Like damn how many tracks and how much music did Tupac really have? Like damn.
@makavelilegend92
@ShadowCat3292 There is still material of his never leaked songs for atleast three albums
@thegeorgiaaquarius
SAMEEE DIS SHIT DON'T STOP🔥🔥🔥🔥