Tupac Amaru Shakur (born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13… Read Full Bio ↴Tupac Amaru Shakur (born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), better known by his stage name 2Pac and later by his alias Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Considered one of the most influential rappers of all time, Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.

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.

What Would You Do
2Pac Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah, it's another classic cassette
Goin Way Back Show
Exclusive you know what it is
What you won't do do for Love
Hey yo let me rock this, let me rock
This, let me rock this, check it out
Check it out let me tell you a story about
My homie and his girl

You know what I'm sayin'
Some Love triangle type shit
We goin' rock this shit right here
So dope beat to you know what I'm sayin'
We about to run through this
So yo check it out
Smooth you drop the vocals
And I'll smoke his ass

I lay awake tonight because I
Want to be with you
If you were beside me I'd playfully kiss you
Each time I see her
The feeling gets stronger
We sit a bit closer and stare a lot longer
Huh
Reach for my drink and for a second we touch
Went to mutter I stuttered cause
I want you that much
The situation is a no win
Cause he's my best friend
But now I'm guilty
I'm fallin' for his girlfriend
It's like a trap that I'm sinkin' in to
I wake up sweaty when I'm sleepin'
Cause I'm thinkin' of you
Then we make eye contact and
I can't hold back tryin' to shake it but the
Feelin' comes right back
Now I'm confused, cause I'm no Casanova
But you keep callin' me sayin' to come over
What do I do
You make it hard for me to cheat
What I won't do for Love

Yeah yeah yeah what you won't do
Ah yeah 2Pac in the house

Scars, tears on your pillow
And you still stay as you sit
And pray hopin' the beatings will go away
It wasn't always a hit, and run relationship
It used to be Love happiness
And companionship
Way back when he treated you good
Moved you up to the hills out
The ill's of the ghetto hood
You felt as though you owed him your life
It felt right so you said yes
Now your really his wife
He got you pregnant but the
Baby just wouldn't live
Something she couldn't give so
Things got negative
But that's when a stranger came through
And he's pesterin' you about the
Things you couldn't do
You say your happy at home, right?
But that's just a lie
As you cry through a long night
Until I came to rescue you, makin' you chose
What you won't do for Love

And you don't stop, and you
Don't stop, in the house
What you won't do for Love
And you don't stop, and you don't stop
What you won't do yo Smooth
Kick and laugh while we givin' shout outs to
My homes' you know what I'm sayin' noow
Shock-G is in the house, yeah
Schmoovy-Schmoov is in the house, yeah
Kush is in the house, yeah
Ryan-G is in the house, yeah
Clark Gable in the house, yeah
Rick Rocks in the house, yeah
Fuze is in the house
And Money-B, you know he's in the house
Pee Wee is in the house
The Underground, is in the house
And the Jaketown is in the house, yeah
In the house
Oaktown, is in the house, Richtown
Is in the house, yeah

What you won't do

What you won't do

Do for Love

Overall Meaning

The song "What Would You Do" by 2Pac is a hard-hitting rap track that talks about the rough life of the artist and the struggles he had to face. The opening lines talk about how people try and copy their style but can't quite get it right, which leads to the artist asserting that nobody can mess with him and his crew. The song then delves into a description of the lifestyle that the artists lead and how it can be dangerous, with references to drugs and guns.

The lyrics also touch on the subject of jealousy and how people can try and copy one's style and even try to take away possessions, such as women. Throughout the song, there is a sense of aggression and assertiveness, which is common in gangster rap.

Overall, "What Would You Do" is a powerful and hard-hitting song that showcases the grit and determination of the artist and his crew.

Line by Line Meaning

Yeah, back up in yo ass with a twenty sack
I'm making a bold return with a stash of drugs

Don't wanna fuck with me
You don't want to mess with me

(Dogg Pound gangstaz)
I am part of the Dogg Pound gang

We do it like that
We have our own unique style

Motherfuckers out there be like, takin' our styles
People try to copy our style

Be trying to do they own little dissing
They attempt to criticize us

But they can't do it, you know, so we gonna, do it like this
But they can't do it like us, so we continue doing it our way

Sit back relax and get a cool one
Take a moment to unwind and enjoy a drink

Have you ever heard of a slaughter? I oughta start dippin'
Have you ever witnessed a brutal attack? I should begin evading

Sippin' on that S T get's me to trippin'
Drinking lean causes me to be high and hallucinate

I don't slips, I bangs with that mad ass Dogg Pound gang
I don't make mistakes, I align myself with the fierce Dogg Pound gang

It's a DPG thang, Kurupt from the S.C
It's a Dogg Pound gang thing, I'm Kurupt from South Central

You wanna test me, let's see if you'll survive .45 times
If you want to challenge me, let's see if you'll survive being shot multiple times with a .45 caliber gun

Like a hollow point headed for your dome
Similar to a hollow point bullet aimed at your head

Take a couple of steps, turn around and it's on
Take a few steps, turn back, and the fight is about to begin

Couldn't withstand the murderous mental
Couldn't handle the destructive state of mind

I subdue and then take two to your temple
I overpower you and then shoot you twice in the head

When I cause holocoust from what's spittin'
When I create chaos with my lyrics

Niggaz collapse and when the straps is clickin'
People surrender and give up when they hear the guns cocking

Look, this is how it's done nigga
Listen, let me show you how it's done

(One, two, three)
(Counting) One, two, three

I grab my strap, you best run nigga
I grab my gun, you better start running

I gives a fuck, Kurupt's the kingpin of the click
I don't care, Kurupt is the leader of our group

Littlest G, with the biggest dick
I may be the youngest, but I have the most confidence

Shit, a motherfucker betta recognize
Damn, people better acknowledge and respect me

With a twist of my wrist like O.J. you all die
With a quick movement of my hand like O.J. Simpson, you all will meet your demise

I snack on motherfuckers like a bone
I prey on people like a predator, devouring them

Known to be the shit upon the microphone
Recognized as excellent in the rap game

Ever since I was bown, not to ever love a bitch
From the moment I was born, I learned to never fall in love with a woman

Learned game after game, that's why we are the best
Acquired knowledge and skills from various experiences, which is why we are superior

Motherfuckers be gankin' styles minute after minute
People constantly steal our unique styles

But soon as you did it I smelled the niggaz shitted
But as soon as they imitate us, I recognize their cowardice

There's no escape, give me the papes and the tape case
There's no way out, hand over the money and the evidence

How much money can a nigga make in one place?
How much money can one person accumulate in a single location?

The review, ain't shit new
The situation, nothing is surprising or original

You stupid motherfuckers can't fuck wit' my crew
You foolish individuals can't compete with my group

I see all these niggaz tryin' to get with my kin folk
I notice all these people attempting to associate with my close friends and family

Get so many busters on the West Coast and then to say the least
There are numerous fake individuals on the West Coast, to say the least

I see a few trick ass niggaz layin' low on the East Coast
I observe a small number of deceitful individuals hiding on the East Coast

And the question is asked
And the question is being posed

Do you wanna rap, scrap or blast to that nigga Daz
Do you want to engage in a rap battle, physical fight, or shoot at me, Daz?

I'll be the first one to him 'em
I'll be the first one to attack or shoot them

Oh yeah, fuck B.G. Knockout and every nigga down with him
Oh yeah, disrespect B.G. Knockout and everyone associated with him

'cause I'm a natural born killer
Because I'm inherently inclined to kill

And I steal a half, motherfucker 'cause it's like that
And I steal from others without hesitation because that's how it is

There's so many motherfuckers that I can include
There are numerous people that I can involve

Whose quick to blast motherfuckers in a feud
Who are eager to shoot people in a disagreement

It doesn't make a difference 'cause it's about
It doesn't matter because it's all about

Who's the quickest on the draw to end all existence
Whoever can draw their gun the fastest to terminate everyone's life

For instance, let's take these Ruthless fools
For example, let's consider these ruthless individuals

These Ruthless fools and the Pound in one room
These ruthless individuals and the Dogg Pound gang in the same place

Assume, it's only for conversation, so let's
Presume, it's only for discussion, so let's

Conversate slip a nigga the .38 then dip
Have a conversation, then hand someone a .38 caliber gun and leave

Empty out the clip
Shoot all the bullets in the magazine

Mind on stead-trip, 'cause niggaz talk shit
Focused on stability, because people talk nonsense

Now if a nigga had a prayer before a nigga died
Now, if someone had a chance to pray before they died

Would the nigga be dead or would he stay alive?
Would the person still die or would they survive?

And if I was in your shoes, would I survive?
If I were in your position, would I make it through?

Probably not, you'd probably let your glock go pop
Most likely not, you would probably pull the trigger on your gun

Now drop, to your knees
Now kneel down

And picture Dat Nigga Daz flowin' in the breeze
Imagine me, Dat Nigga Daz, rapping effortlessly

(Flowin')
(Flowing)

The weak ones stick and move
The weak people come and go quickly

What would you do if you could get with my crew?
What actions would you take if you could join my group?

Why don't you tell me what?
Why don't you inform me about it?

Tell me what you would do if you could get with
Explain what you would do if you could be a part of

The weak ones stick and move
The weak people come and go quickly

What would you do if you could get with my crew?
What actions would you take if you could join my group?

Me and my crew, with me and my crew
My group and I, with my group and I

What would you do? What would you do?
What actions would you take? What actions would you take?

What would you do, if you could get with my crew?
What actions would you take, if you could join my group?

What would you, what would you do
What actions would you take?

If you could get with the Dogg Pound?
If you could join the Dogg Pound?