Tupac was born in East Harlem, New York. His mother, Afeni, was a Black Panther. His family moved to Baltimore, and while Tupac was there, he developed a close friendship with actress Jada Pinkett(later Jada Pinkett-Smith), as they attended the same performing arts high school. Pac is quoted as saying "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life." At 16, Tupac moved to Marin City, California, a suburb of Oakland, and about 5 miles north of San Francisco. From there, he got his start as roadie with the group Digital Underground. He first appeared on their song "Same Song" from the soundtrack of the 1991 movie Nothing But Trouble. From there, he got his break, appearing as Roland Bishop in the urban classic Juice, and releasing his debut album 2pacalypse Now. The album received a large amount of controversy when a Texas youth who murdered a state trooper claimed the album influenced him to do so. This incident, and the grimness of songs like "Brenda's Got a Baby", "I Don't Give a Fuck", and "Trapped" led Dan Quayle to condemn the album, saying " There's no reason for a record like this to be released. It has no place in our society." 2pac's second album, Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z. went platinum, and is noted as his breakout album. He starred in the movies Poetic Justice and Above the Rim. In late 1993, Shakur, among others, was charged with sexually assaulting and raping a woman he had a prior sexual relationship with. Tupac vehemently denied the charges until his death. During the time period of this trial, Pac was shot five times at Quad Studios in New York. He checked himself out the next day against doctor's orders. He was found not guilty of rape, but convicted of first degree sexual abuse and inappropriate touching. He was sentence 1.5 to 4.5 years in prison, but was bailed out by Suge Knight, after Tupac agreed to release his next three albums under Suge's label, Death Row Records. Tupac became the first artist with a number one album while in prison, as his album Me Against The World reached the top of the charts and stayed there for four weeks. Fresh out of jail, with a giant chip on his shoulder, Tupac seemed to unleash his rage, declaring war on Biggie, Sean "Puffy" Combs, and Bad Boy Records. On June 4, 1996, Tupac released "Hit 'Em Up". Known for being arguably the greatest diss record of all-time, the song was the main turning point in the East Coast-West Coast feud, as it added gasoline to the fire that had already been started at the 1994 Source Awards. Tupac released his fourth album, All Eyez On Me on February 13, 1996. This would be Tupac's last album to come out during his lifetime. On September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting after watching the Mike Tyson- Bruce Seldon fight in Las Vegas. Six days later, on September 13, 1996, Tupac died from respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest in connection with multiple gunshot wounds. He was 25.
The other Hip-Hop martyr, the Notorious B.I.G. was larger than life. Biggie stood 6'3" and weighed over 300 pounds. Born in Brooklyn to Jamaican parents, Big started dealing drugs at 12. At 18, he spent nine months in jail. At 20, he met, and signed with Sean Combs. On August 4, 1994, Biggie married R&B singer Faith Evans only eight days after meeting her at a Bad Boy photoshoot. On September 13, his debut album Ready To Die came out. The album has gone 4x platinum, and is credited for revitalizing East Coast Hip-Hop . Biggie met Tupac on the set of Poetic Justice, and the two instantly became close. Their friendship soured, however, as Tupac accused Biggie and Puffy of setting him up in the shooting that occurred at Quad Studios on November 30, 1994. At the 1994 Source Awards, Suge Knight insulted Sean Combs and Bad Boy Records, stating that any artists that " Wanna be an artist, and doesn't wanna worry about the executive producer, all in the songs, dancin'......" should join him at Death Row. That moment, coupled with Knight's alliance with Tupac, ignited a feud between the coasts. Biggie's 1995 and 1996 were fairly quiet, at least musically. He focused on his protege' group Junior M.A.F.I.A., comprised of childhood friends such as Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease. After the tragic death of his former friend Tupac, the Rap game was undisputedly B.I.G.'s for the taking. His debut album Life After Death was released on March 25, 1997. The album went platinum, reaching number one on the Billboard 200..... but Biggie wouldn't live to see in. In the early hours of March 9, 1997, he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting while leaving an after party for the Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles. He was only 24 years old.
Tupac and Biggie both left huge fingerprints on Hip-Hop, and music as a whole in a short period of time. They seen as both legendary, and on an untouchable pedestal, and as a symbol of potential that hadn't been reached. They are part of a group, along with Aaliyah, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Pimp C, and Eazy E, of musical icons gone too soon. Quincy Jones said it best when describing Tupac's death. " If we had lost Oprah Winfrey at 25, we would have lost a relatively unknown, local market TV anchorwoman. If we had lost Malcolm X at 25, we would've lost a street hustler named Detroit Red. If Martin Luther King had died at 25, he would've been a local minister who had not yet reached the national scene. And if I had left the world at 25, we would have lost a big-band trumpet player and aspiring composer-- just sliver of my life's potential...". Pac and Big accomplished everything they did in a span of five years, reaching heights and captivating audiences in a way no had before and no one has since. They have given birth to just about every rapper who's come along after them . Nas, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, and J. Cole, among a host of others, cite them as influences. They became much bigger than they art form that brought them to the public eye, and will be on constant replay, influencing generations after them deep into the distant future.
The other Hip-Hop martyr, the Notorious B.I.G. was larger than life. Biggie stood 6'3" and weighed over 300 pounds. Born in Brooklyn to Jamaican parents, Big started dealing drugs at 12. At 18, he spent nine months in jail. At 20, he met, and signed with Sean Combs. On August 4, 1994, Biggie married R&B singer Faith Evans only eight days after meeting her at a Bad Boy photoshoot. On September 13, his debut album Ready To Die came out. The album has gone 4x platinum, and is credited for revitalizing East Coast Hip-Hop . Biggie met Tupac on the set of Poetic Justice, and the two instantly became close. Their friendship soured, however, as Tupac accused Biggie and Puffy of setting him up in the shooting that occurred at Quad Studios on November 30, 1994. At the 1994 Source Awards, Suge Knight insulted Sean Combs and Bad Boy Records, stating that any artists that " Wanna be an artist, and doesn't wanna worry about the executive producer, all in the songs, dancin'......" should join him at Death Row. That moment, coupled with Knight's alliance with Tupac, ignited a feud between the coasts. Biggie's 1995 and 1996 were fairly quiet, at least musically. He focused on his protege' group Junior M.A.F.I.A., comprised of childhood friends such as Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease. After the tragic death of his former friend Tupac, the Rap game was undisputedly B.I.G.'s for the taking. His debut album Life After Death was released on March 25, 1997. The album went platinum, reaching number one on the Billboard 200..... but Biggie wouldn't live to see in. In the early hours of March 9, 1997, he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting while leaving an after party for the Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles. He was only 24 years old.
Tupac and Biggie both left huge fingerprints on Hip-Hop, and music as a whole in a short period of time. They seen as both legendary, and on an untouchable pedestal, and as a symbol of potential that hadn't been reached. They are part of a group, along with Aaliyah, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Pimp C, and Eazy E, of musical icons gone too soon. Quincy Jones said it best when describing Tupac's death. " If we had lost Oprah Winfrey at 25, we would have lost a relatively unknown, local market TV anchorwoman. If we had lost Malcolm X at 25, we would've lost a street hustler named Detroit Red. If Martin Luther King had died at 25, he would've been a local minister who had not yet reached the national scene. And if I had left the world at 25, we would have lost a big-band trumpet player and aspiring composer-- just sliver of my life's potential...". Pac and Big accomplished everything they did in a span of five years, reaching heights and captivating audiences in a way no had before and no one has since. They have given birth to just about every rapper who's come along after them . Nas, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, and J. Cole, among a host of others, cite them as influences. They became much bigger than they art form that brought them to the public eye, and will be on constant replay, influencing generations after them deep into the distant future.
No comments:
Post a Comment