Connect with the Libraries
Have an idea for Subject of the Month?
November's Subject of the Month
Tupac Amaru Shakur
June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996
Credit: Ken Nahoum Edge Film
Selector: Allia McCoy
Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
eBooks
Credit: Chris Connor /Wenn
Holler If You Hear Me 2006 by ISBN: 9780465017553Publication Date: 2001-08-15Acclaimed for his writings on Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as his passionate defense of black youth culture, Michael Eric Dyson has emerged as the leading African American intellectual of his generation. Now Dyson turns his attention to one of the most enigmatic figures of the past decade: the slain hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur.Five years after his murder, Tupac remains a widely celebrated, deeply loved, and profoundly controversial icon among black youth. Viewed by many as a "black James Dean," he has attained cult status partly due to the posthumous release of several albums, three movies, and a collection of poetry. But Tupac endures primarily because of the devotion of his loyal followers, who have immortalized him through tributes, letters, songs, and celebrations, many in cyberspace.Dyson helps us to understand why a twenty-five-year-old rapper, activist, poet, actor, and alleged sex offender looms even larger in death than he did in life. With his trademark skills of critical thinking and storytelling, Dyson examines Tupac's hold on black youth, assessing the ways in which different elements of his persona-thug, confused prophet, fatherless child-are both vital and destructive. At once deeply personal and sharply analytical, Dyson's book offers a wholly original way of looking at Tupac Shakur that will thrill those who already love the artist and enlighten those who want to understand him."In the tradition of jazz saxophonists John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, Dyson riffs with speed, eloquence, bawdy humor, and startling truths that have the effect of hitting you like a Mack truck."-San Francisco Examiner"Such is the genius of Dyson. He flows freely from the profound to the profane, from popular culture to classical literature."-Washington Post"A major American thinker and cultural critic."-Philadelphia Inquirer"Among the young black intellectuals to emerge since the demise of the civil rights movement...undoubtedly the most insightful and thought-provoking is Michael Eric Dyson."-Manning Marable, Director of African American Studies, Columbia University
- Changes: an oral history of Tupac ShakurA New Yorker writer's intimate, revealing account of Tupac Shakur's life and legacy, timed to the fiftieth anniversary of his birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death. In the summer of 2020, Tupac Shakur's single "Changes" became an anthem for the worldwide protests against the murder of George Floyd. The song became so popular, in fact, it was vaulted back onto the iTunes charts more than twenty years after its release--making it clear that Tupac's music and the way it addresses systemic racism, police brutality, mass incarceration, income inequality, and a failing education system is just as important now as it was back then. In Changes, published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Tupac's birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, Sheldon Pearce offers one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive accounts yet of the artist's life and legacy.
- Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a RevolutionaryA book by Jasmine Guy about Tupac Shakur's mother and her political life.
Journal Articles
Credit: Steve Eichner/Getty Images
- Kumasi, Kafi (05/01/2012). "Roses in the Concrete: A Critical Race Perspective on Urban Youth and School Libraries".[...]what insights might Critical Race Theory (CRT) afford us in an analysis of school library programs and school librarians' practices as they relate to educating urban youth? [...]CRT scholars are critical of any sociological analyses that focus solely on race without recognizing that racial oppression exists in multiple layers based on gender, class, immigration status, surname, phenotype, accent, and sexuality (Dixson and Rousseau 2006).
- Dariusz, Dziewanski (06/01/2022). "From East Harlem to Cape Town: Tupac Shakur’s legacy as a globalised oppositional repertoire".For marginalised people living in Cape Town, South Africa, rapper Tupac Shakur represents a globalised oppositional repertoire that people draw on for strength and esteem. The study focused on 22 purposefully sampled interviews from township communities throughout Cape Town, which were conducted within a broader multi-year research project that focused on street culture and gangs in the city. Perhaps the most obvious narrative emerging from the research was that of male gang members connecting to the defiant masculine aggression often projected through Tupac’s music. But research also found that gang girls can also draw on the oppositional power he embodies as a street soldier, leveraging it in order to push back against their physical and material insecurity through performances of street culture. There are also ways that Tupac, as the globalised ghetto prophet, serves as a cultural resource for those trying to resist the streets and participation in gangs. The continued resonance of his legacy and image among township residents in Cape Town hints at the links they find in common with disenfranchised groups in American ghettos, and the myriad of similarly segregated urban spaces around the world. Many such groups pursue common cultural strategies to counter their shared experiences with disenfranchisement and disempowerment.
- Keepin' It Real in Hip Hop Politics: A Political Perspective of Tupac ShakurOutside of his most incendiary critics, Tupac Shakur is generally perceived as a socially conscious artist whose political credibility is located in his lyrical critiques of racism and his mother's membership in the Black Panther Party. Popular and academic writers have failed to examine Tupac's distinct political ideas and identifiable activism. This article serves as a prolegomenon to the necessary dialogue on the politics of Tupac Shakur. Drawing from interviews, public statements, and lyrical analyses, the author expands the discourse on Shakur's contribution to the African American fight against racism and injustice.
Videos
- Tupac was a prolific writer with a large collection of work in television music and film.
Websites
- Tupac Shakur FoundationThe mission of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation is to address mental health conditions and eradicate the effects of trauma on our community by providing access to therapeutic resources, creative arts, and education designed to support mental health, physical wellness, and overall development.
- 2Pac.ComTupac Shakur is one of the greatest and most controversial artists of all time. More than a quarter of a century after his tragic death in 1996 at the age of just twenty-five, he continues to be one of the most misunderstood, complicated and prolific figures in modern history. Shakur’s message has continued to resonate throughout the world as his loyal and adoring fan base continues to treasure the timeless messages that he incorporated into his poetry and his music.
Interviews
Credit: Goalcast