Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon
Author(s): Tayannah Lee McQuillar (Author), Fred L. Johnson PhD (Author)
Publisher: Da Capo
Publication Date: January 26, 2010
Edition: 1st
Language: English
Print length: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1568583877
ISBN-13: 9781568583877
Book Description
A passionate, critically incisive cultural biography of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur and an examination of the forces that shaped him.
In 1996 Tupac Shakur, one of the most talented artists of his time, was murdered by an unknown gunman. Fred L. Johnson and Tayannah Lee McQuillar examine the theories surrounding his death and the story of Tupac’s lost legacy in this definitive biography.
For millions, Shakur gave voice to their stories, but there was also another side to him, revealed as his life spun out of control, as the whispered warnings from friends went unheeded and the denunciations of critics grew louder. Disturbingly, he sang and wrote about his impending death. When it came, it brought the music industry to its knees and ended an era when American rappers were leaders in using their art to speak the truth to corporate, government, and judicial power.
In September 1996, musician and actor Tupac Shakur was gunned down on a Las Vegas street. His murder has never been solved. Although he released his first album only in 1991, by the time of his death Shakur was at the top of his field, a smash-hit recording artist who had also received acclaim for acting in such movies as Juice and Poetic Justice. He had also seen his share of controversy: an armed robbery in which he was shot several times; the murder of a former friend (in which some observers tried to implicate Shakur); a conviction and prison sentence for sexual assault. The authors acknowledge Shakur’s deeply troubled childhood—his mother, a former Black Panther, was tried (and acquitted) for conspiracy to commit murder; his stepfather was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list—but they also celebrate the rapper’s intelligence and his gifts as an artist who wrote about love and respect, not hate and violence. The Shakur who emerges here is no illiterate gangster-turned-gangsta but, rather, a bright, artistic, driven man whose life and career continue to inspire many people. –David Pitt
Review
Booklist, 2/15/2010 “The Shakur who emerges here is no illiterate gangster-turned-gangsta but, rather, a bright, artistic, driven man whose life and career continue to inspire many people.”
Library Journal, 1/29/10 “Original . . . As much a biography of Shakur as a history of racial struggle in America. . . . Those looking for a compelling, no-holds-barred biography and an education regarding significant historical events should seek out this book.”
Buffalo News, 1/31/10 “Fine writing and deft analysis.”
PublishersWeekly.com, 2/22/10 “Exhaustively researched and contextualized . . . Insightful, enjoyable and expansive . . . This undeniably solid biography will deepen anyone’s appreciation of the hip-hop legend.”
The Source, March 2010 “An in-depth and chilling analysis of the rap icon.”
About the Author
Fred L. Johnson is Associate Professor of History at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
Tayannah Lee McQuillar is a Mellon Fellow who holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the City University of New York. Her articles have appeared in Today’s Black Woman and in Black Issues Book Review. She is the author of Rootwork: The Folk Magick of Black America. Ms. McQuillar lives in New York City.
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