For many rap fans, Tupac Shakur (or 2Pac as his moniker is also shown on album covers) is one of the best MC’s who ever lived and a total legend of the music industry. An interesting and complex character, he was not a man to be messed with but could also show a softer side on occasion. Of course, it was his knack for memorable lyrics, great hooks and a sublime flow that made him so successful. From Hail Mary to Hit ‘Em Up and California Lovin’, he enjoyed am amazing career when still with us.
Here are ten of the most awesome and little-known facts about this popular rapper:
The Outlawz smoked his ashes
The murder of Tupac was one of the most shocking and defining moments in the history or rap. It brought an end to the intense coastal rivalry of Gangsta rap and left many fans in mourning all over the globe. Tupac was a heavy smoker of weed so it was perhaps a fitting tribute that his group, The Outlawz, smoked his ashes after his cremation! It seems that they mixed some with their weed post-cremation and made sure their famous compadre stayed with them forever. Many people would go for the jar on the shelf approach but that’s hardcore rap stars for you!
He Almost set up a young band of his own
In the early 1990’s, Pac was at his peak and so were young, hip-hop style acts like Kriss Kross. Seeing the potential of a young hip-hop band that he could manage, 2Pac tried setting his own up. Along with stepbrother Mopreme, he would recruit poor kids from around the Oakland area to join the groups he planned to create. None of them really got off the ground but one of the groups did go on to become his real-life adult group, The Outlawz. It was perhaps lucky that he never got the kiddie version off the ground though as they soon went out of fashion with people!
He Almost never signed with Death-row records
Although it seems quite unthinkable now as they are so closely linked, Tupac almost didn’t sign for Death Row records. Before his trip into jail, he was close with Ruthless Records founder and NWA OG Eazy-E. Members of the Ruthless Records crew recall Tupac spending a lot of time with them and Eazy prior to his incarceration. Many believe that, had Eazy-E been alive still when he came out, Tupac would have signed with Ruthless Records instead. As it was, Eazy sadly died which left Death Row as Tupac’s only option to get on his feet again when on the outside.
His first shooting may have been self inflicted
In the history of music, the shooting of 2Pac in 1994 at The Quad studios was immense. This single act kicked off the fierce East Coast-West Coast rivalry due to Pac blaming New York rapper Biggie Smalls for setting him up. This feud would eventually see Tupac and Smalls dead as a result. Some believe however that it was just a random robbery and that 2Pac may have actually shot himself by mistake. Police say there is evidence he shot himself in the act of getting his gun out of his waistband quickly. This would tie in with the fact that, if it were an actual hit, the assailants would surely have finished him off.
Tupac was planning a super group with Snoop Dogg
Next to Tupac, Snoop was one of the biggest artists in rap and also on the Death Row label. They eventually fell out not long before Pac died but before then were quite close. This led to the idea of a rap supergroup being formed, consisting of Tupac and his group The Outlawz along with Snoop and his group Tha Dogg Pound. Recordings had begun on tracks for the album, but they were all shelved when the main two stars began arguing.
In the history of rap, few artists can claim to have been so critically acclaimed by music fans and successful with the general public. Although his songs always had hooks and mass appeal, they still had an underground feel and raw lyrics. This combined with his undeniable charisma to make a music star that many still love to this day.
