Slain rap legend Tupac Shakur was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame on Wednesday, nearly three many years after the best-selling artist was gunned down in a drive-by capturing.
The ceremony paid tribute to a rapper who died at age 25 after a quick however spectacular profession, through which he went from backup dancer to self-styled gangsta and one of the influential figures in hip-hop.
“It fills my heart with honor to stand here today representing the Shakur family,” mentioned Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur on the unveiling in Los Angeles.
“Tupac knew deep down that he was always meant for something great. And as his little sister, I had the privilege to watch that greatness unfold.”
Known for his emotionally intense lyrics and on-stage aptitude, Shakur bought greater than 75 million information, with hits together with “California Love” and “Changes.”
Shakur additionally turned a key determine in a vaunted rivalry, egged on by promoters, between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop.
Though born in New York, Shakur moved as an adolescent along with his household to California. He turned one of the identifiable figures within the West Coast scene, earlier than he was shot useless in September 1996 in Las Vegas.
The circumstances of Shakur’s loss of life stay murky. Wednesday’s ceremony got here 9 days earlier than what would have been his 52nd birthday.
Shakur’s identification as a gangsta rapper got here towards the top of his temporary life, when he had repeated brushes with violence and went to jail on sexual assault fees.
But Shakur — whose mom Afeni was energetic within the Black Panther motion and named him after Tupac Amaru, a revolutionary Inca chief — additionally used his lyrics to boost points dealing with Black Americans, from police brutality to mass incarceration.
Shakur and his mom are the topics of the tv documentary sequence “Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur.” Director Allen Hughes and producer Jamal Joseph have been amongst these attending Wednesday’s ceremony.
© 2023 AFP