Tupac Shakur Essay -- Music, Rap Industry

Tupac Shakur, otherwise known as 2Pac, was well known for his accomplishments in the rap industry, as well as his career in acting. When most people look back at the life of Tupac they will remember September 7th 1996, the night Shakur was shot four times on the streets of Las Vegas. Six days later on September 13th 1996, he was pronounced dead at the University Of Nevada Medical Center (THUG, 2011). Although most individuals believed that the tension between the East Coast and the West Coast would lighten with the death of Tupac, it did just the opposite. With angry fans mourning the death of Tupac, and gang members begin promoting more violence in the streets. The feud became stronger between the East and West Coast, causing a divide throughout America. Even though Tupac wasn't alive anymore his records were still sold, and his music videos and songs were still being produced. Other rappers also used the death of Tupac to their advantage, writing songs and raps about his dea th. Moreover, the death of Tupac brought curiosity to many Americans regarding the rap industry because he was a very well-known rapper/actor, who many people still mourn today. Sectionalism in the early eighteen hundreds was much like the East Coast and West Coast feud in the 1990’s. In the 1800’s the issue over slavery was dividing America into two, the North and the South. The North did not think slavery was right, the South did, and they wanted slavery to continue. The constant fighting over the issue of slavery increased as the decade went on. The result of this feud was the Civil War, that broke out in April 1861. The war lasted four long years, with many casualties, and relationships between states that would take a great amount of time to ... ...e still released after his death (Kallen, 94). Most of the released songs became hits, but Tupac Shakur was unable to accept the praise. Some have the idea that at the time Tupac was shot, he was going to leave Death Row Records. If this were true, it would have been a reason for someone from Death Row Records to shoot him, but as of 1999, there had been no investigation into Tupac Shakur’s murder. This brought a great deal of anger among many people who were furious that he was murdered in the first place (Tupac, 2002). Furthermore, the death of Tupac Shakur has become famous throughout America, whether you were a fan of Tupac Shakur, or the story was all a shocker to you, it has caused curiosity among individuals whether or not the East Coast versus West Coast rivalry was the cause of the murder, and whether or not the rivalry was necessary in the beginning.