Tupac ShakurTupac Shakur was one of the most influential artists of our last decade. He not only made several albums, but also played important roles in many films and became a poet. Millions of people have bought and still buy his albums. He was a pioneer of gangster rap and he sang about things that mattered. Although he was a role model and admired by many, he also had a lot of enemies and in the end his enemies dominated his fans by taking his life. Some say he may still be alive, but no one really knows. Tupac Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks in Brooklyn, New York, on June 16, 1971. His mother Afen Shakur changed his name when he was a small child to Tupac Amura after an Incan-Indian revolutionary, "Tupac Amura", which means "Serpent bright ". His last name comes from his stepfather, Jeral Wayne Williams, or Mutula Shakur, which means "grateful to God" in Arabic. During Tupac's childhood, he was known as the "Black Prince", for his bad behavior. When Tupac was two years old, his sister, Sekyiwa, was born. A few months before his birth, his father, Mutula, was sentenced to 60 years in prison for an armed robbery that resulted in the death of a car. Without his father-in-law, the family went through difficult times. Tupac was very distressed because they moved to the Bronx, Harlem and homeless shelters. Tupac said he cried all the time. He couldn't fit in because he came from everywhere and had no friends to grow up with. By the age of 12, Tupac had moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he attended the Baltimore School For Performing Arts, where he studied acting and ballet. It was during this time in his life that he discovered his love for theater, writing love songs and poetry. At this school, he left a lasting impression on his teachers and showed ...... middle of paper ......need death to escape his enemies in order to gain power. In Tupac's new album, "Machiavelli AKA The Seven Day Theory," tells the story of how he was shot on the seventh day of September and died seven days later. Additionally, in this album he states: "I was shot and murdered, I can't tell you how it happened word for word, but I better believe these niggas will get what they deserve ." The cross on Tupac's back says, "Exodus 16:31." The line above it in the Bible says, “So the people rested on the seventh day.” Essentially, Exodus 16 is about the seven days. The most sketchy part of the whole story is that he was cremated immediately after his death, the next day. Why would they cremate a murder victim the day after the murder? This is a question that remains unanswered. Memorial services have been canceled in Los Angeles and Atlanta.