The Merriam Webster Dictionary’s definition of a thug is the following: a brutal ruffian or assassin: gangster, tough. This is also the worlds definition of a thug. 2pac had a different definition of thug life. To him it wasn’t some “brutal ruffian” lifestyle the media portrayed it to be. To be a thug was to be the underdog, someone who has nothing but even though they have noting their head is still up high. Being a victim of the harsh poverty that 2pac and so many others grew up in had a lot to do with the term thug life. His mother was a black panther, and was incarcerated during the majority of her pregnancy. He was born once she was released.

2pac was much more than someone who was involved in an East coast beef. He was born in New York city in 1971. He moved around areas like Brooklyn and the Bronx as a child.His mother imprinted a lot of her black panther politics. His father was also a Black panther, but 2pac did not have a relationship with him until adulthood. This impacted 2pac in that as a youth he began to seek a father like figure from the hustlers, drug dealers, and gang members. They provided him with things that a father would. This would help set the tone for his nationalistic views he would later place in his music.

As a teenager 2pac and his family moved to Baltimore, there he attended Baltimore school for the arts. He took acting and dance classes there. 2pac also discovered rap during his time in Baltimore. His family relocated to California where he joined the group digital underground. From there it all took off, he by 1991 he released his first album 2pacalypse now. The album spawned hits such as “Brenda’s got a baby”.He continued to release hits such as the anthem “keep your head up”. From then he stared in movies like juice, and poetic justice.

The world does not know much about the man behind the music, there was more to him than the street persona he was often associated with. 2pac was a man that truly cared about his people and how to better them. Even after his death 2pac has continued to have an impact on music and his fans. His art is still a large part of rap industry. His influence can be seen in top artist like J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. With his art on display in the Woodruff library in the Atlanta University Center, he will continue inspire and influence younger generations for years to come.