Tupac Amar Shakur (real name Lesane Parish Crooks), better known by his stage name 2pac, was an American rapper, lyricist, screenwriter, poet, actor and one of the most prominent names in 1990s gangsta rap. Tupac was born in The Bronx, New York City on June 16, 1971 to Afeni Shakur - a member of the Black Panthers, hence why much of Tupac’s upbringing revolved around the Black Panther philosophy. Tupac along with his mother and half-sister Sekyiwa moved between homeless shelters around New York City and as a result he retained a few friends and depended on writing diary entries and poetry to keep himself occupied. The poem “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” was a metaphor for Tupac’s life. All the odds were stacked against him but somehow
