Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon: The Biography

A passionate, critically incisive cultural biography of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur and an examination of the forces that shaped him.

In 1996 Tupac Shakur, one of the most talented artists of his time, was murdered by an unknown gunman. Fred L. Johnson and Tayannah Lee McQuillar examine the theories surrounding his death and the story of Tupac's lost legacy in this definitive biography.

For millions, Shakur gave voice to their stories, but there was also another side to him, revealed as his life spun out of control, as the whispered warnings from friends went unheeded and the denunciations of critics grew louder. Disturbingly, he sang and wrote about his impending death. When it came, it brought the music industry to its knees and ended an era when American rappers were leaders in using their art to speak the truth to corporate, government, and judicial power.

Fred L. Johnson is Associate Professor of History at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

Tayannah Lee McQuillar is a Mellon Fellow who holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the City University of New York. Her articles have appeared in Today's Black Woman and in Black Issues Book Review. She is the author of Rootwork: The Folk Magick of Black America. Ms. McQuillar lives in New York City.