American rapper Tupac Shakur, killed nearly thirty years ago after a brief and dazzling career, was finally awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday June 7. Legend of hip-hop, Tupac had risen to the top of the artists of the American west coast before being shot in September 1996 in Las Vegas, in circumstances which remain unclear. He was 25 years old.
“Tupac knew deep down that a very great future awaited him,” his sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, said at the dedication ceremony in Los Angeles. “I am extremely honored to be here today to represent the Shakur family,” she added. “As a little sister, I had the privilege of seeing her greatness emerge.”
The rapper, behind hits California, Changes, Dear Mama and All Eyez On Me, has sold 75 million albums. Tupac Shakur, who would be 51 years old, remains very influential in the world of hip-hop, with his lyrics of intense emotion and his sense of theater.
Coming from a family very involved in the African-American Black Panthers protest movement, the West Coast rapper denounced police violence, the world of gangs and the injustices of American society. Thanks to his album Me Against The World, he then became the first artist to rank his album number 1 in sales while being in prison. Initiator of conscious rap, he pleaded in favor of a community awakening.
During this golden era of rap, when Tupac was at the height of his career, gang wars were raging. His rivalry with The Notorious B.I.G. (or Biggie), East Coast rapper, has been gaining momentum. Shootings broke out regularly. That too many took place on September 7, 1996, when Tupac was alongside his controversial manager Suge Knight. He died in hospital six days later from his injuries.
