A sort of gangsta Festschrift, a biography made up of disparate articles assembled by the editors of
Vibe magazine, celebrates the late superstar Tupac Shakur. Predictably, it features the occasional foray into verboten vocabulary, although not enough, probably, to provoke the tut-tutting tempest hip-hop culture often inspires. Call the lingo fittingly gritty. Shakur, more than most pop idols, lived his image. The book follows his trials, legal and otherwise, from a childhood marked by frequent uprootings, his mother's membership in the Black Panthers, and rampant drug use, to the rise of the volatile East Coast^-West Coast rap rivalry that eventually claimed his life. The violence and misogyny that characterized Tupac's music and the passion that set it apart are all examined. Speaking loosely of his personal credo, Shakur said, "We need some kind of exceptional being so we can stop suckin' Malcolm X and Michael Jordan's dick" --precisely the kind of sentiment that made him a poster boy for those eager to suppress gangsta rap. Beyond the boast and bravado, Shakur embodied a strident, forthright attitude that his fans found inspirational and invigorating and his detractors found threatening. To invoke Public Enemy, when it comes to Tupac Shakur's life, "Don't believe the hype." Read the book.
Mike Tribby
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From Kirkus Reviews
Shakur, who died in a drive-by shooting at the age of 25, was one of rap music's most controversial and influential performers, as evidenced by this collection of heavily illustrated articles from VIBE magazine, including interviews, features on the singer, and reports on the increasingly heated conflicts within rap music that may, it has been suggested, have played a part in Shakur's death. Those unfamiliar with Shakur's hard life and his gangsta rap, which celebrated violent defiance of a society viewed as largely racist and lethal, will probably feel somewhat at sea here- -these are pieces written for knowledgeable fans of hip-hop and rap. However, the vigor and frankness of some of these articles by young critics and journalists does offer a fascinating view of a vibrant and deeply disturbing part of popular culture. Shakur's fans will find the book a useful overview of a short, intensely controversial, and ultimately self-destructive life and career. (100 color photos, not seen) --
Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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