Tupac Amaru Shakur Monument and Center (1997-2015)

The famed West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in September of 1996. For several years, his memory was preserved by a monument in a memorial garden on the property of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center of The Arts, created by his mother Afeni Shakur, which operated until 2015. His bronze likeness stood in the center of the garden, but was removed around the time the arts center closed.

   Tupac Shakur was born in 1971, while his mother, Alfeni Shakur, was still serving time in a state penitentiary in New York. She was serving time for bombing charges and involvement with the Black Panther Party. His upbringing molded how he viewed the world he lived in. Shakur's meteoric rise peaked with the release of his album 2pacalypse, which had 3 singles that charted on Billboard's top 40 list. His lyrics talked about the struggle of many Black Americans living in ghettos and impoverished places.

  The east coast/west coast fued between rappers from each coast began in the early 1990s. Tupac's affiliation withe the popular west coast rappers of that time often pushed him the forefront of the fued. he was very vocal and proud of the style of rap he was originating and grew up listening to. he would often take his quarrels with other rappers from the opposing coast to his records. He was linked to a fued with the Notorious B.I.G. Smalls. This tension ultimately led to his untimely death in 1996.

   His murderer has still yet to be identified by law enforcement. Even after their death, Tupac's music still garnered numbers among the artists that are outstanding. It's a common cliche that an artist becomes more famous after death than alive, and Tupac proves that to be true. His fans lingered close to his work, even more so after his tragic departure from life.

  Tupac's legacy was carried on by his mother at this site which was home to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts until 2015.

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