West Coast Hip-Hop pioneer and a towering influence on rap music Tupac Amaru Shakur’s stepfather Mutulu Shakur has passed away. Shakur, who was 72 at the time of his mournful death, was recognised for flagrant social activism and led the revolution against African-American racism in the 1980s U.S.
Born on August 8th, 1950, Shakur was sentenced to sixty years in prison and returned home in December last year. The revolutionary “political prisoner” was suffering from numerous health issues, most significantly stage-3 multiple myeloma and went through medical care at Lexington’s Federal Medical Care Centre.
As per many, Shakur was one of the earliest members of the New Afrikan Movement. A veteran of the Black Liberation Army, Shakur underwent the infamous ‘RICO trial’ for over 36 years.
Most recently, Mutulu’s stepson Tupac Shakur was conferred the 2,758th star by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Tupac, oftentimes referred to as “2Pac” or “Makavelli” was himself recognised for hard-hitting rap music concerning police brutality and racism in the U.S. in the 90s, Shakur continues to be one of the most influential figures in rap who defied “the distinction between art and activism,” decades after his death.
Read everything about Tupac Shakur’s historic influence on rap music here.
Culture Haze expresses its deepest condolences to Mutulu Shakur’s family in these testing times.
Watch Tupac Shakur discussing his father in a rare interview by Vibe here.
