Tupac 4

In 1989, Leila Steinberg organized a concert with Shakur's group, Strictly Dope. The concert led to him being signed with Atron Gregory who set him up with Digital Underground. In 1990, he was hired as a back-up dancer and roadie for the up-and-coming rap group. After staying with Digital Underground for about a year Tupac decided to go solo and released his first album 2pocalypse now. Although Tupac released multiple albums in his first year they did not do so well because of the negative content and verbal attacks against the police. Still, Shakur worked through that setback and introduced one of the most influential ideas in the 1990’s, “Thug Life”. Like Macbeth, Tupac, even though he was gaining popularity and now financially successful did not prevent him from experiencing problems in this stage of his life. Shakur became the target of lawsuits and other legal issues. He was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of a recording studio in New York City. Following this attack, Shakur grew suspicious of other entertainers in the rap industry that he believed had prior knowledge of the incident and did not warn him. The controversy helped spark the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. This rivalry fuelled Tupac’s rage against three rappers and former friends. He accused Uptown Records founder, Andre Harrell, Sean "Puffy" Combs, and Biggie of having knowledge of the robbery that resulted in him being shot and losing thousands of dollars worth of jewellery on the night of November 30, 1994. Sadly, just like Macbeth, he abused his power and the on-goings feuds contributed to his death. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center. The shooting was rumoured to be the work of the east coast rappers but was never proven.