Publishers Weekly
05/17/2021
Legendary hip-hop martyr Tupac Shakur is movingly captured as the people’s gangsta in this kaleidoscopic commemoration of his life, New Yorker writer Pearce’s debut. He interviews dozens of Shakur’s childhood friends, teachers, and fellow rappers, as well as journalists and ER doctors to garner reminiscences of the rapper, who was murdered by assailants, still unknown, at the age of 25 in a 1996 Las Vegas drive-by. In this admiring mosaic, Shakur is charismatic, kind (he did a free ad for a Black-owned fashion line), productive (he wrote the hit “Brenda’s Got a Baby” during a cigarette break), energetic (“He was laser focused—multitasking, smoking blunts, typing, and still talking to me A-1,” remembers fashion designer Karl Kani), and willing to walk the walk by actually shooting police (in self-defense, it was ruled) instead of just rapping about it. Shakur’s celebrated passion for social justice is much praised but little evidenced here, and is complicated by accounts the beatdowns he administered, an altercation involving gunplay that killed a child, and his conviction for sexual abuse. (A highlight of the book is a juror’s account of jury-room shenanigans that undermines that verdict’s validity.) There’s much hagiography here—“He had this light around him,” gushes a homeroom classmate—but also genuine insight into Shakur’s musical facility and the quiet, understated “genius” of his acting. Tupac’s multitudes of fans will eat this up. (June)
From the Publisher
Illuminates the kaleidoscopic aspects of Shakur’s life...[Pearce] scores remarkable details.”–Alan Light for The New York Times Book Review
“A book that quietly tries to humanize an oft-mythologized figure...makes [Tupac] seem more flesh-and-blood than the countless statues and murals that pay tribute to his brief yet incredibly eventful life.”—Mosi Reeves, The A.V. Club
“Collectively, Pearce and his cast offer a portrait that shades in the traditional Tupac myth with context and complexity.”—Pitchfork
“Tupac’s brief, protean life has taken on allegorical power and New Yorker writer Sheldon Pearce’s oral history clarifies the turning points.” —Dorian Lynskey, The Guardian
“Candidly told through the voices of people with whom Shakur interacted—both closely and less so—the book provides insight into his personality and details the circumstances that influenced and motivated him. In almost cinematic fashion, these accounts create a nuanced portrait of Shakur’s story.”—Tracy Crawford, Library Journal (starred review)
“Compelling...essential Tupac reading.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Riveting...The insights in this absorbing narrative contribute to a deeper understanding of Shakur’s complexity as a person and an artist.”—Allison Escoto, Booklist
“Legendary hip-hop martyr Tupac Shakur is movingly captured as the people’s gangsta in this kaleidoscopic commemoration of his life...Tupac’s multitudes of fans will eat this up.” —Publishers Weekly
Library Journal
★ 05/21/2021
There is no shortage of documentation about the life and legacy of actor, poet, rapper, and global cultural icon Tupac Shakur. Nevertheless, Pearce's (music writer, The New Yorker) work is timely and noteworthy. Candidly told through the voices of people with whom Shakur interacted—both closely and less so—the book provides insight into his personality and details the circumstances that influenced and motivated him. In almost cinematic fashion, these accounts create a nuanced portrait of Shakur's story. Interviewees also explore the Black Panther Party (the artist's mother, Afeni Shakur, was a member) and discuss Peruvian revolutionary Túpac Amaru II (for whom Shakur was named). Culminating with a poignant discussion of who Shakur might have become had he not been killed, the work leaves its readers, and its interview subjects, to imagine how he might have used his art to comment on issues like police brutality. VERDICT With 2021 marking both the 25th anniversary of Shakur's death and what would have been his 50th birthday, this is a strong addition to public, academic, and research libraries, especially those with hip-hop collections.—Tracy Crawford, New York P.L.
Kirkus Reviews
2021-05-24
There’s a Tupac Shakur–sized hole in the middle of this compelling oral history about the revered rapper and actor and his legacy—and that’s by design.
Pearce, a music writer and editor at the New Yorker, wanted to use only new interviews for the project, which means that the words of the late rapper and Juiceactor don’t appear much in a book about him, aside from the occasional footnote. For various other reasons, his family and inner circle don’t say much either. Conspicuously missing are conversations with his Black Panther mother Afeni Shakur or Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight. Instead, we hear from people who know parts of Shakur’s story, including teachers, friends from early in his career, and reporters and authors. Their insights are more about Shakur the man rather than 2Pac the myth: his quick temper and heartfelt apologies, loyalty and paranoia, and well-documented work ethic. But they pale in comparison to Shakur’s work and the way he has previously described his life and art with his own charismatic delivery. As Pearce writes in the author’s note, “it quickly became a balancing act: Where to provide insight versus where to provide clarity?” The success of that balancing act will depend on the reader. Shakur fans looking for new details about how their hero approached his biggest albums and movie roles won’t find much new here. However, Pearce’s interviews provide interesting background on the East Coast–West Coast rap rivalry and offer more clarity about who may have killed Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 at age 25—even though no formal charges have ever been filed. Those are the times when this book feels like essential Tupac reading rather than a nice supplement.
Having relative unknowns document Tupac’s meteoric rise and abrupt end is risky, but Pearce demonstrates his impact.
