Tupac Behind Bars is a glimpse inside the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s tumultuous time in Dannemora. It marked an important period in his life, one during which he got married, met his self-professed biological father, and signed a deal with Death Row Records on a handwritten contract. The author, Michael Christopher, was a career corrections officer in New York State who reached the rank of Lieutenant before his retirement after almost twenty-seven years of service. During the course of his duties, he had contact with tens of thousands of prisoners, including infamous inmates like David Berkowitz a.k.a. ‘The Son of Sam’ and Robert Chambers a.k.a. ‘The Preppy Killer’, but after more than three decades, the one that left him with a positive memory is Tupac Shakur. Tupac Behind Bars is Officer Christopher’s account of his personal encounters with the famous rapper at the Clinton Correctional Facility. The book was published in 2022.
BOOKS RELATED TO TUPAC
A Light On A Hill The highly anticipated anthology from music industry executive Aiyisha T. Obafemi chronicles and commemorates the societal, and cultural contributions of legendary icon, Tupac Amaru Shakur. Through an offering of poignant, unabridged, stories and anecdotes, A Light On A Hill is an unyielding compilation told through the eyes of a vast array of cultural icons and influencers who recognized the heroism in documenting divine wisdom and insight imparted by Tupac prior to his untimely passing. Candid interviews from Angie Martinez, Bun B., D.J. Trauma, Marshawn Lynch, Free Marie, Omari Hardwick, YZ, D-Nice, April Walker, David Banner, Big Krit, Chaka Zulu, Terri J. Vaughn, Shanti Das, Stephen Hill, Mack Wilds, and more with a moving foreword by Sway Calloway, and afterword by Tupac's sister, Set Shakur serve to further preserve his genius and commemorate his 50th birthday. The book was published November 2021.
Spirit of an Outlaw published 2020. With more than 200 images from Yaasmyn Fula, Yaki's mom, Spirit of an Outlaw illustrates the special bond of love and brotherhood between Yaki and Tupac - one that they shared since childhood. The intersection of social justice movements that framed their consciousness is explored in never before revealed narrative and imagery.
Kadafi's mom as photo journalist captured photos of Tupac and Yaki starting when they were just mere babies and continued to document them until the end. Finally, more than 20 years since their deaths, she has opened her archive to share these moments with the world. It gives historical perspective to their lives, helps explain their continued global phenomena and assuage the anguish of their deaths. Like the lyrics to their songs, this book will mesmerize readers with the saga of their short lives marching to the social justice and human rights movements that shaped their lives. It is both tender and unsparing as Yaasmyn, in her own words, shares her personal collection, pays tribute to her beloved young sons of the revolution and the painful loss. They lived their lives with courage, more than mere rappers and this book will inspire generations on their own journeys to fear no truths.
Changes: A Oral History of Tupac Sheldon Pearce offers one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive accounts yet of the artist’s life and legacy. Pearce, an editor and writer at The New Yorker, interviews dozens who knew Tupac throughout various phases of his life. While there are plenty of bold-faced names, the book focuses on the individuals who are lesser known and offer fresh stories and rare insight. Among these are the actor who costarred with him in a Harlem production of A Raisin in the Sun when he was twelve years old, the high school drama teacher who recognized and nurtured his talent, the music industry veteran who helped him develop a nonprofit devoted to helping young artists, the Death Row Records executive who has never before spoken on the record, and dozens of others. Meticulously woven together by Pearce, their voices combine to portray Tupac in all his complexity and contradiction. The book was published in 2021.
The FBI War on Tupac Shakur "Since the first day after the tragedy was announced, controversy has surrounded the death of rap and cultural icon Tupac Shakur. In this work, preeminent researcher on the topic, John Potash, puts forward his own theories of the events leading up to andfollowing the murder in this meticulously researched and exhaustive account of the story. Never before has there been such a detailed and shocking analysis of the untimely death of one of the greatest musicians of the modern era. The FBI War on Tupac Shakur contains a wealth of names, dates, and events detailing the use of unscrupulous tactics by the Federal Bureau of Investigation against a generation of leftist political leaders and musicians. The book was published in 2021.
The Legend Photographing a rapper was not on my agenda,” said Michel Haddi, the French-Algerian photographer whose new project is a heavyweight monograph dedicated to the late Tupac Shakur. “But when I moved to America it was different,” he continued. “(Rap) became my culture.” During a career spanning more than 30 years, Haddi has photographed some of the world’s leading celebrities and models for magazines and advertising campaigns — work that has become the subject of numerous exhibitions and coffee table tomes. His latest book “Tupac: The Legend”— released on the anniversary of the rapper’s death in Las Vegas in 1996, at the hands of an anonymous shooter — revisits the photographer’s portrait session with the star, originally commissioned for hip hop magazine “The Source”.
In 1993, when Tupac and Haddi first met for the shoot, the then 22-year-old rapper was preparing for the release of his second film, John Singleton’s Poetic Justice, a romantic drama in which Janet Jackson plays his love interest. “I didn’t know much about his music,” Haddi said on a Zoom call with CNN. “I was much more interested in him.” Haddi’s vision for the shoot was to portray Tupac — who he described in a previous interview as “elegant and polite” — as Martin Luther King. “I asked him: ‘Are you okay with that? I want to dress you in a black suit, white shirt and black tie’. John (Singleton) asked why, saying ‘I don’t really see Tupac like Martin Luther King’. So I said, ‘All right, I think that you want to take the photograph, here’s my camera.’ Tupac was sensitive and an artist, and he said ‘John please, leave the man alone, let him work’. We did the pictures and got along very well, working for two or three hours. The book was published in 2023.
Worthy Jada Pinkett Smith was living what many would view as a fairy-tale of Hollywood success. But appearances can be deceiving, and as she felt more and more separated from her sense of self, emotional turmoil took hold. Sparing no detail, Worthy chronicles her life—from a rebellious youth running the Baltimore streets as an observer and participant in the drug trade, to the deep bond she shared with Tupac Shakur from the moment they met, to her move to Los Angeles and the successful career she built on her own terms, to becoming the wife of superstar Will Smith and mother to Jaden, Willow and bonus-mom to Trey . A rollercoaster from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of self-acceptance and spiritual healing, Worthy is a woman’s journey to finding herself again.
In a media driven landscape that crafts narratives for our celebrities, Smith shares herself in an intimate conversation with readers. She answers questions about her difficult childhood, her marriage, her parenting style, her career choices, and the intense scrutiny that followed “the slap.” An impactful and rare memoir that engages and educates, Worthy shows why adhering to the status quo has never been the plan for Jada Pinkett Smith and why labels and stories crafted by others strip women of their authenticity. Worthy teaches us who Jada is, and how to embrace our most lovable qualities. Complete with thought-provoking writing prompts and meditations on how to discover who we really are and nourish our self-worth. The book was published in 2023.
The Tupac Encyclopedia - Volume 1 features exhaustively researched articles analyzing Tupac’s albums and songs, the people who collaborated with him, his film career, the times that shaped him, the women who loved him, his activism, his troubles with the law, his feud with The Notorious B.I.G., the artists he inspired, the jewelry he wore, and much more. The book was published in 2022.
The Homicide of Yafeu 'Yaki Kadafi' Fula On November 10, 1996, Yafeu 'Yaki Kadafi' Fula was killed by Rashad Clark. No trial was held so no evidence surrounding the homicide was ever entered into the record. More than 25 years later, Yaasmyn Fula has opened her archive and compiled the witness statements and reports surrounding this tragic murder so the People can read the truth of what happened. The book was published June 2022.
Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography In Tupac Shakur, author and screenwriter Staci Robinson—who knew Tupac from their shared circle of high school friends in Marin City, California, and who was entrusted by his mother, Afeni Shakur, to share his story—unravels the myths and unpacks the complexities that have shadowed Tupac’s existence. Decades in the making, this book pulls back the curtain to reveal a powerful story of a life defined by politics and art—a man driven by equal parts brilliance and impulsiveness, steeped in the rich intellectual tradition of Black empowerment, and unafraid to utter raw truths about race in America.
It is a story of a mother and son bound together by a love for each other and for their people, and the relationship that endured through their darkest times. It is a political story that begins in the whirlwind of the 1960s civil rights movement and unfolds through a young artist’s awakening to rage and purpose in the ’90s era of Rodney King. It is a story of dizzying success and its devastating consequences. And, of course, it is the story of Tupac’s music, his timeless, undying message as it continues to touch and inspire us today. The book was released on October 24, 2023.
Journey With An Outlaw Hussein Fatal, AKA Bruce Washington, tells the story of his THUG life as one of Tupac Shakur's OUTLAWZ on Death Row Records. Fatal takes you on his journey from his childhood in Montclair, New Jersey to his exploits in Hollywood, CA as a famous Hip-Hop Rap artist. He lays out the whole East Coast vs West Coast drama at the MTV Awards, BET Awards and how it touched so many lives with the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. He also shares the heartbreaking story of the death of his friend, Yafeu Akiyele Fula, AKA Yaki Kadafi and how it changed his life. The THUG LIFE (The Hate You Give) moniker is the life he actually lived. This is a front row seat to the drama and chaos of fortune and fame in the rap music game. So many people have a fixation with the world of rappers and hip-hop entertainers but do not have a clue to what really goes on in the industry. Fatal wanted to share the story of an inner city kid and the limited choices he had to survive in a harsh world even after making it big. The book was published 2019.