Words for My Comrades

Before his murder at 25, Tupac Shakur rose to staggering artistic heights as the preeminent storyteller of the 90s, building, in the process, one of the most iconic public personas of the last half century. He recorded 10 platinum albums, starred in major films and became an activist and political hero known the world over.In this cultural history, journalist Van Nguyen reckons with Tupac's coming of age, fame and cultural capital and how the political machinations that shaped him as a boy have since buoyed his legacy as a revolutionary following the George Floyd uprising. Words for My Comrades engages - crucially - with the influence of Tupac's mother, Afeni, whose role in the Black Panther Party and dedication to dismantling American imperialism and police brutality informed Tupac's art.