35 entries
Books About Tupac
From his own poetry to murder investigations and biography: 35 books about Tupac, classified by reliability and perspective.
Hundreds of book spines bear Tupac’s name. The offerings range from serious biographies and eyewitness accounts to booklets mainly looking to turn a quick profit. This overview brings together all 35 titles: those United-Tupac.Com featured before and further important publications that appeared later or were missing back then. Almost all works exist in their original English; German editions are noted on each respective detail page.
Each entry breaks down who wrote the text, what focus it sets, and how reliable its content is. The classification ranges from “primary source” to “serious” all the way to “speculative”.
What Tupac Wrote and the Family Authorized
| Year | Book | Author | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Rose That Grew from Concrete | Tupac Shakur | poems from his youth, primary source |
| 2001 | The Tupac Shakur Collection | Alfred Publishing | songbook with sheet music |
| 2003 | Tupac: Resurrection 1971-1996 | concept by Afeni Shakur | authorized, many original writings; German edition 2005 |
| 2004 | Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary | Jasmine Guy | authorized life story of his mother |
| 2006 | Tupac Shakur Legacy | Jamal Joseph | authorized collector’s book with facsimiles |
| 2023 | Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography | Staci Robinson | first authorized biography, serious |
Biographies Search for the Real Person
| Year | Book | Author | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996/97 | Tough Love | Michael Datcher, Kwame Alexander (eds.) | memorial anthology |
| 1997 | Rebel for the Hell of It | Armond White | early critic’s biography |
| 1997 | Tupac Amaru Shakur 1971-1996 | Vibe editors | collection of Vibe articles, serious |
| 1998 | Have Gun Will Travel | Ronin Ro | reportage on Death Row |
| 2001 | Holler If You Hear Me | Michael Eric Dyson | serious essay; German edition 2021 |
| 2005 | Tupac: A Thug Life | credits vary | illustrated nonfiction |
| 2005/06 | Death Rap | Legg, McCarthy, Flameboy | graphic novel; also in German |
| 2006? | All Eyez on Me | Quinton Skinner | announced, publication not confirmed |
| 2010 | Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon | Tayannah Lee McQuillar, Fred L. Johnson III | serious cultural biography |
| 2016 | Original Gangstas | Ben Westhoff | West Coast history; German edition 2017 |
| 2021 | Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur | Sheldon Pearce | serious oral history |
Companions Remember Shared Years
| Year | Book | Author | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Got Your Back | Frank Alexander | his bodyguard’s account, subjective |
| 1999 | Dear 2Pac | fan letters | fan book |
| 1999 | Static: My Tupac Shakur Story | Chopmaster J | memories from the Digital Underground era |
| 2002 | Back in the Day | Darrin Keith Bastfield | childhood friend from Baltimore |
| 2004 | Inside a Thug’s Heart | Angela Ardis | letters from prison |
| 2005 | Thru My Eyes | Gobi | photo book by his video director |
| 2008 | Tupac Remembered | Molly Monjauze et al. | memorial book |
The Murder Case Fills Its Own Books
| Year | Book | Author | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Killing of Tupac Shakur | Cathy Scott | serious true crime from Las Vegas |
| 2002 | LAbyrinth | Randall Sullivan | investigative, core thesis disputed |
| 2011 | Murder Rap | Greg Kading | account by an LAPD investigator |
| 2019 | Compton Street Legend | Duane “Keffe D” Davis | self-portrayal, evidence in the murder trial |
The current status of the proceedings against Duane Davis is documented on the page for Compton Street Legend and in the Death section.
Conspiracy Theories Find an Audience
| Year | Book | Author | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Covert War Against Rock | Alex Constantine | conspiracy book |
| 2003 | Tupac and Elvis: Inevitably Restless | Denard McClairne | self-published, speculative |
| 2003/04 | 2Pac Lives | “Drah Cenedive” (pseudonym) | “Tupac is alive” thesis |
The Name Also Sells Novels and Devotionals
| Year | Book | Author | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Tupac Shakur (They Died Too Young) | Heather Forkos | young readers’ nonfiction |
| 2003 | Jesus and the Hip-Hop Prophets | Alex Gee, John Teter | Christian devotional book |
| 2004/05 | Tupac Shakur (Edge Books) | Nathan Olson | young readers’ nonfiction |
| 2005 | Picture Me Rollin’ | Black Artemis | novel |
Anyone looking for a direct entry point into this collection will find Tupac’s unvarnished voice in The Rose That Grew from Concrete. Staci Robinson’s authorized biography comprehensively traces his journey, while Changes makes the man tangible through the recollections of his companions.
1986
Back in the Day: My Life and Times with Tupac Shakur
Darrin Keith Bastfield's 2002 memoir of his high-school friendship with Tupac at the Baltimore School for the Arts.
1989
Static: My Tupac Shakur Story
Digital Underground co-founder Chopmaster J recalls Tupac's early years. A small-press memoir from 1999 that came with a CD of demo recordings.
1989
The Rose That Grew from Concrete
Tupac's poems from 1989 to 1991, published in 1999 by Pocket Books/MTV Books as facsimiles of his handwriting with typed transcriptions.
1992
Have Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records
Ronin Ro's 1998 account of the rise and fall of Death Row Records and Suge Knight, gripping reportage, though critics faulted its sloppiness.
1995
Got Your Back: The Life of a Bodyguard in the Hardcore World of Gangsta Rap
Memoir by Frank Alexander, Tupac's bodyguard in his final year (1998). Later editions are subtitled "Protecting Tupac in the World of Gangsta Rap".
1995
Inside a Thug's Heart
Angela Ardis on her 1995 correspondence with the imprisoned Tupac, with facsimiles of his letters and poems. First published 2004, reissued 2024.
1995
Thru My Eyes: Thoughts on Tupac Amaru Shakur in Pictures and Words
Photo book by video director Gobi covering Tupac's last year, 1995-96, with a foreword by Afeni Shakur. Published by Atria Books in 2005.
1996
2Pac Lives: The Death of Makaveli / The Resurrection of Tupac Amaru
Self-published book (2003/04) claiming Tupac survived, a product of the "Tupac lives" conspiracy wave, not a work of non-fiction.
1996
Compton Street Legend
Duane "Keffe D" Davis wrote his memoir in 2019, fueling the murder charges. A guilty verdict followed in 2026, with sentencing still pending.
1996
LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
Randall Sullivan's 2002 probe into the Tupac and Biggie murders, the LAPD and Death Row, widely praised, disputed at its core, basis for "City of Lies".
1996
Murder Rap
Former LAPD detective Greg Kading sets out his view of the Tupac and Biggie murders in 2011. His core theory matches the 2026 verdict.
1996
Picture Me Rollin'
Novel by Black Artemis, aka Sofía Quintero (2005): a young woman from the Bronx gets out of prison, and Tupac's music guides her fresh start.
1996
The Killing of Tupac Shakur
The first major book on the Las Vegas murder: crime reporter Cathy Scott, Huntington Press 1997, with a controversial autopsy photo. Updated twice.
1996
Tough Love: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur
An early anthology of essays, poems and letters about Tupac, edited by Michael Datcher and Kwame Alexander and published months after his death.
1997
Rebel for the Hell of It: The Life of Tupac Shakur
One of the first Tupac books after his death (1997): critic Armond White reads his life and work politically, stimulating, but thinly researched.
1997
Tupac Amaru Shakur 1971-1996
Vibe magazine's memorial volume of interviews, features and color photos, published by Crown in 1997 with a foreword by Quincy Jones.
1999
Dear 2Pac: We'll Always Remember You
A 1999 collection of fan letters, poems and artwork sent after Tupac's death, with a preface by Afeni Shakur, a fan book in the literal sense.
2000
The Covert War Against Rock
Alex Constantine's conspiracy book (Feral House, 2000) casts musicians' deaths, Tupac's included, as covert operations. Speculative and poorly sourced.
2000
Tupac Shakur (They Died Too Young)
A young-adult nonfiction title by Heather Forkos in Chelsea House's "They Died Too Young" series, published in 2000: Tupac's life and early death in 48 pages.
2001
Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur
Michael Eric Dyson's 2001 book-length essay on Tupac as artist, thinker and contradiction, with voices from Afeni Shakur to Jada Pinkett Smith.
2001
The Tupac Shakur Collection
A songbook with sheet music and lyrics for Tupac songs, published by Alfred Publishing in late 2001. Made for musicians and collectors, not for reading.
2003
Jesus and the Hip-Hop Prophets: Spiritual Insights from Lauryn Hill and Tupac Shakur
Two American pastors read songs by Tupac and Lauryn Hill as modern prophecy, a slim Christian devotional book from 2003.
2003
Tupac and Elvis: Inevitably Restless
Self-published book by Denard McClairne comparing Tupac and Elvis Presley and weighing rumours about their deaths. A fan book with a speculative streak.
2003
Tupac: Resurrection 1971-1996
Companion book to the 2003 documentary: Tupac in his own words, from an original concept by Afeni Shakur. A German edition followed in 2005.
2004
Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary
For around a decade, Jasmine Guy spoke with Afeni Shakur about the Black Panthers, addiction, and her son: the authorized 2004 first-hand biography.
2004
Tupac Shakur (Edge Books, Rock Music Library)
A short nonfiction book for young readers by Nathan Olson, published in the Edge Books Rock Music Library series by Capstone Press.
2005
Death Rap: Tupac Shakur, A Life
Graphic novel on Tupac's life and death by Barnaby Legg, Jim McCarthy and Flameboy (Omnibus Press, 2005/06), also published in German in 2006.
2005
Tupac: A Thug Life
An illustrated compilation from London publisher Plexus (2005), edited by Sam Brown with a foreword by Kris Ex: interviews, reviews and essays on Tupac.
2006
All Eyez on Me: The Life and Times of Tupac Shakur
Tupac biography by music writer Quinton Skinner, announced by MTV Books for 2006, there is still no proof it was ever actually published.
2006
Tupac Shakur Legacy
Tupac's godfather Jamal Joseph opens the archive: an interactive biography (Atria, 2006) with over 20 removable documents and an interview CD.
2008
Tupac Remembered: Bearing Witness to a Life and Legacy
Memories from the inner circle: How companions from Jada Pinkett Smith to Snoop Dogg look at Tupac in Molly Monjauze's volume.
2010
Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon
Cultural anthropology meets history: McQuillar and Johnson situate Tupac's life in 2010 within the context of politics, family, and hip-hop.
2016
Original Gangstas
From Compton to Tupac's murder: Ben Westhoff's history of West Coast rap was published in the US in 2016 and in German by Hannibal in 2017.
2021
Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur
A mosaic of new interviews: how New Yorker editor Sheldon Pearce lets companions, musicians, and ER doctors speak about Tupac Shakur in 2021.
2023
Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography
Exclusive access to private notes and lyrics: Staci Robinson's authorized biography of Tupac Shakur was published by Crown in 2023.