273 words · 1 min
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.
- Publisher
- Plexus Publishing, London
- Published
- December 19, 2005, as a paperback (Open Library); no evidence was found for the frequently cited November 2003
- Editor
- Sam Brown, with a foreword by music journalist Kris Ex (per Wikipedia); Open Library and Goodreads list Kris Ex as author
- Length
- 208 pages
- ISBN
- 0-85965-375-7 / 978-0-85965-375-6 (2005 paperback); a differing ISBN sometimes cited could not be confirmed
- Language
- English; no German edition known
Tupac: A Thug Life comes from London publisher Plexus, which also issued Cathy Scott’s The Killing of Tupac Shakur in the UK. It is more compilation than biography: a narrative section combined with interviews, reports, film reviews and essays previously published about Tupac.
About the book
What it covers
The book is split into five parts: childhood and his bond with his mother; his rise as a rapper; his film career, with reviews of his major roles and rare stills; the long-unsolved 1996 murder and the theories that followed; and finally the cult that grew around Tupac after his death, including the posthumous releases.
The common thread is the contradictions in the man: a politically aware son of a Black Panther activist, a rapper with a “Thug Life” image, an actor, and someone convicted of first-degree sexual abuse in December 1994 who went to prison for it. It is often wrongly described as a rape conviction; details under Legal cases.
Assessment
A richly illustrated fan-oriented introduction that collects existing writing rather than breaking new ground. Useful as an overview, secondary as a source. The author credit varies between catalogs because it is a compilation with many contributors; Sam Brown is credited as editor.