Tupac Shakur Legacy

In 1969, Jamal Joseph stood trial as one of the “Panther 21,” just like Afeni Shakur. He was acquitted, but later served several years in prison, among other things for harboring Tupac’s stepfather Mutulu Shakur after the 1981 Brink’s robbery. He had joined the Black Panther Party in 1968 at the age of 15; in prison, he earned his degree and later became a professor at Columbia University’s film school. He is regarded as Tupac’s godfather and knows the Shakur family’s history from up close. In 2006, with Tupac Shakur Legacy, he presented a biography that makes the rapper’s private archive tangible.

64 Pages with Inserts and Audio CD

More Than Twenty Removable Documents

The book is designed as an “interactive biography”: alongside text and previously unpublished family photos, it contains more than twenty removable reproductions of personal documents-including handwritten lyrics, contracts, screenplay pages, poems, letters, and plans from Tupac’s notebooks.

Added to this is a CD featuring an approximately one-hour interview with Tupac. According to the description, the inserts also include a note regarding where his ashes are said to have been scattered.

Authorized for Collectors, Without Critical Distance

The result is an authorized collector’s and memorial book from within the family circle. The text remains brief; the appeal lies in the facsimiles, which make Tupac’s working methods tangible. Critical distance cannot be expected. In 2008, the American Library Association included the volume on its “Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers” list-books intended to encourage young people to read.

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