Gregory Edward Jacobs, born August 25, 1963, in Queens, New York, spent part of his youth in Tampa and ended up in Oakland, where he founded Digital Underground in 1987. As Shock G, and as his big-nosed alter ego Humpty Hump, he scored one of the great party records of the decade in early 1990 with The Humpty Dance. For Tupac he was the first mentor in the music business.
From roadie to rapper
Tupac’s manager at the time, Leila Steinberg, connected him with Atron Gregory, Digital Underground’s manager. In 1990 Tupac toured with the group as a roadie, dancer and hype man. Shock G quickly saw what the 19-year-old could do. On the EP This Is an EP Release (1991) Tupac got his first verse on record: Same Song, which also featured in the film Nothing But Trouble; in the video Tupac plays an African king. More on the group under Digital Underground.
Producer of the early hits
Shock G co-produced Tupac’s debut 2Pacalypse Now (1991) and rapped on Trapped. In 1993 he produced I Get Around for Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., Tupac’s first big hit, on which he and Money-B also appear, both on record and in the video. For Me Against the World (1995) he produced So Many Tears, with Stretch as co-producer. And in 1995 he was in front of the camera for the Temptations video while Tupac was in prison.
Their paths separated when Tupac went to Death Row. In documentaries such as Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw, Shock G spoke at length and with obvious affection about their time together.
Death and legacy
Shock G was found dead in Tampa on April 22, 2021, aged 57. The Hillsborough County medical examiner ruled his death an accidental overdose of fentanyl, methamphetamine and alcohol.
A longer statement by Shock G on Tupac’s death is quoted, roughly: don’t mourn Tupac, remember his art, he “lived a 70-year life in 25 years.” The original source could not be traced, so it is summarised here. The claim that Shock G had Tupac’s name tattooed on his arm could not be confirmed either. Tupac was not “signed under Shock G”; he performed as a member of Digital Underground on Tommy Boy, and his solo deal came from Interscope in 1991.