Introduction to the Special Edition: Tupac Shakur: 25 Years Later: Explorations of a Hip Hop Icon and Identity Politics.

AbstractTupac Shakur is remembered for many things. Rapper. Actor. Poet. Thug. Scholar. Moreover, while Shakur was “one of hip-hop’s most successful and influential artists, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide (Hess, 2007), he was also remembered as a contradiction. Known for his anthem to black womanhood, Dear Momma, Shakur was found guilty of sexual assault. As the son of Black Panther, the late Afeni Shakur, Tupac spoke out against gun violence, and yet songs such as Death Around the Corner promoted the use of violence. Beyond his enigmatic persona, his body of work, 25 years after his untimely death, still leaves questions for exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]