All Eyez on 2Pac

Few artists have captivated pop culture like Tupac “2Pac” Shakur. Positioning himself as a gangsta revolutionary, 2Pac rose to fame amid constant controversy, selling millions of records while making enemies in the streets, in the industry, and all the way up to the White House. In 1996, at the peak of his success, he was killed. His legend only grew in the years that followed, but the murder remained unsolved — until now. Thirty years later, the man who orchestrated the killing was found guilty, and once again, all eyes are on 2Pac.

Now that the verdict is in, hip-hop linguist and 2Pac expert Steven Gilbers revisits 2Pac’s story, showing how the contradictions that defined his life ultimately led to his death. How did a rapper born in New York become the face of West Coast hip-hop? Why would a man who wanted to unite his community tie himself to street gangs? And how are 2Pac’s speech and flow connected to all of this?

Steven Gilbers is assistant professor of English linguistics at the University of Groningen. He specializes in hip-hop linguistics: the study of language in the context of hip-hop culture. In 2021 – exactly 25 years after 2Pac’s death – he obtained his PhD with a dissertation on 2Pac’s speech and rap. Outside academia, Gilbers is a recording artist affiliated with American label FiveSe7en Collective and is part of Groningen hip-hop platform Homebase. 

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