Hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, who lived in Baltimore during his teenage years, had a street named after him on Friday, nearly 30 years after his death.
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — Hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, who lived in Baltimore during his teenage years, had a street named after him on Friday, nearly 30 years after his death.
Tupac was born in New York City, but in 1984, he moved to Baltimore, where he attended Roland Park Middle School, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, and the Baltimore School for the Arts.
Now, a portion of Baltimore’s Greenmount Avenue has been named “Tupac Shakur Way,” where Tupac’s childhood home is located.
The Tupac Shakur street rededication event included rap and spoken-word performances, a special appearance by the Baltimore Oriole, and the unveiling of the Tupac Shakur street sign and peace pole.
Tupac’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, attended the ceremony, saying she hopes these symbols will have a positive impact on the city.
“I’m begging the community to allow this park to be a place of safety and refuge,” she said. “When children are in pain, or in need, or running from danger, any adult that’s around should offer protection.”
Mayor Brandon Scott said Baltimore was where Tupac “really became a rapper,” citing his early work that was written at Mullan Park, winning his first rap contest at Enoch Pratt Free Library, and performing his first concert at the Cherry Hill Recreation Center.
“We have to continue to live and walk in the honor and legacy of Tupac Shakur, not just because he’s a Baltimorean, but most importantly because he was a man who lifted up and fought for his people and wanted us to be better for each other,” Scott said.
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation plants peace poles in cities across the country, with an effort to create safe spaces for communities.
On Friday, the Baltimore Orioles gave away Tupac Shakur bobbleheads to fans attending the game, and his sister threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Tupac’s resume
Starting in 1984, Tupac lived in a rowhome in the 3900 block of Greenmount Avenue with his mother and sister.
He transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet, and befriended actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
Tupac was shot and killed in September 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was known for his rapping and acting.
“I will never forget the call I got when Pac got to be with the ancestors. My cousin rang my phone off the hook,” said Mayor Scott, who was in seventh at Roland Park Middle School. “It felt like a gut-punch. We cried in school for days. What we felt was that our voice, the voice of young, Black America, had just been snuffed out like that. Then we had to remember his words, and it’s my favorite quote from Pac, ‘I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.”
Some of his top songs include, “Changes,” “California Love,” “Dear Mama,” “Hit ‘Em Up,” “Hail Mary,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” and “Ambitionz Az a Ridah,” and others.
He also acted in movies, “Poetic Justice,” “Above The Rim,” “Juice,” Bullet,” and “Gridlock’d.”