Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971 – 1996) (born Lesane Parish Crooks ), and later known as 2Pac or Makaveli , was an American rap artist who grew up in New York’s East Harlem neighborhood.

His career as a rapper was spectacular, selling over 100 million copies of his albums and being considered the best rap artist of all time by the prestigious magazine Rolling Stone . His lyrics, full of violent rhymes and about juvenile crime, tell us about the Bronx, with its inequalities and the prevailing racism in American society.

Famous quotes from rapper 2Pac

His life was as turbulent as his verses can make out. The rivalry between rap bands from the East and West of the United States had Tupac at the center of controversy for lustrums. Unfortunately, on September 7, 1996, 2Pac was killed in a shootout while leaving a concert in Las Vegas, and died a few days later .

His legacy in the hip-hop world is unparalleled. The magazine Forbes , in 2008, revealed that Tupac Shakur was among the 10 dead celebrities who raised the most money year after year.

To honor this exceptional African-American musician we have set out to compile the best phrases of 2Pac (and some of his famous verses) in this article.

1. With my death, people will understand what I was talking about.

Sad premonitory phrase that spoke of a redeeming end.

Only God can judge me.

“Only God Can Judge Me.” Humans should not impose their views on good and evil.

3. They may kill the revolutionary, but never the revolution…

One of those phrases from 2Pac that tell us about their transformative spirit.

4. You can’t pretend to be an angel if you’re surrounded by demons.

It’s hard to maintain a high code of ethics when you live in the Bronx.

5. You must get a woman to fall into your arms without you falling into her hands.

Succumbing to a woman’s charms can be the downfall of any man.

6. I fear not the enemy who attacks me but the false friend who embraces me.

About false friendship and its dreadful consequences.

7. Practice will make me the true master of the secret, not just its knowledge as the lazy ones believe.

The teacher is made on the basis of practice, not talent.

8. Wars come and go, but my soldiers are eternal.

A phrase of teamwork and eternal loyalty.

9. Everyone is at war with different things… I’m sometimes at war with my own heart.

About the contradictions in Tupac Shakur’s mind and soul.

10. Misdirected hate is the misfortune of the races.

Evil leaders can channel anger into destructive paths.

11. The past is what determines our future.

A true space-time paradox.

12. They dare to judge me without even knowing me.

Without justice and compassion, another person’s look can be destructive.

13. You grow, we all grow, we are made to grow. You either evolve or disappear.

Natural selection points that way.

14. We talk a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but it’s time to be like them, as strong as they are.

About African-American civil rights leaders.

15. You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, and even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to piece together the clues, justifying what might have happened. Or you can leave the clues on the ground and move on.

Abandoning procrastination and getting started is the only recipe for personal development.

16. If you make it through the darkness of the night, it will be a very sunny day.

Sadness doesn’t last forever.

17. Revenge is the best pleasure after sex.

His winning mentality could sometimes lead to aggressive and vindictive behavior.

18. Not that I idolize Machiavelli. I idolize that way of thinking where you do whatever it is that makes you achieve your goals.

About one of his intellectual references, Nicolas Machiavelli, who gives his name to one of 2Pac’s nicknames.

19. My message is: young black people can do anything if they are given the chance, if they stop trying to beat us. And that goes for my colleagues.

The black community, which has been heavily suppressed in the United States for centuries, and its ability to get by.

I’m not saying I’m going to rule the world, but if I keep talking about how dirty it is, someone’s going to have to clean it up.

This is a particularly egocentric phrase.

21. Wrap me up in words of destruction and I will explode but give me the will to survive and watch the world grow.

Extracted from a verse he composed for one of his raps.

22. When I die, I’ll be a living legend.

Omen that came true. After his death, he was declared by an overwhelming majority to be the greatest artist the hip-hop movement has seen in the United States.

23. Money brings bitches, bitches bring lies.

Lyrics to his song “All Eyez On Me”.

24. Hang out with real men (referring to the thugs) if you want to be one of them.

How do Bronx gangsters tan? Tupac explains it to us in this verse.

25. I would commit to a woman who is very, very strong. A woman who loves me because I could love her more than she loves me.

His vision of love.

26. Be individual, work hard, study, keep your mind in order and trust no one.

His philosophy of life, summed up in a single famous quote.

27. Only intelligence examines itself.

Self-awareness gives us this ability called metacognition.

28. We must remember that tomorrow comes after darkness.

Without the sadness, there would be no joy.

29. That always happens, all black people who change the world die, they don’t die like normal people, they die violently.

Sad reflection on the end of many African-American activists.

30. The lie is not a lie, it’s the truth.

His Machiavellian spirit is reflected in this famous phrase.

31. Mom, tell me if I’m wrong, is God just another cop?

Brutal reflection on the coercive forces of the state, especially hard on the blacks.

32. My mom used to tell me that if she couldn’t find something to live for, she’d find something to die for.

If you don’t have a goal in life, you can go through it without any pain or glory.

33. Everyone has the maximum memory for what they are interested in and the minimum for what they are not interested in.

Brilliant reflection on the human condition.

34. What you feed like seeds grows and then hits you in the face. That’s a life of crime.

About the thug lifestyle.

35. The only thing a sleeping man gets is dreams…

Not waking up and putting action into your life is a waste of time.