2Pac’s official authorized biography has been announced, and it’s hitting shelves later this year.
The rapper’s estate announced the imminent arrival of Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography this week, which is written by ‘Pac’s childhood friend, author and screenwriter Staci Robinson.
It serves as the only estate-approved book chronicling the life of the late rap legend and is set to hit shelves on October 24, 2023.
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“A moving exploration of his life and powerful legacy, fully illustrated with photos, mementos, handwritten poetry, musings, and more,” a statement read on the @2pacunlimited Instagram account.
“Staci Robinson, author and screenwriter who knew ‘Pac during his adolescence and who was entrusted by his late mother, Afeni Shakur, to write his biography peels back the myths and unpacks the complexities that have shadowed his existence.”
The statement continues: “With exclusive access to his private notebooks, letters, unpublished lyrics and uncensored conversations with those who knew and loved him best, Robinson tells a powerful story of a life defined by politics and art, and a man driven by equal parts brilliance and impulsiveness.
“Her previous projects and collaborations include ‘Tupac Remembered, Bearing Witness to a Life and Legacy’ and the forthcoming FX documentary ‘Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur’ that will premiere on April 21.”
The biography announcement comes as FX’s Dear Mama gets ready to premiere on April 21, with the first two of five episodes being released concurrently. The remaining three parts will then be released weekly each Friday. The show will also stream on Hulu one day after its network broadcast.
The series promises to provide never before seen 2Pac archival footage and other content as it again examines the prolific career of one of rap’s greatest creative minds.
“Wherever possible, we tried to find archival footage that hadn’t been seen so there’s a lot that we have in the five parts,” executive producer Allen Hughes explained at the Television Critics Awards. “There’s also audio that’s never been heard. And not just some of his a capellas and vocals, there is a lot of stuff of 2Pac from his baby years that had never been seen.
“For 2Pac superfans, I believe that two of the most important things in the project is the never seen before [footage],” Hughes continued. “But most importantly, you get to understand why he made certain decisions.”
