Tupac Shakur was an American rapper and actor. Born to a Black Panther mother, he was bound to step on some toes in his lifetime. Met with an untimely death in September 1996, Tupac touched the hearts of many. He said on many occasions that he was "misunderstood". He felt that the media portrayed him in a light that was not indicative of all that he was.

Tupac made it to the big screen with his first starring role as Bishop in the film, "Juice", directed by Ernest R. Dickerson. He portrayed one of four teenagers growing up in Harlem. The film follows the lives of the four young men and the mischief and violence that they get themselves into.

Tupac also portrayed Birdie in the film, "Above the Rim", directed by Jeff Pollack. In this film he portrays a drug dealer, who tries persistently to convince an up and coming young high school basketball player to play on his team in a neighborhood basketball tournament and thus be part of his illegal drug empire.

Tupac also portrayed a postal clerk named Lucky in the film, "Poetic Justice", directed by John Singleton. In this film, he portrayed a "happy go lucky" postal clerk who had dreams of making it in the music industry.

The character Jody was portrayed by Tyrese Gibson in the film, "Baby Boy", directed by John Singleton. This film was originally written for Tupac but when he was killed in 1996, he shelved the project. There is a mural of Tupac in Jody's bedroom over his bed.

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