Tupac Shakur Was Forged in a Revolutionary Political Culture

Tupac Shakur was a deeply political artist, shaped by the radical left-wing traditions of black America. A new biography finally does justice to this side of his life and work.

Review of Words for My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur by Dean Van Nguyen (Doubleday, 2025).

Who was Tupac Shakur? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a plethora of responses. He was hip-hop’s greatest icon. He was a violent thug who was convicted of sexual abuse. He was the voice of the oppressed. He was a radical political figure who channeled his own experiences to call out a racist, imperialist government.

Or, perhaps, he was all of these things at once. No matter which answer you get, though, what remains undisputed among those who have grown up with the image of Tupac is that his life unfolde