By AFRO Staff

Tupac Shakur, the late cultural icon known for his thought provoking lyrics, was honored in Baltimore with a street renaming ceremony on May 8. Tupac Shakur Way is now recognized by signage in the 4000 block of Greenmount Avenue. The event took place on the same day the Baltimore Orioles released a Tupac Shakur bobblehead for fans at their May 8 game against The Athletics, a California based major league baseball team. Both events were attended by community leaders and Shakur’s loved ones, including Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur.

Tupac Shakur Way is unveiled in the 4000 block of Greenmount Avenue. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Office of the Mayor / J. J. McQueen

Though Tupac Shakur may be more associated with California, where he became a staple of the 90s rap scene, it was in Baltimore that he began to blossom as a creative. 

Shakur was born under a different name, Lesane Crooks, on June 16, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York. He became Tupac Amaru Shakur after his mother, Afeni Shakur, renamed him in honor of the Peruvian leader, Tupac Amaru II.

Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur speaks to those gathered for the street renaming in honor of her late brother, rapper Tupac Shakur. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Office of the Mayor / J. J. McQueen

Shakur’s family moved to Charm City when he was just a 13-year-old boy, looking for a way to express himself and synthesize the world around him. There, he was accepted into the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts, and began to hone the skills that would lead him to the recording studio, the big screen and ultimately, international fame.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott speaks on the Baltimore roots and lasting legacy of the late cultural icon, Tupac Shakur.
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Office of the Mayor / J. J. McQueen

“It was in Baltimore that Tupac really became a rapper. It was in Mullan Park that he wrote some of his earliest work. It was at the Enoch Pratt Free Library where he won his first rap contest,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott in a statement released on social media about the street renaming. “It was at Cherry Hill Rec Center that he performed his first concert. As we honored his legacy and lasting impact… I hope that Tupac Shakur Way serves as a reminder everyday that greatness can come from every block, every neighborhood, and every young person in Baltimore.”

Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, sister of late rapper Tupac Shakur, throws out the first pitch before a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Athletics on May 8 in Baltimore. Credit: AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Tupac Shakur moved to California with his family in the late 1980s. The state served as his home base until his murder on Sept. 13, 1996, in Las Vegas. 

In addition to the street renaming, a peace march took place and a peace pole was planted in Mullan Park, located in the 4000 block of Old York Rd.

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