<P> In 1988, Shakur and his family moved to Marin City, California, a suburban community located 5 miles (8 km) north of San Francisco . He attended Tamalpais High School in nearby Mill Valley . Shakur contributed to the school's drama department by performing in several productions . In an English class, Shakur wrote a paper, "Conquering All Obstacles," in which he said: "our raps, not the sorry story raps everyone is so tired of . They are about what happens in the real world . Our goal is (to) have people relate to our raps, making it easier to see what really is happening out there . Even more important, what we may do to better our world ." He began attending the poetry classes of Leila Steinberg in 1989 . That same year, Steinberg organized a concert with a former group of Shakur's, "Strictly Dope"; the concert led to him being signed with Atron Gregory . He set him up as a roadie and backup dancer with the hip hop group Digital Underground in 1990 . </P> <P> Before using his first name as his rap name, Shakur went by the alias MC New York when starting his career in Baltimore . Although Shakur began recording in 1987, his professional entertainment career did not take off until the early 1990s when he debuted in Digital Underground's "Same Song" from the soundtrack to the 1991 film Nothing but Trouble, and also appeared with the group in the film . The song was later released as the lead song of the Digital Underground extended play (EP) This Is an EP Release, the follow - up to their debut hit album Sex Packets . Shakur appeared in the accompanying music video . After his rap debut, he performed with Digital Underground again on the album Sons of the P. Shakur went on to feature Shock G and Money - B from Digital Underground in his track "I Get Around", which ranked #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 . </P> <P> In November 1991, Shakur released his debut solo album, 2Pacalypse Now . Though the album did not generate any "Top Ten" hits, 2Pacalypse Now is hailed by many critics and fans for its underground feel, with many rappers such as Nas, Eminem, Game, and Talib Kweli having pointed to it as inspiration . Although the album was originally released on Interscope Records, the rights to its distribution are now owned by Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by Shakur's mother . The album's name is a reference to the 1979 film Apocalypse Now . </P> <P> 2Pacalypse Now generated significant controversy for numerous reasons . The songs "Trapped" and "Brenda's Got a Baby" were widely noted for their poetic qualities but also offered strong critiques of unjust social policies . Dan Quayle criticized the album after a Texas youth's defense attorney claimed he was influenced by 2Pacalypse Now and its theme of police brutality before shooting a state trooper . Quayle said, "There's no reason for a record like this to be released . It has no place in our society ." Shakur stated that he felt he had been misunderstood . He said, "I started out saying I was down for the young black male, you know, and that was gonna be my thang," Shakur said . "I just wanted to rap about things that affected young black males . When I said that, I didn't know that I was gonna tie myself down to just take all the blunts and hits for all the young black males, to be the media's kicking post for young black males . I just figured since I lived that life I could do that, I could rap about that ." The record was important in showcasing Shakur's political conviction and his focus on lyrical prowess . On MTV's Greatest Rappers of All Time list, 2Pacalypse Now was listed as one of Shakur's "certified classic" albums, along with Me Against the World, All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory . 2Pacalypse Now went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA . It featured three singles: "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Trapped", and "If My Homie Calls". </P>

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