Tupac Shakur

1996 MTV Video Music Awards

Shakur in 1996, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Lesane Parish Crooks

Date of Birth: June 16, 1971

Place of Birth: East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: September 13, 1996

Place of Death: Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.

Ethnicity: African-American [including, possibly, Tuareg]

Tupac Shakur was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor.

He was the son of African-American parents, William Garland and Afeni Shakur (born Alice Faye Williams). He was born Lesane Parish Crooks. He adopted his surname, “Shakur”, from his stepfather, black nationalist Mutulu Shakur (who was born Jeral Wayne Williams). His mother gave him the name Tupac Amaru after the Peruvian revolutionary Túpac Amaru II. His parents were Black Panther members. His mother was also a businessperson, philanthropist, political activist. His stepbrother is rapper Mopreme Shakur.

His father is said to have Tuareg heritage, an African ethnic group. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented.

A video with Tupac’s father can be seen here.

Tupac’s paternal grandmother was Eloise Marie Barnes (the daughter of Walter Barnes and Carnell Phoenix/Williams). Eloise was born in Florida. A picture of Tupac’s paternal grandparents can be seen here.

Tupac’s maternal grandfather was named Walter Williams, Jr. (the son of The Rev. Walter Williams and Lena).

Tupac’s maternal grandmother was Rosa Belle McLellan (the daughter of Kennie McLellan and Rosa Lee Powers). Tupac’s grandmother Rosa was born in North Carolina. Kennie was the son of Peter McLellan. Tupac’s great-grandmother Rosa’s father was Robert Powers, who was the son of a slave named Jeffrey Powers. Rosa’s mother was Millie Ann Wooten.

Sources: Genealogies of Tupac Shakur (focusing on his mother’s side) – http://www.wargs.com
https://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com

Tupac’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Robert Powers, on the 1870 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Tupac’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Jeffrey/Jeff Powers, on the 1850 U.S. Slave Schedule – https://familysearch.org

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

127 Responses

  1. ShawntheGod says:

    His nose looks Caucasian influenced:

    http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/24600000/Tupac-tupac-shakur-24636437-1036-695.png

    Average African-American at least 20% European, he looks he’s around 30%.

  2. Marseille says:

    60% Sub-Saharan African, 40% European, that’s it.

    • Kerrywhite says:

      Would you white people stop claiming black celebs, dang!!! He’s an African-American and identified and rapped about the struggles of being black in America. He’s 1/16 white and 15/16 Black. That’s 6% White and 94% Black, get on somewhere with that bullshit. I’m thinking you guys think a black person is someone with a skin tone like Akon with a fat nose, you are mistaken.

  3. Marseille says:

    He looks like a mulatto.

  4. midori29 says:

    Tupacs ethnicity is “fine as hell”. He is one gorgeous black man. Resy in peace pretty boy

  5. driko says:

    Tupac wasn’t no damn “African-american”,i will never believe that! he was just black(the original man)…everything, from his demeanor to the way he looks indicates otherwise

    • ssempre says:

      african american = black person from america…

    • fuzzybear44 says:

      @driko

      Have you ever listen to Tupac speak at a black men conference?I’ve seen some of his speeches.Everything, from his demeanor to the way he looks indicated,that pac thought he was the blackest man on the planet

      • shobohunter says:

        dum dum dum dummmm..
        to fuzzybear44
        he look and talks like African or blackest person would talk from Africa. he look and talk like African
        rather then African American. I think
        that’s what’s he (driko) was saying.
        you don’t get the point.

        • fuzzybear44 says:

          @shobohunter

          First you can cut out the insults,that’s completely unnecessary.

          ( he look and talk like African rather then African American)

          First,what does an African American look like?Because from what I can see,they come with all types of phenotypical traits,and skin colors.So to say he doesn’t look like an AA,makes no sense.Also as far talking goes,PAc has stated in his speeches ,that he was raised around pimps and drug dealers,and hanging in the streets,and that’s how he spoke.Here he is at the 4:12 sec stating this:
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex4PtkmLvgo
          So is this is how the blackest person from African would normally talk at their speeches?

          So when Driko made this comment:
          (Tupac wasn’t no damn “African-american”,i will never believe that! he was just black(the original man)

          IMO,he was insinuating that he believed Pac was a African.Now if this is not the case,he can come back on and clear it up for me.Your opinion just like mine,is just that,an opinion.

          • driko says:

            I just think there’s a certain Mystic and “otherness” about him that kind of mystified me. he had an aura of nobility and class! he was just different from the rest…even Tupac’s ancestry was not typical to that of most black folks in america
            his paternal great grand-father was a prince of a Garamantes tribal group in North-west Africa. Tupac had noble blood!

          • fuzzybear44 says:

            @driko

            (I just think there’s a certain Mystic and “otherness” about him that kind of mystified me. he had an aura of nobility and class! he was just different from the rest…)

            Well that’s understandable,he was a very intelligent and charismatic person .IMO if he hadn’t lost focus,and as KRS-One stated (got caught up in the hype),there’s no telling what pac could have achieved.

            (even Tupac’s ancestry was not typical to that of most black folks in america
            his paternal great grand-father was a prince of a Garamantes tribal group in North-west Africa. Tupac had noble blood!)

            Well that’s an interesting fact about him I didn’t know.Now while I do understand what you’re saying, lets be fair.Neither you nor probably the vast majority of AA’s have any idea of whom they are related to.Also being of ( noble blood) as you call it,doesn’t really mean very much.There are many people alive to today, who are related to so called nobility that have achieved nothing. (MLK,Garvey,Douglass and malcolm) as far as I know,weren’t related to so-called nobility,however look at what they achieved(Just saying).

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