'An Oral History of Tupac Shakur' Will Explore the Rapper From Perspective of Friends

Dozens of people who knew Tupac Shakur personally were interviewed for the book.

A new book on the life and lore of Tupac Shakur is set to arrive on June 8th, the 25th anniversary of his tragic death. New Yorker writer/editor Sheldon Pearce is set to release Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur through Simon and Schuster. The book is available for pre-order at the publisher's website. The book will arrive during what would be the 50th year of Tupac's life.

In November 2020, director Allen Hughes--known for directing Menace II Society (and an infamous scuffle with Shakur on the movie's set) resumed his work on Outlaw: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur. The documentary, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is reportedly five parts and set to appear on FX.

"Tupac was initially this social justice warrior," Hughes said in an interview with Deadline. "In every interview, we’d see him talking about these things. Police brutality, the prison system, the way that the economics in the ghetto work, and how the education system was f*cked. He was always his mother’s child, talking about all these things that have come up fairly recently."

Back in March, Billboard reported that City of Lies, a film about the investigations into the murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. originally shot in 2017, would be arriving on Video on Demand.

"When you look at hip hop in general," Hughes continued, "a lot of artists talked about these things here and there, but Tupac, damn near in every interview, he was taking up that cause of social justice. I think that’s what’s hitting me. Outside of how powerful he was as an artist, how powerful a presence, and what a great performer and rapper and writer he was."

Stay tuned for further updates on An Oral History of Tupac Shakur.