Sheldon PearceChanges: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur

Over the years I've read, perused, and took cursory looks at so many periodicals on Tupac Shakur. And I have to say Changes, the oral history of Shakur, is one of the best readings I've ever read or seen about Shakur. The various people who were in or outside of Pac's life when he was alive and that were interviewed for this book, had some thoughtful, objective, passionate, and well thought out things to say about Pac. And I loved it. Oral history books are supposed to be put together and arranged like how Sheldon Pearce did his. I would recommend this book to anyone who ever listened to Pac's music or called themselves a true fan of his.Changes like I mentioned before was an oral history book on the life of the Tupac Shakur from his childhood up until up around the time the book was getting ready to be published (2021). Shakur died in 1996, but the interviewees in this book still had stuff to say about him in the 21st Century.One of my favorite interviewees in this book was Khalil Kain, who acted with Pac in the 1992 movie Juice. They had a genuine respect and objective view of each other and Kain relayed that in this book.Some oral history book writers or transcribers try to put big names, famous celebrities, and such in their book as to make you want to buy it or be more passionate about reading the book. But Pearce wasn't having that. He interviewed regular everyday people who knew Pac, some pass their prime celebrities, and etc. for this book. One of those interviewees was a woman who back when Pac was alive was a teenager. She reached out to Pac by letter to ask him to attend her high school prom with her.Pros of Changes: The truthful, thought provoking, objective, and candid interviews that were conducted. The interviews were the star of the book.Cons of Changes: Some of the interviews got too wordy on the personal lives of the interviewees which proved to be a bore. This book wasn't about their personal lives, it was about how Pac was seen by these interviewees.In closing, I hope the word has been put out about Changes existence because this book needs to be read by Pac's fans and those who have been recently introduced to his works. One of the best ways to get to know a celebrity or get an idea about them is to either spend a day or so with them, interview them, or read an oral history book on them.

Great book if you are a Tupac fan; you will enjoy this book

I got this for my husband for Christmas. He enjoyed reading it. He appreciated that it showed 2Pac from a different more positive angle.

Having grown up in the era of Tupac and being a fan, I knew there were 2 very different versions of Pac. The pre and post jail sentence/Quad Studios shooting Pac. This book highlights how others saw him through both of those versions of himself.

This book is a must-have for any Tupac fan. It is well-written, and the people who were interviewed presented interesting viewpoints and information. My only complaint is that the only picture of him is the one on the cover 🤣!

How does one approach writing about Tupac Shakur more than 25 years after his death? He’s one of the most well-known hip-hop artists of all time, and is among the most controversial artists, period. Tupac has been the subject of films (documentary and biopic), books, countless articles, and even academic courses. What else is there to possibly bring to the conversation? That’s where Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur comes in.Changes is not simply another take on Tupac’s life and legacy from someone waxing philosophically about his career and controversies. As Pearce acknowledges, the book seeks to “probe the collective memory” and serve as an “examination of influence.” As such, there’s little in the way of Pearce interpreting and translating the words of people interviewed for the book. Instead, the first-hand accounts of the “chorus” are presented largely as-is, pieced together to present a chronology of Shakur’s life. This group is wide-reaching and intentionally centers voices that have not often been the most sought-after; included are former teachers, business associates, family friends, medical personnel, journalists, and contemporary artists whose insight and reflections form the basis of the book.The relationships Tupac had with the “chorus” range from people he hadn’t seen in over a decade to those with whom he had closer professional or personal relationships toward the end of his life. As a result, the reader gains a more nuanced image of how he was impacted by well-known events, such as his rape trial and subsequent incarceration, shooting at Quad studios, career on Death Row records, and contention with Bad Boy Records. The accounts vary, and don’t always showcase Tupac in a glowing light. Often, they disclose actions that seemingly confirm the stereotypical “thug” persona he’s often faulted for. But in others, they show a deeply emotional and reflective man with an artistic talent across arts that several argued would have been legendary. Where the press may have painted him as an increasingly hostile or reckless rapper, the Tupac as revealed in private moments was thoughtful, forward-thinking, and generous to a fault. The stories portray Tupac as a complicated and sometimes hypocritical individual, but also as one who was coming into his own artistically and politically, regardless of how apparent it was to the greater public. No matter the impressions one takes away from these accounts, it’s impossible not to gain a deeper understanding of Tupac’s complexity.A particular aspect of the structure that aids in the storytelling is Pearce’s incorporation of the history of Túpac Amaru II, the late rapper’s namesake. It’s well-known that Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur was a Black Panther; he spoke of this in interviews and his music. However, the significance of his given (not legal) name is lesser known. Amaru was an indigenous Peruvian who led revolts against the Spanish. The revolutionary spirit of Amaru is evident in Shakur. Pearce’s choice to use Amaru’s life to illustrate points along Shakur’s journey demonstrates the similarities among the two, connections not frequently made elsewhere, if at all. The parallels between the two are striking, particularly the near hero-like worship the two maintain after their violent deaths.Changes isn’t the book to pick up if you’re trying to get the overarching story of Tupac’s life. That’s been done and can be found elsewhere. Instead, Changes is a closer look at the man Tupac was, behind closed doors or out of the camera’s lens. The chorus provides insightful revelations about his upbringing and reaction to his life events, with perspectives that aren’t often highlighted in other sources. The interviews paint a picture of a complicated young man — mere years out of his childhood — who was trying to figure it out but was killed before he had the chance to. It accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is enter into the record

This book is kind of funny after a certain point yes it gives a lot of details about Tupac and things about his life that we probably never heard but the people who are reading the stories they are acting like they are so tough like they were talking to Tupac like they were a boss nobody was acting like Suge Knight was tough and they are all trying to act like they were just talking to Tupac any kind of way they wanted to and that they have all of this street cred this book is part biography and part comedy if you ask me