To Know the Legend is to Understand the Legacy

Known as “Little Mutulu,” Mopreme Shakur was born to political activist father Mutulu Shakur and mother Sharon Harding in South Jamaica, Queens. He was raised in South Jamaica for most of his life with the exception of a few years as a child, when Mopreme lived with his father Mutulu, his father’s wife Afeni and their son, Mopreme’s baby brother, Tupac, in Harlem.

Their father’s activity with the Black Panthers and his role in exposing the Cointelpro Papers, that brought to light the series of FBI ounterintelligence programs from 1956-1971 that were designed to create dissidence and division within the Civil Rights Movement, sent Mutulu into hiding and separated Mopreme and Tupac from each other. But stars are destined to shine and fate was already written that the two would draw on their father’s legacy to create history together as urban prophets.

Mopreme started rapping at an early age on the streets in Queens – it was his dream, his passion and it would ultimately become his life. Mopreme spent some time in the military, which took him to Panama City, Panama in 1988. After being stationed in Ford Ord and Monterrey, CA, he decided to leave the military and move to Oakland, where he began to work on his professional career as a rapper. In 1990, he hooked up with Tony! Toni! Tone! With the group, he recorded his first multi-Platinum hit with Feels Good where he was featured as Mocedes and penned the famous phrase, “Tony! Toni! Tone! Has done it again!”

While in Oakland working on his career as an artist, his brother was just across the Bay in Marin City. The two reunited while Tupac was still a relatively unknown young rapper trying to come up with Digital Underground. After reuniting with his brother the two set out to build a legend and put all of their energy into developing Pac’s career in music and film.

In 1993, Mopreme did a single on Tupac’s Strictly for My Niggaz album called Pappaz Song. In the midst of working on Tupac’s solo career, the brothers’ vision was to work together. Their father Mutulu was instrumental in developing the Thug Code, which lead to the development of the group Thug Life and included Mopreme, Tupac, Big Syke, Rated R and Macadocious. As a member of Thug Life, Mopreme oversaw the Thug Life album project while Tupac was concentrating on his film career.

The Thug Life album debuted number four on Billboard, reaching Gold in only a few weeks at a time when rap was nowhere near as popular as it has become today. The Thug Life album produced the well known hits: Bury Me A G (also on the Tupac Resurrection soundtrack), Pour Out A Little Liquor, Cradle to the Grave, and Straight Ballin’. Mopreme is featured on six of the ten songs on the album, which has since gone Platinum.

As a member of Thug Life, Mopreme toured on the Thugs for Life Tour in 1994 and performed with Tupac until his death in 1996.

Because Tupac was incarcerated shortly after the Thugs For Life Tour, Mopreme began to work as a featured artist on independent projects. After Tupac’s release in 1995, Mopreme assisted Tupac on the multi-Platinum All Eyez On Me project, where he was ultimately featured on When We Ride. While working on the All Eyez On Me project, Tupac formed the Outlawz Immortalz, which included Tupac (Makavelli), Big Syke (Mussolini), Yaki (Kadafi), Fatal (Hussein), Katari (Kastro), Edi, Napoleon, and Mopreme who was known as Komeni. A few months after forming the Outlawz, Young Noble joined the click.

After Tupac’s death in 1996, Mopreme grieved for his brother and finally decided to reemerge in the industry in 2000. At that time, Mopreme and Big Syke began the Thug Law project, which featured artists from both Thug Life and the Outlawz and produced two albums on the D3 label. Mopreme has also been featured on two DVD’s about the life of his brother, Thug Angel and Biggie & Tupac. He was also in the feature film Tupac Resurrection.

With the exception of Tupac’s first album, Mopreme has been featured on all of his brother’s albums that were produced during Tupac’s short life.

Throughout his career, Mopreme’s work has grossed more than $17 million in album sales and has contributed to the Tupac and Thug Life legacy. Get to know the legend.

Look out for Mopreme Shakur in 2005 and understand the legacy!