A new book explores Tupac’s revolutionary politics and activism
- Text by Isaac Muk
- Photography by Media Punch/heute.at/CC
Words For My Comrades — Penned by Dean Van Nguyen, the cultural history encompasses interviews with those who knew the rapper well, while exploring his parents’ anti-capitalist influence.
A new book, Words For My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur, dives into the legendary rapper’s social injustice fighting politics and activism.
Penned by writer, journalist and critic Dean Van Nguyen and published by White Rabbit, the book explores Shakur’s upbringing, and the influence of his mother Afeni, who was a high-ranking member of the Black Panther Party in New York. It also touches upon his stepfather Mutulu Shakur – a member of the Black Liberation Army, who was ultimately sentenced to 60 years in prison for his role in an armed robbery in 1981.
- Read next: Intimate, unseen photographs of Tupac
It draws upon interviews that Van Nguyen conducted with the rapper’s friends and associates, from musical collaborators to Black Panther veterans.
Illuminating anecdotes are told next to interesting facts about the rapper’s life – he was at one point a member of the Young Communist League, for example – as well as dissecting the socially conscious threads running through his music and art.
Tupac Shakur was shot dead in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. The case remains open, although a Duane “Keffe D” Davis was arrested in connection with Shakur’s murder in September 2023. Davis is set to stand trial in February 2026.
Words For My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur by Dean Van Nguyen publishes on June 19, 2025. Pre-order a copy here.
Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.
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