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.
Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.
Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.
You might like
In photos: Black Texas life since emancipation
Kinship & Community — A new photobook and exhibition showcases the rich culture, history and community of African American folks in the Lone Star State, whose existence in the region predates colonial Britain.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Tender portraits of women serving life sentences in America
Looking Inside — While working as a public defender attorney in New York State, Sara Bennett found dilapidated prisons and forgotten people. Her new photobook harnesses the power of images and shines a humanising light on those imprisoned for serious crimes and their reintegration into society, while asking questions of the USA’s incarceration system.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Activists replace Union Jacks with ‘Tax The Rich’ flags in Farage’s Clacton
Take Back Power — It comes after the Reform UK leader resigned as an MP and triggered a by-election in the constituency, following scrutiny over a £5 million donation that he had not declared.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Tish Murtha’s searing documentation of broken Britain
Vandalism on a Grand Scale — Capturing youth unemployment and poverty in north-east England during the ’80s, the photographer never lived to see her work published. A new photobook by British Culture Archive brings her eye-opening work to light.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Joe James: “I will never be absent in my children’s lives because I know it doesn’t feel nice”
Hard Feelings — As the silky MC prepares to release his debut album ‘The Ends Never Ends’, he joins our column on fatherhood and masculinity to discuss leaving his childhood home at 16, the manosphere and his risk-embracing approach to life.
Written by: Robert Kazandjian
The real life mermaids of Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs
Old Florida — A relic of pre-Disney tourism in the state, the show – which sees women perform athletic underwater tricks in a natural spring – has been running since 1947. Jack Burke attends, while reflecting on the fragility and fantasy of old America.
Written by: Jack Burke
