Share This Tupac: The Side of Him You Didn't Know What can you say about Tupac .  He was a man who was often misunderstood, yet fascinating to hear and watch.  He yearned to be accepted in a world that wasn't so accepting.  He gave a voice to the voiceless. He screamed at the top of his lungs, yet he sometimes wasn't heard.  Tupac influenced a generation and still continues to influence even 16 years after his death.  He could rap about social issues of a black generation but in the same breath talk about making the bed bang. Who is this complex figure that was called Tupac? Some call him a prophet, a visionary, or a philospher , but to some, he was a thug and menace to society.  He brought up issues such as poverty and violence in the black community, that many wanted to ignore.  No matter what you think of him, he lived, he shared, he exposed, he influenced.  Though Tupac's life sometimes mimicked his "Thug Life" persona, many don't realize just how intelligent he was.  Tupac studied at the Baltimore School of the Arts .  He studied acting, jazz, ballet, and poetry . Tupac came on the scene as a influential rapper from the begining.  He rapped about the life he witnessed no matter how bad in may have seemed.  As his rap career rose so did his profile.  He had arrests,  was shot 5 times, and often had themes of an early death for