Tupac Shakurs backstory, beliefs, rise and confrontations with the law are highlighted in a new trailer for All Eyez on Me. The biopic on the late rapper is set to premiere in June.
In the clip, Tupacs (portrayed by Demetrius Shipp, Jr.) early life and ideals are highlighted with words from his activist stepfather Mutulu Shakur,(portrayed by Jamie Hector) who advises, You must stand for something. You must live for something, and you must be willing to die for something.
Later, Tupac is seen with the Notorious B.I.G. (portrayed by Jamal Woolard, who also played Biggie in Notorious). We got a big platform, he tells Biggie. Use that platform to make change.
While Tupac maintains, Im reporting from the streets, Im educating and keeping it real, the trailer also shows some of the forces working against his cause.
Scenes of Tupacs superstar rise, which find him performing to enthusiastic audiences, working in the studio and meeting with record executives are contrasted against media attacks on rap music and police showdowns. The clip also features Death Row Records Suge Knight (played by Dominic L. Santana). Death Row is more than a label, its a way of life, Knight says.
Tupac was killed in 1996 at the age of 25. The trailer culminates in the fateful moment on a Las Vegas street prior to the drive-by shooting that took his life.
All Eyez on Me opens on June 16th. The date coincides with what would have been Tupacs 46th birthday.
On Friday, Tupac will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Brooklyns Barclays Center. His friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg will deliver the induction speech.