This Thug's Life

The first-ever insider account of the Shakur family, the iconic hip hop group T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E., and the life and death Tupac Shakur - written by Mopreme Shakur, the legendary rapper's big brother and eldest son of Black liberation activist Mutulu Shakur.

Maurice. Little Mutulu. Mogie. Mocedes. 'Preme. Wycked. Mopreme Shakur has been known by many names. Fitting for a multi-hyphenate like Mo: hip hop artist and sole surviving member of T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. and Outlaw Immortalz, soldier, writer, husband and father, filmmaker, record producer, and the big brother of, and co-collaborator with, the legendary Tupac Shakur, the greatest rapper of all time. The one thing Mo hasn't done--until now--is to tell his story, one of complex family relationships, fame, tragedy, politics, musical innovation, and brotherly love.

Born in Flushing, New York, in 1967 and raised in South Jamica, Queens, Mo got an early education in what it meant to be a man of righteous New Afrikan values imparted by his activist and healer father, Mutulu. The son of revolutionry, Mo's childhood was rife with unpheavals, inspiration, dramatic highs and lows, and unbreakable bonds of love. None stronger than when he met his new baby brother, Tupac. Mutulu said, "This is your brother. Hold his hand." Over the more than two decades that followed, Mopreme never let go. As Tupac rose to transcendent heights in the industry, Mo was on Pac's team as writer and collaborator, producer, stagehand, and sibling confidante. Everything Pac did, Mo was there--right up until the day Pac's life was cut short in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

In his memoir, Mo shares not just an intimately personal story of family, but also one of resiliencce, a quest for racial justice informed by decades of struggle for Black liberation long before the Black Lives Matter movement, and of two brothers who rose from the streets to become icons. It's insightful, inspirational, powerful, and authentically and unapologetically Black. As Mo himself would say: dig that!

Author: Mopreme Shakur
Publisher: Dafina Books
Published: 02/24/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 9.17h x 6.41w x 1.24d
ISBN: 9781496760586


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/02/2026

About the Author
Mopreme Shakur is a hip hop artist, writer, producer, and activist. A founding member of T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. and Outlaw Immortalz, he played a crucial role in the production, recording, and release of all of Tupac Shakur's albums, both during his life and posthumously. A crucial keeper of his brother's legacy, he has appeared in and produced/consulted on "Tupac Assassination," "American Gangster," "Who Killed Tupac?", "Hip Hop Evolution," "Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G." and "Dope is Death," which premiered at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mopreme is currently producing a feature documentary about the influence of T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. in music, popular culture, politics, and beyond; as well as developing a video game and producing a scripted series and three feature films. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and can be found online at ThisThugsLife.com.