Mopreme Shakur is stepping out of the shadows with stories no one has heard before about his stepbrother, Tupac Shakur, in the memoir This Thug’s Life, dropping on February 24.
The book promises never-before-told stories about growing up with the rap legend. Mopreme appeared on Jesse Weber Live on Thursday to break down why he finally decided to speak.
“I’ve had a very interesting life, very interesting and legendary people in my life, part of my life, and we’ve done some incredible things, and people have been asking me over the years,” Mopreme explained during the interview.
The timing hits different with Duane “Keffe D” Davis murder trial scheduled for August 2026. Mopreme addressed his family’s mindset heading into the courtroom drama that could finally bring justice for Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing.
“Our family is staying strong. We’re staying hopeful. We’re staying ready for whatever news may come, but we are in it until wheels fall off and we’re still pursuing justice,” he said.
Mopreme knows the weight his brother still carries in Hip-Hop culture. The Thug Life founding member watched Shakur transform from a Baltimore teenager into a global icon before bullets cut his story short in Las Vegas.
“My brother was legend. His murder was legend, you know, and there’s a lot to it, but there are answers, you know? I mean, there are answers. It just has to be focused in on,” Mopreme added.
The memoir arrives during a Tupac Shakur book explosion.
Jeff Pearlman dropped Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur in October 2025. Staci Robinson released the authorized biography Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography in 2024.
Mopreme brings something different to the table. He lived the Thug Life era from the inside. The group formed in 1993 with Big Syke, Macadoshis, Rated R, and Shakur. Their self-titled debut album hit number four on the charts in 1994.
Before Thug Life officially launched, Mopreme was already making moves in music. He recorded under the name Wycked and appeared on Tony! Toni! Toné!’s track “Feels Good” in the early 90s. His first major appearance with Tupac Shakur came on the 1993 song “Papa’z Song.”
The stepbrothers shared more than blood. They shared the revolutionary spirit passed down from their parents.
Mopreme’s father, Mutulu Shakur, spent decades in prison for his involvement with the Black Liberation Army. Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, was a Black Panther who fought for civil rights.
Mopreme toured with Tupac Shakur on the “Thugs for Life Tour” in 1994. He performed alongside his brother until September 1996, when drive-by shooters ended his life at age 25.
Kensington Books will publish This Thug’s Life with 320 pages of family history and Hip-Hop memories. The publisher calls it “the first-ever insider account of the Shakur family” and promises details about the iconic group that changed rap forever.
Barnes and Noble and major retailers will stock the memoir when it releases on February 24. The book arrives just months before Keffe D faces trial for allegedly orchestrating the murder that shocked the world.
The trial got pushed from its original 2025 date to August 2026 after new evidence surfaced. Defense lawyers are fighting to suppress evidence from nighttime searches of Davis’s home.
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