Tupac Shakur has an Oakland street named for him 27 years after his death
Tupac Shakur has an Oakland street named for him 27 years after his death
A new sign is seen following a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Sekyiwa Shakur, sister of Tupac Shakur, and MC Hammer raise their arms during a street renaming ceremony for her brother in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People watch as a new sign is unveiled during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Mopreme Shakur, left, and Sekyiwa Shakur talk about their brother Tupac Shakur during a street renaming ceremony for Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Artist Joaquin Saavedra works on a painting of Tupac Shakur before the start of a street renaming ceremony for Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
E-40 speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. Listening at left is MC Hammer, at right is Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa Shakur and second from right is Fred Hampton Jr. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
MC Hammer speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur as Fred Hampton Jr., right, listens in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People watch a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
From left, Ray Luv, Money-B, E-40 and MC Hammer laugh during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People take pictures and gather beneath a new sign during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Randy Moore, of Los Angeles, poses beneath a new sign during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis appears for his arraignment at the Regional Justice Center, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Las Vegas. Davis, a former Southern California street gang leader, pleaded not guilty Thursday to orchestrating a drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Pool Photo via AP)
FILE - Rapper Tupac Shakur attends a voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles, Aug. 15, 1996. Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis, a former Southern California street gang leader, pleaded not guilty Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, to orchestrating a drive-by shooting that killed Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Frank Wiese, File)
A new sign is seen following a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
A new sign is seen following a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Sekyiwa Shakur, sister of Tupac Shakur, and MC Hammer raise their arms during a street renaming ceremony for her brother in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Sekyiwa Shakur, sister of Tupac Shakur, and MC Hammer raise their arms during a street renaming ceremony for her brother in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People watch as a new sign is unveiled during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People watch as a new sign is unveiled during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Mopreme Shakur, left, and Sekyiwa Shakur talk about their brother Tupac Shakur during a street renaming ceremony for Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Mopreme Shakur, left, and Sekyiwa Shakur talk about their brother Tupac Shakur during a street renaming ceremony for Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Artist Joaquin Saavedra works on a painting of Tupac Shakur before the start of a street renaming ceremony for Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Artist Joaquin Saavedra works on a painting of Tupac Shakur before the start of a street renaming ceremony for Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
E-40 speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. Listening at left is MC Hammer, at right is Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa Shakur and second from right is Fred Hampton Jr. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
E-40 speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. Listening at left is MC Hammer, at right is Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa Shakur and second from right is Fred Hampton Jr. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
MC Hammer speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur as Fred Hampton Jr., right, listens in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
MC Hammer speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur as Fred Hampton Jr., right, listens in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People watch a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People watch a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
From left, Ray Luv, Money-B, E-40 and MC Hammer laugh during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
From left, Ray Luv, Money-B, E-40 and MC Hammer laugh during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People take pictures and gather beneath a new sign during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
People take pictures and gather beneath a new sign during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Randy Moore, of Los Angeles, poses beneath a new sign during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Randy Moore, of Los Angeles, poses beneath a new sign during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. A stretch of street in Oakland was renamed for Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of Macarthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s is now Tupac Shakur Way, after a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis appears for his arraignment at the Regional Justice Center, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Las Vegas. Davis, a former Southern California street gang leader, pleaded not guilty Thursday to orchestrating a drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Pool Photo via AP)
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis appears for his arraignment at the Regional Justice Center, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Las Vegas. Davis, a former Southern California street gang leader, pleaded not guilty Thursday to orchestrating a drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Pool Photo via AP)
FILE - Rapper Tupac Shakur attends a voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles, Aug. 15, 1996. Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis, a former Southern California street gang leader, pleaded not guilty Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, to orchestrating a drive-by shooting that killed Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Frank Wiese, File)
FILE - Rapper Tupac Shakur attends a voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles, Aug. 15, 1996. Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis, a former Southern California street gang leader, pleaded not guilty Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, to orchestrating a drive-by shooting that killed Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Frank Wiese, File)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A stretch of street in Oakland, California, was renamed Friday for Tupac Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary.
A section of MacArthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s became Tupac Shakur Way, following a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer.
“Let his spirit live on the rest of these years in these streets and in your hearts,” Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur told the crowd, wiping away tears at the end of a nearly two-hour ceremony. The sign for Tupac Shakur Way was unveiled moments later.
MC Hammer, the “U Can’t Touch This” rapper who spent many of Shakur’s final months with him before his 1996 shooting death at age 25, said in his remarks that Shakur was, “hands down, the greatest rapper ever, there’s not even a question of that.”
Shakur collaborator Money-B and Oakland hip-hop legend Too Short also spoke at the ceremony.
Shakur was born in New York and was raised there and in Baltimore, but he moved with his mother to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980s. He would live in Oakland in the early 1990s and embraced it as an adopted hometown.
“He claimed Oakland,” said City Councilwoman Carroll Fife, who led the effort to rename the street. “He said Oakland gave him his game.”
The ceremony came the day after a former Southern California street gang leader pleaded not guilty to murder in the Las Vegas shooting death of Shakur.
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis is charged with orchestrating the shooting. He is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which the fatal shots were fired and in September, 27 years after the killing, became the only person ever charged with a crime in the case.
Shakur’s relatives have kept their distance from the prosecution and made only passing reference to it Friday. Sekyiwa Shakur said her brother “died at 25 years old in gang violence, by the hands of another Black man, by the planning of another Black man, whoever that man may be.”