Billy Garland

William Jefferson "Billy" Garland (June 17, 1918 – March 16, 1960), was an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Garland was famous for his falsetto singing combined with gentle guitar playing style. Much of Garland's output was recorded from 1940–1950, including 1945's "Got Nothing on Me".

Garland was born in Flowood, Mississippi, and died in 1960 in a car accident in Chicago. He is not the same Billy Garland (born Mulberry, Arkansas; released a country music CD in 2002) who was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He is also the alleged father of rapper Tupac Shakur.

References

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur (/ˈtuːpɑːk ʃəˈkʊər/ TOO-pahk shə-KOOR; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. As of 2007, Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide. His double disc albums All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits are among the best selling albums in the United States. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone which ranked him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers ever, as well as one of the most influential rappers of all time.

Shakur began his career as a roadie, backup dancer and MC for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground, eventually branching off as a solo artist. The themes of most of Shakur's songs revolved around the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism and other social problems. Both of his parents and several other people in his family were members of the Black Panther Party, whose ideals were reflected in his songs.