Rap Icon Mopreme Shakur to Produce an Episode of BET’s Critically Acclaimed Series, “American Gangster”

Posted by bigced on June 18, 2008

Rap icon and member of the legendary group Thug Life, Mopreme Shakur will help bring the story of his father, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, to life on BET in an upcoming episode of “American Gangster” tentatively titled “Mutulu Shakur and The Republic of New Afrika.” The episode is set to air in the fall of 2008 in the series’ third season.

As a regular viewer of the show’s first two seasons, Mopreme reached out to the producers to develop interest in his father’s story. A political prisoner imprisoned for his revolutionary activities in the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Shakur’s story is not typical of those told on the show. Nonetheless, Dr. Shakur’s role both in the civil rights movement and as step-father and mentor to the legendary, late Tupac Shakur compelled the producers to take a more critical look at the term “gangster” and include his story amongst those that will be told in the upcoming season. Mopreme remains actively involved in the episode’s production as a consulting producer, providing insight, direction, subject matter for interviews and acting as a liaison between the show and his father. Mopreme will also be featured in the episode where he talks about his childhood as the son of a revolutionary and how that impacted both his and his brother Tupac’s professional and political development. Mopreme will take viewers on an historical tour of the Shakur family’s earliest residences and places of work.

Viewers can also expect surprise interviews with political and entertainment icons, all of whom knew, worked with or were touched by Dr. Mutulu Shakur. “I knew my father isn’t the kind of gangster they had been doing stories about, but I thought that if my father suffers from all the consequences of being labeled and incarcerated as a gangster by the system that at the very least he could benefit from his story being told,” explained Shakur about his reasons for working on the “American Gangster” series. “I’m very excited to be working on this episode because my father is an important figure in the civil rights movement and his story should be remembered as a part of American history, so some of the positive things can be known about him and the Shakur legacy.” Dr. Mutulu Shakur was an important leader the Republic of New Afrika who was implicated in the liberation of Assata Shakur and Brinks robberies in the New York area. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 60 years in Federal Prison. Though there was little to no hard evidence of his involvement in these crimes, he was convicted under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act in 1986. He and his supporters maintain his innocence and further that he is a political prisoner because the real motivation for his incarceration lies in his activities as a revolutionary figure and not for the crimes he was convicted of committing. The episode is slated to air in November on BET. In addition to Dr, Mutulu Shakur, the upcoming season of “American Gangster” will also document the lives of Mac Dre, Larry Davis, Monster Cody and J. Edgar Hoover, among others.

About Mopreme Shakur

Mopreme Shakur is one of the founding members of the legendary hip hop group, Thug Life. Following the success on his first commercial project with Tony, Toni, Tone on the hit record Feels Good, Mopreme recorded and performed with his step-brother Tupac Shakur until his brother’s untimely death in 1996. A loyal son to his father, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Mopreme has been vocal about keeping his father’s story in the public arena. Some of the recent projects on which he has worked include being featured in and acting as Producer of the documentary Tupac Assassination: Conspiracy or Revenge. He is also featured in the upcoming film Parkside and has a solo album being released in 2008 entitled, “Alpha Thug.” For more information, please visit MySpace.com - MOPREME SHAKUR - Los Angeles, California - Hip Hop / Rap - www.myspace.com/mrmopremeshakur.