Desc: The Life & Death of Tupac Shakur: Directed by Finlay Bald. With Donovon Allion-Ruddock, Tupac Shakur. Tupac Shakur endures as one of hip-hop's most iconic figures and its most potent enigma - he elevated rap, changing it from a passing trend to a complex art form. Seen as a poet whose tales of urban alienation captivated young people of all races and backgrounds, he set the stage for the current and continuing evolution of the hip-hop phenomenon.