We are one of the top five public performing arts high schools in the country, and we combine a rigorous college prep program with pre-professional training in the arts. The next morning, it was always back upstairs. 2 reviews of Baltimore School For the Arts "I visited the BSA for a High Noon Society brunch and I'm very impressed with the space. Travis Kelce: Standout Tight End For The Kansas City Chiefs, The Compton Unified School Districts Tennis Program: A Breeding Ground For Future Tennis Stars, Exploring The Benefits Of College Now Classes For High School Students, The Power Of Speech: Exploring The Mandatory Speech Classes In Arkansas High Schools, Teaching With A High School Diploma: Exploring The Possibilities And Requirements. 712 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Albums like 1995's "Me Against the World" and 1996's "All Eyez on Me" solidified their places in rap's canon long ago, thanks to Shakur's mix of emotionally charged, unapologetic diatribes and poignant tales that vividly depicted the inner-city struggle. On September 12, 1986, Tupac is enrolled in the Baltimore School for the Arts. Why are you hanging out with him?, The answer, says Smith, was simple: We loved to rap.. The Best Rapper in His School. He loved Shakespeare. (Barbara Haddock Taylor / Baltimore Sun). (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun video) (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun/Baltimore Sun). I remember saying to him, 'You cannot use that word in front of me. BALTIMORE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS - 14 Photos - 712 Cathedral St, Baltimore during the anti-apartheid protests. Uline Arena Building 25 Feb/23. Exploring Factors Benefits And Drawbacks. Tupac Shakur (right) speaks as fellow rapper Snoop Dogg listens during a voter registration rally in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 1996. He and his posse, they pile out of the car and they come and knock on my door. Our extensive after-school and Saturday program offers free arts classes to Baltimore City children grades 2-8. He joined the rap group The Outlawz in the early 1990s. Tupac Shakur, third from right, in the 1988 Baltimore School for the Arts yearbook. He studies acting, continues his career writing rap, and does some ballet. He's hip-hop's Bob Marley, a transcendent black icon whose life and art continue to resonate with audiences young and old, rich and poor, American and international, black or not. Tupac Shakur - Wikipedia 07/12 19-20 School Supply List And thanks to numerous partnerships with local arts organizations, our students learn from and perform with professionals at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Walters, Center Stage, the Maryland Historical Society, and JHU's film program, to name just a few. Let us explain. 2Pac R U Still Down? Within a few minutes of sitting in the office and talking, he was back to being the Tupac that I knew as a teenager. Other activities include: the dedication of the park behind Tupacs former Baltimore home by Mayor Brandon Scott and Councilman Mark Conway, 2 p.m., September 14. Commemorating him will help our citizens keep their heads up and their imagination flowing. He noticed a newfound confidence. We're looking for 8 th and 9 th grade students who want to be part of the next generation of the creative workforce. Tupac Shakur's Teenage Home Listed for Sale in Baltimore ANew York Times Magazine piece on Kenya noted that vehicles in Nairobi are often adorned with images of Jesus Christ and Tupac Shakur. Hey, we were also listening to Brian & OBrien on B104, playing the hits all day long, he says, referring to the then-popular top 40 radio program. Welcome to Baltimore School for the Arts. People from his BSA years still wonder if Shakur saw rapping as another acting role, one he got swept up in amid fame, money and controversy. The Baltimore Banner is a trademark registered in the U.S. for The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Mean said on the phone from Los Angeles. (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun video). Hilson hails from Baltimore Citys Northwood neighborhood, which sits just west of Morgan State University. Cheryl Waters-Hassan (mother of author Ta-Nehisi Coates), Kimberly M. Armstrong, an area advocate against youth violence and Dr. David Fakunie, co-founder of Discover ME/Recover ME will be among the panelists. AlumnusBen Freiburger '95 is one of the writers for the sci-fi drama Half-Life, which Chris Morgan Productions is As hundreds of alumni from all over the country return to the Baltimore School for the Arts this weekend to celebrate Marvin Parks '93 is an American jazz singer who draws inspiration from his mother Zelma (a gospel singer) and the late Dr. Julie Johnson '97 is a dance artist and educator working in the intersections of creative practice, community "Julien Chang '18 couldve been dubbed a teen prodigy with the arrival of his debut album,Jules, on Oct. 11 from Beth Bell '83 began her career as a set dresser in Hollywood. Music was always playing. Shakur often spent his lunch break reading in the school library. "I think he would have become one of our finest film actors. Contact info . Tupac Shakur (right) speaks as fellow rapper Snoop Dogg listens during a voter registration rally in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 1996. I was about 11 and Funding for this website was provided by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios, www.BakerArtist.org, Support for 2021/22 TWIGS is provided by Baltimore City Public Schools, The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, The Aaron and Lillie Straus Foundation, Clayton Baker Trust, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, The Goldsmith Family Foundation, The Herbert Bearman Foundation, and The Lockhart Vaughan Foundation. People are People debuted on September 24, 2021, as part of the contemporary art institutions 10th anniversary. 46 Interesting Facts About Tupac Shakur | OhFact! leaders will hold a formal blessing ceremony of the home and the park. GreatSchools Rating 22 reviews Public school 440 Students Grades 9-12. "I loved my classes. When asked if she listens to Shakurs music, she says, Of course I do. And the surprised look on her face suggests a question of her own: Doesnt everyone?. John Henry Murphy Sr.; Slave. But as he ascended in hip-hop, negativity always seemed present, from his own doing and not. High school and TWIGS students learn directly from working artists during their classes. We couldn't fit them all, so here are more anecdotes on Shakur from the Baltimoreans who taught and befriended the future hip-hop icon. The Enoch Pratt Free Library, ahead of the curve, sponsored a youth rap contest in November 1985. Tupac, Jada Pinkett Smith, fashion designer . I have these memories of him and another friend named Gerard Young, and they would want to spin records in my basement. The neighborhood was the early high school Baltimore home of the now deceased rapper Tupac Shakur. That day, in September 1984, the No. Instead, Shakur is known largely for his indelible, tumultuous rap career and his role in rap's most infamous beef arguably still the genre's darkest moment. Wuthering Heights was the song.. At age 13, Shakur moved to Baltimore from New York City in 1984 with his mother, Afeni, and younger sister, Sekyiwa. Baltimore Rhythm Festival Fundraiser Concert | Motor House, Baltimore Shakur, on the other hand, came from poverty. Tupac went to Roland Park Middle School for the eighth grade. "I started going, 'Damn, man, I would have been a totally different person had I not been exposed to these things.'". Smith says the Shakur house was always dark, dim. Both killings remain unsolved.) Tupac took ballet and dance classes. 8 bus was nearly full and Shakur took the only open seat, the seat beside Smith, who was itching to get home and listen to WEBBs Rap Attack show at four oclock. Read more and listen to the story at wypr.org. (Shakur maintained his innocence afterward. Keep your head up, hed say. I need to be empowered. You can peruse their photos here. We were exposed to everything. They wanted the other one. ", As he did as an adult, Shakur had plenty to say, constantly writing poetry and thoughts in a notebook and engaging in discussions of plays like "King Lear" and "Hamlet.". Then there was the rapping, the stylized rhyming and nascent music genre that captivated Shakur, and seemed destined to be in his future. Tupac Shakur was born in New York on June 16, 1971 to Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland. "The empathy, the mimetic instinct, the emotional connection, the vulnerability," Hicken said. That was the case, time after time, during interviews for Sunday's A&E storyon the rapper and future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's time in Baltimore. It was so good, he says, and the first thing I noticed was that he was extremely charismatic. "He just had a magnetism that defied logic, and everybody was drawn to him," Mossing said. As he shot to stardom, the subsequent years were a whirlwind of recording sessions and concert tours punctuated by late-night partying, violent brawls, multiple shootings, and a stint in prison for sexually abusing a fan. [Tupac] was always on stage, says Cole in the tribute book. During the walk home from their restaurant job, Shakur and his friends would sometimes mount Hopkins Plazas outdoor stage and rehearse a late-night set of rap tunes. (Six months later, his rival, the Notorious B.I.G., died from a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. He engaged in rap battles in the hallways and found his voice which would become powerful and pointed, but captivating as he drew the fruits of his labor, his loyal following. It didn't take long for him to develop deep appreciations for unfamiliar disciplines. Around BSA, Shakur earned the nickname MC New York. Powell imagines Shakur's global impact, especially on people living through tough times as he once did, would make the late rapper most proud. By Christi Carras Staff Writer. Though Shakur attended Roland Park Middle School for eighth grade and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School as a freshman, he had heard about the BSA from peers, said Donald Hicken, the longtime head of the school's theater department who retired last year. Steve Winwood? Johannesburg!) Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member subscribers are now members! Tupac Shakur | Apple TV (SI) In the beginning was the spoken word. We drove down North Avenue to a gas station. He was often accompanied by his close friend, Dana "Mouse" Smith. Just prior to his senior year, Shakur, with tears in his eyes, told Hicken hed be moving with his family to Marin City, Calif., where his mother hoped to get a fresh start. Most often, the two of them simply composed raps, either sitting inside a plastic bubble on the playground behind Shakurs housethe acoustics were so good in there, recalls Smithor hunkered down in Smiths basement on nearby 41st Street. The Baltimore Sun dropped by the 2019 prom at the Baltimore School for the Arts. (Handout). Thoughts from a Schoolmate and Lifelong Devotee, Lisa Lee (full disclosure, this writers niece) once said to her mother (my sister), You ought to know who Tupac is, mom, hes slept on your couch. Lee remembers them riding the number 8 bus to school in the mornings with him jumping on with his breakfast bowl in hand. Their friendship blossomed, rooted in a shared love of hip-hop acts like Eric B & Rakim and Run DMC and an appreciation of different types of music. Admissions | Baltimore School for the Arts Then I auditioned for the Baltimore School of Performing Arts. This years Expressions is a celebration of possibility and the always-unfolding truth of our lives; the art, the artist, the art of being, and the art of becoming. 233 E. Redwood Street Suite 600G That year's photo for Mrs. Gee's class shows him in the second row, near the center. Smith was the youngest of his group of friends, a self-professed good kid, the freshest kid on the block who had all the latest fashionable clothes and sneakers, thanks to his uncles, who dealt drugs in the neighborhood. Emmanuel Leach '21. Although he isn't a Baltimore native, the rap legend spent time in Charm City as a teen. Tupac Spent Four Extraordinary and Formative Years in Baltimore November 21, 2022 / 12:03 PM / CBS Baltimore. He became a leader here and still has a fervent following. 20. r/unpopularopinion. Powell said that one topic came up often, when the recorder was on and off: The brief but formative time a teenage Shakur called a small apartment at 3955 Greenmount Ave. home. TWIGS seeks to prepare its students for admission to BSA, and each year between 35-40 percent of the incoming first-year class have been trained through TWIGS. "His father was not in the picture, and he really was the man of the house," Hicken said. Learn more about supporting local journalism. As part of the park dedication. Shakur once told Powell his only goal "was to hear my name on the radio one time," he said. The Baltimore Business Journal's Leaders in Diversity Awards recognize individuals and institutions that are leading Senior Ebban Dorsey '22 knows her way around the music world, but even for her, playing and meeting the jazz legend was Watch the interviews with Principal Roz, dancer Makayla Williams '22, and acting alum Tracie Thoms '93 here. He grew up in Baltimore, went to school here and captured the hearts of many in this town and eventually around the world. ", A Mondawmin Mall advertisement from the '80s features Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett Smith when they were Baltimore School for the Arts students. They were nice kids. She drove them to the contest because they didnt have transportation. Then I started to have good-luck times. (Barbara Haddock Taylor / Baltimore Sun). ), A student portrait of Tupac Shakur (right) in the 1988 Baltimore School for the Arts yearbook. In the public imagination, Tupac Shakur will always be a West Coast figure. 1986-09-12 Tupac Enrolls Himself at The Baltimore School For Arts His music will live on, and his fans will continue to enjoy it for many years to come. Tupac Shakur, one of the most iconic and influential rappers of all time, went to several different high schools during his teenage years. ), Donald Hicken, who taughtTupac Shakur acting at the Baltimore School for the Arts in the '80s, owns this poster for Mondawmin Mall, which features Shakur and actress Jada Pinkett Smith when they were students there. Yup. sade and tupac relationship sade and tupac relationship (No Ratings Yet) . Afeni, who passed away in May and was the inspiration behind the song Dear Mama, struggled with substance abuse issues (And even as a crack fiend, mama/You always was a black queen, mama) and with supporting the family (You just working with the scraps you was given/And mama made miracles every Thanksgiving). Shakur's outward confidence, along with his ability to socialize with anyone, made him incredibly popular with students, said Mossing. This is the home where he fell in love with writing and poetry. It has always been my firm belief that Tupac was a prophet and a poet. Baltimore, MD Office Tupac Amaru Shakur (/ t u p k k r /; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor.He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Baltimore Magazine. (Shakur maintained that he committed no crime.) Such behavior bewildered his Baltimore friends. Baltimore School for the Arts seeks to prepare the next generation of the creative workforce by providing inspiring arts and academic training to high school students as well as opportunities in the arts to younger children and the greater community through its TWIGS and community outreach programs. They had lights and it was clean, but it was dark with not a lot of stuff in there., Smiths family and friends razzed him for befriending the raggedy newcomer. The house at 3955 Greenmount Avenue has no historic marker or plaque indicating its connection to an American cultural icon. And so, Baltimore will honor him with a week of various activities: Taharka Brothers will release an ice cream flavor in his name, a Black berry crumble: black berries sprinkled on top of a vanilla cone and referring to a line from Shakurs song Keep Your Head Up. Some say the Blacker the berry the sweeter the juice. According to Taharka Brothers co-founder, Sean Smeeton, the new flavor will be released as free samples on September 11. between 6 and 8 p.m. at R House, the food hall in the Remington neighborhood to lead off the Tupac Shakur Commemoration Week. Although there are many theories about what exactly happened to him, one thing is certain: his music will live on. Despite his gifts as an actorwhich eventually led to roles in films like Poetic Justice and JuiceShakur never wavered from his fierce commitment to hip-hop. The home . Shakur and Smith performed whenever and wherever they could: for the drug dealers working on Old York Road, opening for rap group Mantronix at the Cherry Hill rec center, and even at neighborhood funerals. Tupacs relationship to his mother was complicated, but it is clear from the lyrics in Dear Mama that he loved her very much., Commemorating Baltimores Tupac on this 25. anniversary of his death, at an early age, is altogether fitting and proper to borrow a phrase from the Gettysburg Address. But that time doesnt get much play. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun). "It was very stressful for him.". Tupac Shakur Biopic "All Eyez on Me" Spotlights Baltimore's School for He really loved it., Shakur stayed at Coles Reservoir Hill apartment for a while, and bussed tables at the Fish Market near the Inner Harbor with Smith and BSA friend Darrin Keith Bastfield. The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Rosiland Cauthen as its Interim BSA alumsEze Jackson '98,Ernest Shaw '97, and newly-minted gradMahsati "Sunny" Moorhead '21were in good company Baltimore native (and The Good Wife star) Josh Charles, The Wire actor Jamie Hector and The Walking Paige Hernandez '98 joinedEveryman Theatreas the new associate artistic director in July 2020. Jada Pinkett Smith and Tupac Shakur: All About Their Friendship Entertainment Music All About Jada Pinkett Smith's Close Friendship with Tupac Shakur The actress' high school friendship with. He kicked a rhyme to me, and I was like, Whoa, this is crazy. Published on: March 02, 2023 2:23 PM EST. "Then I auditioned for the Baltimore School of Performing Arts. Learn about Tupac Shakur on Apple TV. Hicken offered to find him a host family so he could graduate from BSA, but Shakur said he couldnt abandon his family. Tupac Shakur wrote a comment to his friend, Jada Pinkett, in the 1989 Baltimore School for the Arts yearbook. He studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts where he met long-time friend Jada Pinkett Smith. Our friend Daniel had his parents' car. Becky Mossing, former schoolmate and friend of Tupac Shakur at the Baltimore School for the Arts in the 1980s, talks about what he was like as a person andhis talent. He became a leader here and still has a fervent following. (Afeni died in May in California at age 69.) You dont want to miss this fun BSA tradition! Source: VIBE (October 1999), Image: Wikimedia. 09/27 Baltimore School for the Arts Celebrates 40th Birthday With Pop-Up Concerts. With his rap talent and influence, there is no doubt that Tupac Shakur is regarded as one of the most talented and influential artists in history. Powell said that one topic came up often, when the recorder was on and off: The brief but formative time a teenage Shakur called a small apartment at 3955 Greenmount Avenue home. Support for 2020/21 TWIGS is provided by: Baltimore City Public Schools, The Aaron and Lillie Straus Foundation, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, Clayton Baker Trust, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds and The Lockhart Vaughan Foundation. He first attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting and ballet. [Remember Me] R U Still Down? CO-CEO RILEY ENTERPRISES LLC - Self-employed - LinkedIn They both laughed. It, too, was a favorite, but not for hits like Money for Nothing. Smith starts singing lyrics from the title track that resonated: Through these fields of destruction/Baptisms of fire. The tune, sung by Brit Mark Knopfler, traces a protagonist who faces death and treasures his comrades loyaltyground Shakur covered in songs he later wrote. Smith helped Shakur, whod appeared in a community production of A Raisin in the Sun while in New York, run lines from a scene for his audition piece. How Actress Rachel Hilsons Baltimore Roots Influence Her Work Today, The Mount Vernon Virtuosi is Much More Than a Chamber Orchestra, Jen Michalski Discusses New Short Story Collection The Company of Strangers. The AFRO knows what its like to endure challenging times. So he said, 'If you're a kid growing up, and you're taking a look at those two situations, who do you think the winners are?' A New School Year Begins At Woodcreek High School: Exciting Opportunities And Experiences Await! In September 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by in Las Vegas, and died a week later. Now, as she prepares She sat alone with her sheet music, silently mouthing the words to My Country Tis of Thee as she twirled a beaded Tyde-CourtneyEdwards '05 created Ballet After Dark to help sexual abuse and domestic violent survivors find Richard White '92 was homeless as a child. 21. Tupac went to Roland Park Middle School for the eighth grade. "Stuff just rolled off his tongue," said Fisher-Harrell, now an associate professor of dance at Towson University. Becky Mossing, former schoolmate and friend of Tupac Shakur at the Baltimore School for the Arts in the 1980s, talks about what he was like as a person andhis talent. How Much and What Kind of Weed Did 2Pac Smoke Every, Handwritten and Drafts of 2Pacalypse Now Tracklist, After 36 Years Behind Bars: Mutulu Shakur Speaks Out For The, The Story of Tupacs Godmother Assata Shakur And Why Shes On, Who Was Biggie Smalls aka Big Dric from 2Pacs God Bless, Candyman 187 Talks About The Havenotz Group and The Savior. This copy is Donald Hicken's, who taught them both. We rapped, wrote our stuff, and worked every day, says Bastfield, whose book about Shakur, Back in the Day: My Life and Times With Tupac Shakur, was published in 2003. Our songs spoke about loyalty and friendship. Shakur has also been the subject of theater productions, museum exhibits, and college courses. A Mondawmin Mall advertisement from the '80s features Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett Smith when they were Baltimore School for the Arts students. On This Day 27 Years Ago, Tupac Dropped His Debut Album 1991-09-22 / Money Bs Birthday with Tupac and Saafir [Rare Photo], 1995-10-08 / Desiree Smith (Dez) Visit Tupac in the Prison, 1995-04-29 / Tupac Married Girlfriend Keisha Morris In The Prison, Tupacs Death in Las Vegas (Videos, Photos & Full Information), 1992-08-22 / Killing 6-year old Qaid Walker-Teal in Marine City, 1995-06-25 / Keisha Morris-Shakur Visited Tupac In Jail. The following materials are needed daily for academic classes. Little kids come up to me and say, 'I love Tupac.' He befriended the likes of Jada Pinkett (Smith) and others who remain devoted to his memory to this day. Shakur and Smith teamed with Bastfield and Gerard Young to form a new group, Born Busy. The emerging narrative dovetailed conveniently with the thug life that Shakur embraced while living in Oakland and Los Angeles and became legend over the next two decades. There's the actor,'" Hicken said. We are a public, urban high school that is part of Baltimore City Public School System. To celebrate what would have been Tupac Shakur's 50th birthday, Jada Pinkett Smith has released a rare poem penned by the late rap . Diamond claims Dear Mama as a favorite song, and hums a lineEverything will be alright if ya hold onbut goes no further. Joinhere! While the other kids sport tight-lipped smiles or teeth-baring say cheese grins, Shakur strikes an altogether different pose. Baltimore magazineprofiled exceptional kids in the community, featuring Baltimore School for the Arts students As a child, Lenai Wilkerson '15 was told she couldnt be a ballerina because of how she looked. He would always take it back.". *Correction: The name of Tupac Shakur's friend and classmate is Linda-DeniseFisher-Harrell, not Lisa-Denise Fisher-Harrell. It has always been my firm belief that Tupac was a prophet and a poet. Shakur then struck a Shakespearean pose, and Bastfield, an aspiring visual artist and rapper himself, grabbed a pen and paper and started sketching a portrait. Mossing, who remembers Shakur DJing dance parties-turned-sleepovers in her parents' Pikesville basement, said Shakur was under pressure to make money, so he bussed tables and washed dishes at an Inner Harbor restaurant. He was found guilty of assaulting movie director Allen Hughes in 1994 after bragging about it on MTV. That years photo for Mrs. Gees class shows him in the second row, near the center. After a while, he dropped out of Tamalpais High School. In 2006, Ms. Smith donated $1,000,000 to the Baltimore School for the Arts and named the theatre to honor her very dear friend. This album, which was released in 1996, was even more successful than its predecessor. To learn more about the partnership, click here. Look for her BSA & TWIGS Moses Ingram talks about joining our TWIGS program and her path from BSA for high school to Yale before We said goodbye to our school buildinglast March thinking we would be back at it in a few weeks. Then came the birth of hip hop music. "He lived in a very rough part of town," Hicken said. Very good. As part of the park dedication, Erricka Bridgeford and fellow Baltimore Ceasefire leaders will hold a formal blessing ceremony of the home and the park. I didn't visit any classrooms, if there are any, but I did spend time in the theater. You could tell he was destined., Donald Hicken saw something similar. Mean, a member of Shakur's rap group the Outlawz, visited his lifelong friend in Baltimore around this time. I walked in there and went, 'Wow.' Get the scoop on that new restaurant, learn about chef changes and discover your favorite new recipe. . The minute he'd look at me, the whole expression on his face would change. Now he's more than a rapper. In 1993, he pleaded guilty for assault against another rapper during a concert. The family lived in the first-floor apartment of a brick row house at 3955 Greenmount Avenue in the small, North Baltimore neighborhood of Pen Lucy. . "The artist in him would be pleased with that," Hicken said, "but the revolutionary in him would sort of eschew any kind of establishment recognition.". Actually, he doesnt appear posed at all. Pilcher on his Shakur-related classroom rule: "Interestingly enough, I don't allow students to wear Tupac T-shirts in my class, because he's a kid that I knew who was murdered. The Shakur Center's mission was to provide opportunities for young people through the arts, and offered programs such as drama, dance, and creative writing classes. You could see him disappear into a role.". More stories of Tupac Shakur's time in Baltimore, from town hall Tupac met me at the Baltimore School of the Arts. Pinkett went to high school with him. In addition to starting his own record label, Death Row Records, he worked for years as a consultant for others. Tupac was always conscious of that shit, says Smith. By signing up for alerts, I agree to The Baltimore Banner's Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy and to receive news alerts and other communications from The Baltimore Banner. "I watched him do it in class. Seer. Finally, the Baltimore School for the Arts will honor its most renowned student ( Jada Pinkett Smith famously not far behind) with a creative and colorful experience engaging former students who knew Tupac and others. We worked on it for weeks, says Smith. Some people believe that Tupac did attend Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California, while others believe that he did not. Shakur wore hand-me-downs, including pants that were so big they had to be stapled.