Back In The Day: My Life And Times With Tupac Shakur [Paperback]

Darrin Keith Bastfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2003

A legend after a bullet killed him at the age of twenty-five, Tupac Shakur was the most riveting rap musician of his day. Far from being the insolent "gangsta" the press put forth, Shakur was fiercely intelligent, fearless, and determined to make a mark. Darrin Bastfield grew up with him in a rough Baltimore neighborhood. In this vivid memoir, Bastfield reveals Tupac Shakur as the teenager he really was: bound for greatness.In tight, edgy prose, Bastfield recalls seven years of friendship. Shakur, new in town, a skinny thirteen-year-old in shabby clothes, may have looked uncool, but he blew the school away at a talent show, an electrifying performance. It was at the Baltimore School for the Arts, however, where things really started to happen-an encounter with Salt-N-Pepa, the wild night of the 1988 senior prom. Shakur and Bastfield lived through it together, and in this memoir, it all comes alive again.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Six years after his murder at age 25, Tupac Shakur is a legendary figure in hip hop. Befitting his celebrity are at least a half-dozen books on his life and death, including two "serious" biographies (Armond White's Rebel for the Hell of It and Michael Eric Dyson's Holler If You Hear Me). This latest is more in the vein of bodyguard Frank Alexander's Got Your Back, an intimate memoir by someone who was close to the rapper and knew him outside of his role as a superstar. Today a manager of musical acts, Bastfield met then-newcomer Shakur at the Baltimore School of the Arts in the mid-1980s. Interestingly, the book is written with genuine affection and comes across less as a quick cash-in project than as the author's attempt at personal closure for a lost friend. Glimpses of Shakur's occasional teenage awkwardness are contrasted with his developing talent and charisma, as well as his ability to inspire negative attention, even hatred, among his peers, by virtue of his unique combination of intelligence, sensitivity, and skill. Sure to be a hit among Shakur and hip-hop fans, this is recommended for all public libraries. (Photos not seen.) David Valencia, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Seattle
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Bastfield dedicates his paean to Tupac Shakur, preeminent icon of what Kitwana calls the hip-hop generation, to "Black men who have been an inspiration to the world," such as Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, and Imhotep. Shakur died long before he had become a world-inspirer, which explains why all biographies of him tend to be also about the state of black youth culture since his heyday. Bastfield's book is better than many others on Shakur because he knew Shakur before he was famous. Bastfield relies on his personal memories of Shakur's teen years, the experiences he and Shakur shared, and a fair amount of apparently meaningful, though unreferenced, research. While readable, interesting, and sexually graphic, this probably isn't the definitive assessment of Shakur. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (September 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306812959
• ISBN-13: 978-0306812958
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh Perspective, June 6, 2002

By 

Dawn R Reeves "tamardi" (Harrisburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back in the Day: My Life and Times with Tupac Shakur (Hardcover)

Tupac Shakur has always been interesting to me. A fellow book club member read, reviewed and praised this book, so immediately I was intrigued. Throughout the years I have read snippets of Tupac's life that also piqued my curiosity. Much of what was written and portrayed prior to his death was the life of a thug rapper and little was written about his intelligence, his mind and his childhood. Darrin Bastfield's book, Back In the Day: My Life and Times With Tupac Shakur is the book to read if you want a fresh perspective on Tupac, the child and the man he became.

Bastfield does an excellent job of portraying his life with Tupac and other friends during their days at the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts. Through his portrayal we see a child raised in poverty literally; a child raised by a mother both weak and strong and a child forced to become a man much too soon. Bastfield is mesmerized by Tupac's intelligence and his excellent skill at acting and so was I. He is surprised at Tupac's love of Shakespeare and so was I.

There is one additional book written about Tupac Shakur by a writer that I highly respect but Back In the Day is the beginning and is necessary because it sets the stage for all others to come. Who better to write about Tupac's childhood than a childhood friend? One more note: this brother can write!

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
...

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Missing You Tupac, May 30, 2002

By 

Readers Paradise "Book Club" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Back in the Day: My Life and Times with Tupac Shakur (Hardcover)

"Back in the Day" is a must read for friend or foe of Tupac. Prior to my reading the first page Tupac held a special place in my heart I reserve for celebrities. Upon turning the last page and digesting Darrin Keith Bastfields' words, Tupac Amaru Shakur became my friend and brother. A loss that was magnified ten times after finishing the book.

The author takes us on a trip down memory lane of his school days and neighborhood times in Baltimore with Tupac, with mentions of Jada Pinkett now Jada Pinkett Smith and Dana M. Smith a.ka. Mouse the human beatbox. In the prologue Darrin Keith Bastfield says "And it is my intention that all of you have this firsthand experience, and be duly affected by it." I can attest that I have been affected and will remain so for a long time.

I want to thank the author for validating my thoughts regarding Tupacs' personality. Behind his eyes I knew lived a beautiful genius who purred like a cat, but the media promoted him as a untamed bear. We miss you Tupac and again thank you Mr. Bastfield.

Reviewed by Missy
APOOO Bookclub

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different view of Tupac (RIP), March 21, 2004

By 

Nihi (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back In The Day: My Life And Times With Tupac Shakur (Paperback)

I liked this book quite a bit.

Mainly because it offered a different perspective than most other books about Tupac.

This book was written by a teenage friend who experieced the same things Tupac himself experienced. They 'shared the struggle' of trying to better themselves in a very harsh environment.

This book shows the almost relentless passion Tupac had to try and influence the world around him in a positive way. And the internal struggle he had with some of his actions. He knew of the contradiction and was trying to evolve. Too bad he was cut short in his quest.

One of the most telling insights to the basis of Tupac's personality is the answer to the question one of his earlist teachers asked. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

For those who haven't ever looked too deeply into Tupac's more intellectual and compassionate side, there is a surprise in store, Tupac's heart. For those of us that knew he was much more than a thug, you'll see more and more of his depth.

An easy read that kept me flippin pages..