New book takes a ‘deep dive’ into the multi-layered life of rap legend Tupac Shakur

A new biography about Tupac Shakur is offering a deeper, more personal look at the life of one of hip-hop’s most influential — and most misunderstood — icons. The book uncovers stories that may surprise even the most devoted fans, including some rooted right here in Baltimore. (Credit: WMAR via CNN Newsource)

A new biography about Tupac Shakur is offering a deeper, more personal look at the life of one of hip-hop’s most influential — and most misunderstood — icons. The book uncovers stories that may surprise even the most devoted fans, including some rooted right here in Baltimore.

But what may surprise readers even more is the man behind the book.

Jeff Pearlman is best known as a sports writer, covering everyone from Walter Payton to the 1990s Dallas Cowboys. So when he set out to write about Tupac Shakur, even he knew people might question it.

“I’m an untraditional Tupac author,” Pearlman told WMAR-2 News. “Obviously, I’m a sports writer, I’m a white guy, I’m from rural New York. There are going to be a lot of questions — ‘Why are you writing this book?’ I understand that 100 per cent.” Pearlman decided to let his work speak for itself. Over the course of several years, he interviewed 652 people — an extraordinary effort that became Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur.

“You tell the journey,” he said. “Tell you what kind of soda he liked, who he dated, what his love letters sounded like, what went behind the songs.”

For Pearlman, one of the most fascinating chapters in Tupac’s life began right here in Charm City.

“Baltimore is my favorite part of his life,” Pearlman said. “He moves from New York to Baltimore, and it’s such a transformative time for him.” As a teenager, Tupac attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, and music. His classmates included future NBA star Sam Cassell — and a girl that would become the object of his affection in his younger years, Mary Baldridge, a ballet dancer.

After going down a rabbit hole during his time doing research in Baltimore, Pearlman tracked down Mary, now living in Nebraska. What she shared with him became one of the book’s most emotional discoveries.

“Mary told me her mom had found about 150 letters that Tupac wrote her under the bed,” Pearlman recalled. “She said, ‘If you come to Nebraska, I’ll share them with you.’ I said, ‘I’ll be there tomorrow.’” Through those letters, Pearlman found Tupac the poet, Tupac the romantic, and Tupac the dreamer — long before the fame.

The book also reveals heartfelt new moments from Tupac’s life — including a reunion between the real mother and son who inspired his 1991 hit, “Brenda’s Got a Baby.”

And while much of the world knows the story of Tupac’s tragic death at 25, Pearlman uncovered something few have ever heard about:

“On an abandoned lot in Lumberton, North Carolina — a town that time has forgotten — a portion of his ashes were buried,” Pearlman said. The location, he added, is known to only about a dozen people.

For Pearlman, this book is about more than fame or tragedy. It’s about showing the full human being behind the headlines.

“He wasn’t just ‘Thug Life’ or a slogan on a T-shirt,” he said. “He was a real human being who had to overcome so much. Even though he died at 25, I consider him a resounding success story.”

Originally, Pearlman had a different title in mind for the book. But his daughter suggested one that stuck — a phrase pulled straight from Tupac’s own words.

Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur, was released October 21, 2025.