Tupac Shakur
Rap Artist
Singer Tupac Shakur began his performing career in Baltimore while attending middle and high school. In middle school, other students harassed Shakur because of his name and appearance. Then during tenth and 11th grade, Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Arts.
It was there that Shakur began immersing himself in performing as well as learning. Shakur went on to produce some of the highest-selling albums in hip-hop and rap, such as All Eyez on Me, which sold over nine million copies.
Shakur was wounded in a drive-by shooting in 1996 and died six days later. His mother has continued to release new material even after Shakur's death
Anne Tyler
Novelist
The city of Baltimore served as the inspiration of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Tyler. Although not born in the city, she had spent most of her life in Baltimore, and also set most of her books here.
Her most famous novel, The Accidental Tourist, partially takes place in Charles Village.
Anne Tyler is known for her depictions of the middle class and their relationships. Two of her books have been made into movies, including the Academy-Award winning The Accidental Tourist.
Clyfford Still
Modern Artist
Expanding abstract painting through pure color defined Clyfford Still's expressionist canvases. Still developed pictures that focused on contrasts between colors and thick layers of paint.
Over his lifetime, Still created thousands of works that were exhibited and stored. For the later part of his life, Still lived in Baltimore and eventually died here in 1980.
After his death, over 750 of his paintings and 10,000 other works went into storage, and remains there until a museum can be built to Still's specifications.
Frank Zappa
Visionary Musician
Frank Zappa, a composer and musician who revolutionized music, also graced Baltimore's streets as a kid.
Zappa, known for his anti-authoritarian style, created some of the most important music of the 70's and 80's.
Zappa combined many unexpected genres with satirical lyrics in his eclectic musical style.
His albums, such as You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore and Hot Rats demonstrate Zappa's skills as a producer and musician.
Francis Scott Key
Poet
Baltimore has also served as the inspiration for some of America's most patriotic symbols and rituals. In this case, Baltimore's Fort McHenry became the setting for the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and poet, became a prisoner of the English shortly before an attack on Baltimore.
While watching the battle unfold and seeing the United States still winning by the morning, Key felt the need to write a poem. People liked his verses so much that they later became the national anthem.
Key also wrote other poems throughout his life. He eventually died in Baltimore while visiting his daughter.
Leon Uris
Novelist
Filled with action, Leon Uris' books are political dramas dealing with controversial topics.
Uris was born in Baltimore and attended school here before joining the Armed Services for World War II. It was right after the war that Uris began writing about political issues.
Uris' famous novel Exodus deals with the process of making Israel a state. Exodus became a film starring Paul Newman and went on to win three Academy Awards.
One of the books published in his later life, The Haj, deals with a group of foreigners provoking turmoil in the Middle East, a subject just as relevant in today's world as ever.
Ogden Nash
Poet
Ogden Nash, one of America's eminent writers of light verse, lived in Baltimore for most of his adulthood. His poems reflect a humorous approach to life, generally making puns on words or jokes against establishments.
Almost everyone, after all, has heard the quote, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." This type of humor was Nash's specialty. Nash also wrote musical, One Touch of Venus.
H.L. Mencken
Society Critic/
Journalist
Getting his start as a reporter in Baltimore, H.L. Mencken worked to become one of the leading literary critics and writers in America.
Mencken began by writing for the Baltimore Morning Herald and then The Baltimore Sun. His criticism mainly attacked the social injustices of the time, as well as the ignorant middle class.
As a writer, Mencken was defined by his razor-sharp wit and clear rhetoric, setting a standard for newspaper writing.
His book The American Language was an exhaustive study of the English language in America.
H.L. Mencken lived in Baltimore for his entire life, and, except for a few years, he lived in the same house.
