Mike Epps cracking on Waka Flocka at 2pac Tribute

Tupac Shakur Brought Back To Life, Music Lives On In Library Of Congress

Late rapper Tupac Shakur's "Dear Mama" song will reportedly be preserved in the Library of Congress.

According to reports, Pac is only the third emcee to placed in the Library of Congress.

The rapper's 1994 song "Dear Mama," about a mother struggling with poverty and addiction, was selected for the 2009 National Recording Registry for its cultural significance, alongside works by Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Patti Smith and R.E.M.. Tupac is the third rapper to be included, following Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy.

The terms on what songs are allowed to enter the library have also been released.

Selections for the 2009 National Recording Registry are being announced Wednesday. They must be at least 10 years old and be culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. Organizers said Tupac's "Dear Mama" was a heartfelt homage to mothers struggling with addiction and poverty. It's also a "relatively tame" recording, and the cultural impact of hip-hop is undeniable, program coordinator Steve Leggett said.

Additional reports suggest that a limited amount of songs may be chosen each year.

Annually, 25 works are nominated by the public and expert panelists to be preserved for their cultural significance. "Dear Mama," released in 1995, is a song about mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of poverty and addiction. The song will be the third rap act to join the registry, joining tracks from Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy.

A film based on the life of Tupac is also reportedly being worked on.

"It looks like we're doing Tupac Shakur's movie next in September, that's what I've been starting up and working on now," filmmaker Antoine Fuqua said in a May 2010 interview. "I've been working on that for a while with Morgan Creek and Jim Robinson. I just got the greenlight from him and we're going in September. I've just started to prep that." Fuqua added that he is hoping to find an unknown actor to portray the iconic hip-hop star, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. "That's the goal, I want to discover someone new," he explained. "I want to discover a lot of new people if I can. Obviously I'm going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world."

No further details have been revealed as of now.

Check out Tupac Shakur's "Dear Mama" down below:

Tupac Shakur Rises From The Dead, "Training Day" Director Confirms Biopic

Training Day director Antoine Fuqua has reportedly confirmed rumors of a Tupac Shakur biopic being in the works.

Fuqua hopes to begin production on the film this fall.

"It looks like we're doing Tupac Shakur's movie next in September, that's what I've been starting up and working on now," he said. "I've been working on that for a while with Morgan Creek and Jim Robinson. I just got the greenlight from him and we're going in September. I've just started to prep that." Fuqua added that he is hoping to find an unknown actor to portray the iconic hip-hop star, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. "That's the goal, I want to discover someone new," he explained. "I want to discover a lot of new people if I can. Obviously I'm going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world."

Last year, the rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur, began a legal battle for Pac's life rights.

A legal turf war has broken out between production company Morgan Creek and the estate of Tupac Shakur. Morgan Creek has sued Amaru Entertainment, the company run by Afeni Shakur, the late rapper's mother and executor, alleging in a Los Angeles Superior Court filing that the company has backed out of an agreement to sell his life rights for a film adaptation.

Earlier this year, Fuqua spoke with SOHH about rappers trying their hand at acting.

"You know what man, I got love for anybody that's just trying to do different things as an artist, it's great. If they want to move into whatever other thing they want to do, as far as acting is concerned, the thing I don't like about it is sometimes rappers think you can fake your way through real acting. You can't fake your way through real acting. A lot of cats have to really learn what they're doing and what the craft is, you know what I mean? And it's so that they can be stronger at it. So that they are real actors then, I only have an issue when they try to jump right into it and just do it just because they're popular rappers. You know, you see them on the screen and they just don't, it doesn't translate. It's not translating the way it does when they're behind the mic, nobody can really see them or when they're in their little zone doing their thing."

2Pac was fatally shot in Las Vegas over ten years ago.

While his celebrity was at its peak, he publicly fought with his rival, the Notorious B.I.G., and there were tensions brewing at Death Row. Even with such conflicts, however, 2Pac's drive-by shooting in September 1996 came as an unexpected shock. On September 13, six days after the shooting, 2Pac passed away, leaving behind a legacy that was based as much on his lifestyle as it was his music.

No further details have been revealed as of now.

Check out a past Tupac Shakur below: