Topaz Shaker was born on June 16, 1971, in New York City’s Upper Manhattan community of East Harlem. Topic Amour Shaker was given to him at the age of one despite being born Lesage Parish Crooks. He was given the name Teac Amour II in memory of the last Incan ruler’s descendant, who was put on death row in Peru in 1781 for opposing the Spanish. I wanted him to bear the name of a revolutionary, indigenous people in the globe, said Shaker’s mother Affine Shaker. I wanted him to understand that he was not just from his area, but also a part of a larger culture.
Shaker had a half-sister named Skyway Shaker who was two years his junior and an older stepbrother named Morpheme “Komati” Shaker.
Education of topaz shaker
Shaker’s mother battled with drug addiction and had a hard time finding job in the 1980s. His family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1984, leaving New York City behind. He went to Roland Park Middle School for eighth grade and Paul Laurence Dun bar High School for ninth grade. In the ninth grade, he changed schools and joined at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he pursued acting, poetry, jazz, and dance. He appeared in Shakespeare’s plays, portraying timeless themes that are currently visible in gang warfare, as he would recall, and he played the Mouse King in the ballet version of The Nutcracker.
Personal life of topaz shaker
Affine Shaker, a former rapper, was in prison for sexual abuse and was surrounded by friends like Jade Pinkest, Jasmine Guy, Teach, and Mickey Rourkela. Pinkest, who appeared in Shaker’s music videos, contributed $100,000 towards his bail. Shaker was shot in 1994 and recuperated at Jasmine Guy’s home. Teach, who collaborated with Shaker on his song “5 Deadly Venoms,” was a speaker at a public memorial service for Shaker in 1996. Shaker had friendships with other celebrities, including Mike Tyson, Chuck D, Jim Carrey, and Alanis. In 1996, Shaker announced plans to open a restaurant with Snoop Dog and Sage Knight. Shaker married Keisha Morris in 1995, but their marriage was annulled. Shaker criticized record producer Quincy Jones for his interracial marriage to Peggy Lipton.
Actress Jade Pinkest, who served as the inspiration for some of Shaker’s writings, and Shaker became friends at the Baltimore School for the Arts. He achieved success in competitions as a beat boxer with his friend Dana “Mouse” Smith.
Musical career of topaz shaker
In 1989, Shaker started making music under the alias MC New York. He started taking Leila Steinberg’s poetry workshops that year, and she quickly became his manager. Steinberg organized for Shaker and his rap crew strictly Dope to show up live. Aton Gregory, manager of the rap group Digital Underground, was able to sign Shaker thanks to Steinberg’s work. Gregory hired him in 1990 as a roadie and backup dancer for the Underground.
Film career of topaz shaker
In 1991’s Nothing but Trouble, Shaker made his professional debut on-screen appearance in a cameo by the Digital Underground. He served in the 1992 film Juice as the imaginary Roland Bishop, a belligerent and menacing character. He is referred to as “the film’s most magnetic figure” by Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers.
Shaker and Janet Jackson appeared in John Singleton’s love story Poetic Justice in 1993. After his arrest, the company declined to finance the 1995 movie Higher Learning, thus Singleton later let Shaker go. Singleton originally had Shaker in mind for the lead part in the 2001 film Baby Boy, which Threes Gibson ended up playing. Finally, the protagonist’s bedroom features a Shaker painting in the set design, and Shaker’s song “Hail” is featured in the film’s score.
Death of topaz shaker
On September 7, 1996, rapper Shaker attended a boxing match with Sage Knight in Las Vegas, Nevada. After an assault, Shaker and Knight were stopped by police for loud music and lack of license plates. A late-model Cadillac sedan drove into Shaker’s car, and an occupant fired into it, striking him four times. Shaker was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died from internal bleeding. The official causes of death were respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest associated with multiple gunshot wounds.
In 2002, investigative journalist Chuck Philips reported that Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a Southside Compton crisp, had fired the fatal gunshots. The FBI released documents in 2011 detailing an extortion scheme by the Jewish Defense League, which included making death threats against Shaker and other rappers but did not indicate a direct connection to his murder. In 2023, the Las Vegas Police Department executed a search warrant in connection with Shaker’s murder, and a suspect, Duane “Kef D” Davis, was arrested.
