London, Dec 2 (IANS) A biography of slain rap legend Tupac Shakur is being penned by American author Kevin Powell, more than 14 years after his tragic death.

Powell has got an approval from the rap star's mother, Afeni Shakur, to study Tupac's rise to fame and fortune in the first official story about his demise.

"It is an honour to write what will be the definitive biography on the life and times of Tupac Shakur, one of the greatest icons in hip-hop and pop culture history.

"Our relationship began when I documented his journey while at Vibe (magazine) in the 1990s," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Powell as saying.

He explained how Tupac was a special human being and said: "He remains, all these years later, one of the most dynamic and complicated humans I've ever encountered. I will present Tupac as the very whole and multi-layered being he was."

A release date for the book, to be published by Simon & Schuster, is yet to be announced.