No, Tupac Shakur was not born in jail. He was born on June 16, 1971, in East Harlem, New York City. His birth name was Tupac Amaru Shakur. Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, was a member of the Black Panther Party and was involved in various political activities. At the time of his birth, she was facing legal issues but was not incarcerated. This early environment significantly influenced Tupac's artistic expression and the themes he would explore in his music, including social justice, poverty, and the struggles of African American communities. His life and career would later be marked by both artistic brilliance and controversy, culminating in his tragic death in 1996.