In the 2017 Tupac biopic All Eyez On Me, Leila was played by actress Lauren Cohan.

While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Steinberg held poetry classes in Oakland. Among her students was young Tupac Shakur. After he came to her poetry class in spring 1989, they hit it off. For a time he lived with her and her family, and read and wrote under her encouragement. She served as a mentor and manager until he needed more professional help. He signed with Atron Gregory in 1989.

During the late 1980s, Steinberg performed as a backup dancer and singer, touring with musicians O.J. Ekemode & The Nigerian Allstars. She also shared the stage with Santana, Bo Diddley, The Neville Brothers, The Spinners, Burning Spear and Jimmy Cliff. As a veteran music industry executive, she served as a marketer with Atlantic Records, Sony, Def Jam, Tommy Boy, Interscope, and Relativity.

Leila Steinberg (born December 18, 1961) is an American manager, business woman, educator, writer, poet, and founder of AIM4TheHeART, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth find their voice using an emotional literacy curriculum and writing workshops. She is best known as the artist mentor and first manager for superstar rapper Tupac Shakur. They met when he was a student in her writing workshop, The Microphone Sessions, in the Oakland Bay area. Today Leila manages the rapper Earl Sweatshirt, formerly of Odd Future.