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Tupac Shakur is often recognized by fans and critics as the greatest rap artist yet. He is easily the best selling rap/hip hop artist in history with over 73 million albums sold worldwide. Also a poet and actor, 2Pac greatly exhibited his version of the true African American urban lifestyle. Tupac is also known for being a major participant along with Suge Knight in the East coast-West coast hip hop rivalry against the Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy.

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in East Harlem Manhattan, New York to his mother Afeni, an active Bla Continued...

ck Panther member. Despite the family’s insufficient income, Shakur managed to attend the prestigious Baltimore School of the Arts where he studied acting, poetry and jazz. Tupac was unable to graduate as his family decided to relocate to Marin City, California when he was 17 years old. Soon after their arrival in the new city, his mother developed a crack addiction forcing him to move in with friend Ray Luv and his mother Leila Steinburg. His experience as part of the rap group, Strictly Dope, eventually led him to get signed by Atron Gregory who later established him as a roadie and back up dancer for rap group Digital Underground. He eventually became a member of the group in 1991 when he debuted on the single “Same Song”. Later on that year, he released his first solo album 2Pacalypse Now which featured the hit singles “Brenda’s got a Baby” and “Trapped”. The album created much controversy due to its theme of police brutality. Also that year, Shakur made his acting debut in the film Juice alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Omar Epps.

In 1993, Shakur’s follow-up album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. was released and peaked at number four on the Billboard R&B/Hip hop charts. Tracks “Keep Ya Head Up”, “Papa’z Song” and “I Get Around” led the album to reach platinum status. Later that year Shakur showcased his acting abilities, for a second time, in the film Poetic Justice which co-starred Janet Jackson. He also earned noteworthy acclaim in later released films Above the Rim, Gridlock’d, Bullet, and Gang Related. At the end of the year, he formed the group Thug Life with a few friends and released their only album Thug Life: Thug Life Vol.1 in 1994.

Despite his growing success, Shakur’s personal life was far from ideal. Since his late teens, he had been running into trouble with the law and had been arrested on several accounts. In 1992, a six year old boy was killed when a stray bullet from a shootout between Tupac and a rival inadvertently hit him. Shakur was arrested, however the charges were later dismissed. In 1993, he was charged with sexual abuse when a woman claimed that he had persuaded his entourage to sexually mistreat her after he had been intimate with her. He was found guilty in 1995 and sentenced to four and a half years in prison. A few days prior to the trial, Shakur was shot five times by two men in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios. He was quickly rushed to the hospital and luckily survived the attack. Tupac later accused the Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Andre Harrell, and Randy Walker of being involved.

While in prison, his third album Me Against the World was released earning multi platinum status. The album debuted at number one occupying the spot for five weeks and managed to sell 240,000 copies within the first week breaking a then record for a solo male rap artist. After completing 11 months of his sentence, Tupac was released on a $1.4 million bail by Suge Knight. Shakur was to return the favor by recording his next three albums on Knight’s label Death Row Records. All Eyez on Me was released in February 1996 debuting at number one and was eventually certified 9x platinum. The hit single off of the album “California Love” which featured Dr. Dre peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as on the Hot Rap Singles chart.

On September 7, 1996 following a boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Shakur and his crew attacked Orlando Anderson, a member of the Southside Crips who allegedly beat up a member of Death Row’s entourage a few weeks prior. Several hours after the violent encounter, Shakur was shot four times in a drive by shooting, while stopped at an intersection in Knight’s car. The two were rushed to the hospital where Tupac was placed on life support. He passed away six days later on September 13 due to a respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. There are several theories as to why 2pac was shot that night. The first being a result of his attack on Anderson, other claims suggest it was a retaliation attempt made by the Notorious B.I.G. as a reaction to Shakur’s lyrics commenting on his sexual encounter with Biggie’s wife Faith Evans. Six month later, B.I.G was killed in a similar drive by shooting event.

Shakur continues to be a prominent figure and legacy in the entertainment industry as there have been many album releases following his tragic death, notably Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (1997), Greatest Hits (1998) Still I Rise (1999), Until the End of Time (2001), and Better Dayz (2002). In 2002, Tupac was inducted into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame.