Tupac's hailed as one of the greates rapper

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in New York City. His stage name is 2Pac. In the Guinness Book of World Records, 2Pac is listed as the best-selling rap/hip-hop artist of all time, selling over 73 million albums worldwide. In the U.S. alone, he has sold an estimated 44.5 million albums and has had 17 top 10 singles. 2Pac is always hailed as one of the greatest, if not the sole greatest rapper ever. His controversial music highlighted several racial, political, and economic issues, including poverty, racism, beef with fellow rappers, and violence in the ghettos.

When he was about 17-years old, 2Pac and his family moved to California, which is where he would reside the rest of his life. His debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, was widely praised when it was released in November of 1991. The rapper faced multiple law suits and experienced legal battles throughout his career. On November 30, 1994, 2Pac was shot five times the day before he was to plead guilty to a sexual assault accusation. 2Pac would later accuse Puff Daddy (now known as Diddy) and Notorious B.I.G. of setting him up after immediately seeing them after he was shot. This led to 2Pac becoming increasingly suspicious that his attack was premeditated. This was the precursor to the East Coast – West Coast feud.

On December 1, 1994, 2Pac rolled into the courthouse in a wheelchair and was found guilty of sexual abuse. He was sentenced to four years in prison. 2Pac served eleven months in prison before being bailed out by Marion “Suge” Knight, CEO of Death Row Records. In return, 2Pac released three records under the Death Row Records label, with his fifth album, All Eyez on Me, counting as two albums given that it was a double disc album. In February 1995, 2Pac began serving his prison sentence. Soon afterwards, he released Me Against the World, which would debut at the top of the charts. 2Pac is to this day, the only artist to have an album at #1 on the charts, while being behind bars.

During his lifetime, 2Pac released six albums (in chronological order): 2Pacalypse Now, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., Thug Life: Thug Life Vol. 1, Me Against the World, All Eyez on Me, and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Four out of the six aforementioned albums would achieve platinum status, with two settling for gold status. Seven posthumously studio albums were released (in chronological order): R U Still Down? (Remember Me), Greatest Hits, Still I Rise, Until the End of Time, Better Dayz, Tupac: Resurrection (Original Soundtrack), Loyal to the Game. Each album would achieve platinum status. Some of 2Pac’s most popular hit singles include: “Brenda’s Got A Baby,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” “I Get Around”, “Dear Mama,” “California Love,” “How Do U Want It” and “Changes”.

On September 7, 1996, 2Pac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. Since his death many posthumous albums have been released under Tupac’s name. Many theories have been made as to who killed the rapper, including accusations against the Crips, law enforcement officials, and his former friend and fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered about six months later. During his lifetime, 2Pac released five albums and played roles in several films, including Poetic Justice, Above the Rim, Bullet, and Gang Related.

Freelance writter, covering the music industry