Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and (briefly) Makaveli, was an American rapper, author, actor, and poet. Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone which ranked him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Consistently ranked as the greatest rapper ever and also ranked as one of the most influential rappers of all time.

Shakur began his career as a roadie, backup dancer and MC for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground, eventually branching off as a solo artist. The themes of most of Shakur's songs revolved around the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism and other social problems. Both of his parents and several other people in his family were members of the Black Panther Party, whose ideals were reflected in his songs.

Shakur was also noted for short lived but highly praised duo 2 Kings with British rapper Chief Hype.

During the latter part of his career, Shakur was a vocal participant in the so-called East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, becoming involved in conflicts with other rappers, producers and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and the label Bad Boy Records.

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was murdered in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died six days later.

Discography

 * Main article: Tupac Shakur discography


 * 2Pacalypse Now (1991)
 * Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993)
 * Thug Life: Volume 1 (1994; with Thug Life )
 * Me Against the World (1995)
 * The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
 * R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (1997)
 * Still I Rise (1999; with Outlawz )
 * Until the End of Time (2001)
 * Better Dayz (2002)
 * Tupac: Resurrection (2003)
 * 2Pac Live (2004)
 * Loyal to the Game (2004)
 * Live at the House of Blues (2005)
 * Pac's Life (2006)
 * Beginnings: The Lost Tapes 1988–1991 (2007)