Tupac Amaru Shakur (/ˈtuːpɑːk ʃəˈkʊər/ TOO-pahk shə-KOOR; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities.
Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. Raised by his mother, Afeni Shakur, he relocated to Baltimore in 1984 and to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. With the release of his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he became a central figure in West Coast hip hop for his conscious rap lyrics. Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993) and Me Against the World (1995).[5] His Diamond certified album All Eyez on Me (1996), the first double-length album in hip-hop history, abandoned his introspective lyrics for volatile gangsta rap. In addition to his music career, Shakur also found considerable success as an actor, with his starring roles in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), Above the Rim (1994), Bullet (1996), Gridlock'd (1997), and Gang Related (1997).
During the later part of his career, Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio and experienced legal troubles, including incarceration. Shakur served eight months in prison on sexual abuse charges, but was released pending an appeal of his conviction in 1995. Following his release, he signed to Marion "Suge" Knight's label Death Row Records and became heavily involved in the growing East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas; he died six days later. Following his murder, Shakur's friend-turned-rival, the Notorious B.I.G., was at first considered a suspect due to their public feud; he was also murdered in another drive-by shooting six months later in March 1997, while visiting Los Angeles.
Shakur's double-length posthumous album Greatest Hits (1998) is one of his two releases—and one of only nine hip hop albums—to have been certified Diamond in the United States. Five more albums have been released since Shakur's death, including his critically acclaimed posthumous album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996) under his stage name Makaveli, all of which have been certified Platinum in the United States. In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked Shakur among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2023, he was awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
TUPAC - The Complete Five Performances
[I was] certain that Tupac was the figure I wanted to write about because he, better than anyone else I had listened to or seen on screen up until that moment, embodied the often difficult and stunted experience of being a Black boy, a Black manchild, in America. He was, in short, the hiphop generation’s James Dean.
— Kevin Powell, liner notes to Tupac: The Complete Live Performances
In the years following Tupac Shakur’s murder in Las Vegas, Nevada, music fans have been treated to loads of posthumous material. Maybe I’m spoiled now, having enjoyed Tupac’s movie roles (I liked Gridlock’d and Gang Related), numerous interviews and documentaries (Tupac: Resurrection earned a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 77th Annual Academy Awards), various tributes, all kinds of books, and of course the albums. Tupac joined the funky and imaginative Digital Underground collective in 1990; he was killed in 2006. I’ve always wondered how a career so short and cut so abruptly could yield so much. It’s a testament, as many have pointed out, to Tupac’s work ethic, as well as the dedication and hard work of his mother Afeni Shakur and his road dawgs the Outlawz.
TRACK LIST - Disc One
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– Ambitions Az A Ridah
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– So Many Tears
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– Troublesome
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– Hit 'Em Up
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– Tattoo Tears
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– All About You
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– Never Call U B***h Again
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– Freek'n You
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– How Do You Want It
Tha Dogg Pound– Murder Was The Case
Tha Dogg Pound– The Shiznit
Tha Dogg Pound– If We All Gonna F**k
Tha Dogg Pound– Some Bomb A*z (P***y)
Tha Dogg Pound– Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None)
Tha Dogg Pound– New York
Tha Dogg Pound– Big Pimpin'
Tha Dogg Pound– Do What I Feel
Tha Dogg Pound– G'z And Hustlas
Tha Dogg Pound– Who Am I (What's My Name)
Tha Dogg Pound– Me In Your World
Tha Dogg Pound– For My N****z And B*****s
Tha Dogg Pound– Doggfather
Tha Dogg Pound– Gin And Juice
Tupac*, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Outlawz*, Nate Dogg, K-Ci & JOJO– 2 Of Amerik
Bonus Feature Music
California Love (Remix)
Tupac*– To Live And Die In L.A.
Tupac*– Hit 'Em Up
Tupac*– How Do You Want It? (Concert Version)
Tupac*– I Ain't Mad At 'Cha
TRACK LIST - Bonus Disc, Disc Two
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– Ambitions Az A Ridah
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– When We Ride
Tupac* Feat. Outlawz*– So Many Tears
Tupac* Feat. Nate Dogg & Outlaws*– All About You
Tupac* Feat. Nate Dogg & Outlawz*– Tha Dogg Pound
Tupac* Feat. Nate Dogg & Outlawz*– California Love
Tha Dogg Pound– Who Got Some Gangsta Shit
Tha Dogg Pound– For All My Niggaz & Bitches
Tha Dogg Pound– New York
Tha Dogg Pound– Cyco-Lic-No
Tha Dogg Pound– Ain't No Fun (Ain't The Homies Can't Have None)
Tha Dogg Pound– One By One
Tha Dogg Pound– Respect
Tha Dogg Pound– Dogg Pound Gangstaz
Tha Dogg Pound– Big Pimpin
Tha Dogg Pound– What Would You Do?
Bonus Features
Tupac*– Reprise
Tupac*– Free Style
Tupac*– Commentary With Treach
Tupac*– Alternate Angles