Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971–September 13, 1996) was an American hip hop artist, poet and actor. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling rap/hip-hop artist ever, having sold 67 million albums worldwide (mostly posthumously), including 37 million in the United States alone, and has had 17 Top Ten singles in the U.S. He is consistantly ranked by fans, critics and industry insiders as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Most of Shakur's songs are about the hardships of growing up around violence in United States ghettos, poverty, racism, and sometimes his feuds with fellow rappers. He is known for the messages of political, economic, and racial equality that pervade his work. His music features extensive use of metaphor and shows a high degree of lyrical structure.

The early years

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in Manhattan, New York on June 16, 1971. He was named after Tupac Amaru II an Incan who led a Peruvian uprising and was subsequently sentenced to death by the Spanish governor of Peru. Shakur's mother Afeni was an active member of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was born just one month after his mother's acquittal on more than 100 charges of "conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks" in the "New York Panther 21" court case.

Shakur was raised under difficult circumstances. His godfather, Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, was convicted of murdering a schoolteacher during a 1968 robbery. His stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, was found guilty of the attempted robbery of a Brinks armored car in which two police officers and a guard were killed.

Shakur has one half-sister, Sekyiwa, who is two years his junior. His step-brother Mopreme Shakur (aka, "Komani") was a founding member of Tupac's group, Outlawz.

At age 12, Shakur was enrolled in Harlem's famous "127th Street Ensemble". His first major role with this acting troupe was as Travis in the play A Raisin in the Sun.

In 1984, Shakur's family relocated to Baltimore. He enrolled in the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he befriended a young Jada Pinkett-Smith. At the School for the Arts, he studied ballet, poetry, jazz, and acting, performing in Shakespearean plays and landing the role of the Mouse King in The Nutcracker.

In June 1988, he and his family moved once again, this time to Marin City, California, where Shakur continued to pursue his career in entertainment. In 1990 he was hired as a back-up dancer and roadie for the up-and-coming rap group Digital Underground. His professional entertainment career began in early 1991, when he debuted his rap skills on the single "Same Song" from the group's album This is an EP Release. Also in 1991, he appeared in the music video for "Same Song" and made a brief appearance as himself in the movie Nothing But Trouble.

Rise to fame

Album cover for 2Pacalypse Now (1991).

In late 1991, after his rap debut, Shakur released his first solo album, 2Pacalypse Now. Initially he had trouble marketing his solo debut, but Interscope Records executives Ted Field and Tom Whalley eventually agreed to distribute the record. Although produced with the help of his Digital Underground crew, the intent of the album was to showcase his individual talent.

Shakur claimed his first album was aimed at the problems facing young black males, but it was publicly criticized for its graphic language and images of violence by and against police. In one incident, a young man claimed his killing of a Texas trooper was inspired by the album. Former Vice President Dan Quayle even entered the fray by publicly denouncing the album as having "no place in our society".

2Pacalypse Now did not do well on the charts, spawning no number-one hits.

His second CD, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., was released in 1993 on the Jive label. It was heavily produced by Stretch and the Live Squad, and generated two number one hits: the emotional Keep Ya Head Up and the playful I Get Around, the latter featuring guest appearances by other members of the Digital Underground crew.

In addition to rapping, Shakur achieved fame and acclaim as a movie actor. His first starring role was in the 1991 movie Juice, in which he was hailed by Rolling Stone's Peter Travers as "the film's most magnetic figure." He went on to star in Poetic Justice (with Janet Jackson), Above the Rim, Gridlock'd (with Tim Roth), Bullet, and Gang Related. He had also been slated to star in the Hughes brothers' Menace II Society but was replaced by Larenz Tate after assaulting the directors. Director John Singleton claimed that he wrote the film Baby Boy with Shakur in mind for the leading role. It was eventually filmed with Tyrese Gibson in his place and released in 2001, five years after Shakur's death.

In late 1993, he formed the group Thug Life with a few of his friends, including Big Syke, Macadoshis, his step-brother Mopreme, and Rated R. The group released their first album Thug Life: Volume 1 on Interscope in 1994 which, despite its graphic content, still managed to be certified as a gold record.

Legal problems

Even as he garnered fame as a rapper/actor, Shakur gained notoriety for his conflicts with the law. In October 1991 he filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department, alleging they brutally beat him over a jaywalking incident. The suit was later settled for $42,000.

In October 1993, in Atlanta, GA, Shakur shot two off-duty police officers (one in the leg, one in the buttocks) that he thought were harassing a black motorist. Charges against Shakur were dismissed when it was discovered that both officers were intoxicated and were in possession of stolen weapons from an evidence locker during the incident.

The worst of Shakur's legal woes came in December 1993, however, when Shakur was charged with sexually abusing a woman in his hotel room. According to the complaint, Shakur sodomized the woman and then encouraged his friends to sexually abuse her. Shakur vehemently denied the charges, but on February 7, 1995, he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault; specifically, the conviction offense was for "sexual abuse (forcibly touching the buttocks)."

In 1994, he was convicted of attacking a former employer while on a music video set. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail with additional days on a highway work crew, community service and a $2000 fine.

Adding to his legal troubles in 1995, a wrongful death lawsuit was brought against Shakur in the 1992 shooting of 6-year old Qa'id Walker-Teal of Marin City, CA. Criminal charges were not sought, and Shakur settled with the family for an amount estimated between $300,000 and $500,000.

After serving part of his sentence on the sexual abuse conviction, he was released on bail pending his appeal. On April 5, 1996, a judge sentenced him to serve 120 days in jail for violating terms of probation.

The first shooting

On the night of November 30, 1994, the day before the verdict in his sexual abuse trial was to be announced, Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of the Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan by two black men in an apparent robbery attempt. According to the doctors at Bellevue Hospital, where he was admitted immediately following the incident, Shakur was shot twice in the groin, twice in the head and once in the hand.

The day following the incident, December 1, 1994, Shakur entered the courthouse in a wheelchair and was found guilty in his sexual abuse trial. He checked out of the hospital on December 2 and waited at an undisclosed location in Manhattan, until his sentencing trial.

Prison sentence

File:Tupac-mugshot.jpg

Tupac in a police mugshot (March 8, 1995)

Shakur began serving his prison sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility in February 1995. Shortly afterwards, he released his multi-platinum album Me Against the World. Shakur has the distinction of being the only artist with an album at number one on the charts while serving a prison sentence. He married his long-time girlfriend, Keisha Morris, while serving his sentence. This marriage was later annulled. He also spent time reading the works of Niccolò Machiavelli (which inspired his later use of the name "Makaveli"), Sun Tzu's The Art of War and other works of political philosophy and strategy. He wrote a screenplay titled Live 2 Tell while incarcerated.

In September 1995, Shakur was released on bail due in large part to the help and influence of Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records. Knight posted $1.4 million bail pending appeal of the conviction, in exchange for which Shakur was obligated to release three albums for the Death Row label.

Post-prison

File:TupacShakurAllEyezonMe.jpg

Album cover from All Eyez On Me (1996).

After his release from prison, Shakur immediately went back to work recording. He began a new group, Tha Outlawz, and with them released the song "Hit 'Em Up", a bitterly scathing lyrical attack on the Notorious B.I.G (Christopher Wallace) and others associated with him. Though the two had been friends, Wallace's behavior on the night Shakur was shot left Shakur convinced that Wallace had been involved in planning the attack; Wallace steadfastly denied this, but Shakur remained unconvinced. Shakur took the lyrics of Wallace's song "Who Shot Ya?" as an admission that Wallace was involved in the attack, and the seeds of the East Coast/West Coast hip-hop war were planted. Wallace and Shakur would remain bitter enemies until Shakur's death.

In February 1996, Shakur released his fourth solo album, All Eyez on Me. This double album was the first and second of his three-album commitment to Death Row Records. It sold over 9 million copies.

Shakur continued his recordings despite increasing problems at the Death Row label. Dr. Dre left his post as house producer to form his own label, Aftermath. CEO Suge Knight was under investigation for illegal and unethical activities and business practices. Despite these problems, Shakur produced hundreds of tracks during his time at Death Row, most of which would be released on posthumous albums such as Better Dayz and Until the End of Time. He also began the process of recording an album with the Boot Camp Clik and their label Duck Down Records, both New York-based, entitled One Nation. The goal of this project was to bring closure to the East Coast-West Coast feud by bringing together what Shakur thought were the best rappers from both coasts. This project remains unreleased, though some of Tupac's contributions to the album have been used in various other posthumous releases.

The second shooting

File:2Pac2.jpg

Tupac Shakur.

On September 7, 1996, Shakur attended the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. After the boxing match, Shakur fought with 21 year-old Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a reputed member of the Southside Crips, in the MGM Grand lobby. Anderson had allegedly beaten up one of Shakur's bodyguards in a shopping mall a few weeks earlier, precipitating Shakur's attack.

After the fight with Anderson, Shakur met up with Suge Knight to go to Death Row-owned Club 662 (now known as restaurant/club Seven). Shakur rode with Knight in Knight's 1996 black BMW 750i sedan (Images 1,2), as part of a larger convoy of cars including some of Shakur's friends, tha Outlawz, and bodyguards.

At 11:15 P.M., while stopped at the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting. Shakur was hit four times, twice in the chest, and once each in his arm and thigh, while Knight was scratched by a piece of flying glass.

After arriving on the scene, police and paramedics took Shakur and Knight to the University Medical Center. Shakur was placed on life support until his death six days later, on Friday, September 13, 1996 at 4:03 PM. The official cause of death was respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. After his death, Shakur's body was cremated. Family and friends reportedly spread his ashes over the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles, CA.

Theories of the Crime

Although no one has ever been formally charged, nor publicly identified by the police as a suspect, police sources have indicated they believe that Anderson (who has since been murdered himself) and his fellow Southside Crips were behind the shooting. Officers in the Compton, CA Police Department Gang Unit claimed the Crips were bragging about the killing soon after Anderson returned from Las Vegas. Officers further indicated they were disappointed with the lack of initiative shown by the Las Vegas Police Department in pursuing Shakur's killer(s).

Due largely to the perceived lack of progress on the case by law enforcement, many independent investigations and theories of the crime have emerged. Because of the acrimony between Christopher Wallace (aka The Notorious B.I.G.) and Shakur, there was speculation about the possibility of Wallace's involvement in the murder from the outset. Wallace vehemently denied involvement. However, in a notable 2002 investigation by the Los Angeles Times, writer Chuck Phillips claimed to have uncovered evidence implicating Wallace in the murder. In the article Phillips quoted unnamed gang-member sources who claimed Wallace had ties to the Crips, often hiring them for security during West Coast appearances. Phillips informants also state that Wallace gave the gang members one of his own guns for use in the attack on Shakur, and that he put out a $1 million contract on Tupac's life. By the time Phillips' specific allegations were published, however, Wallace himself had been murdered.

Wallace's family and associates have continued to claim that Wallace was not involved in Shakur's death. In support of their claims, Wallace's family submitted documentation to MTV indicating that Wallace was working in a New York recording studio the night of Shakur's murder. Wallace's manager Wayne Barrow and rapper James "Lil Cease" Lloyd made public announcements denying Wallace's involvement in the murder and claiming further that they were both with Wallace in the recording studio the night of the shooting.

Outside sources have verified that the portion of Phillips' article identifying Anderson and the Southside Crips as the murderers is indeed the prevailing theory among law enforcement. However, beyond the anonymous gang sources cited in that article, no other evidence has come to light which would support the article's linking of Wallace to the crime, and it is not believed that law enforcement personnel in general lend much credence to this portion of the theory.

The high profile nature of the killing and ensuing gang violence caught the attention of British filmmaker Nick Broomfield who made the documentary Biggie & Tupac, which examines the lack of progress in the case by speaking to those close to Wallace, Shakur, and the investigation.

The cover of Makaveli: The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory (1996).

Shakur's close childhood friend and member of the Outlawz, Yafeu "Yaki Kadafi" Fula, was in the convoy when the shooting happened and indicated to police that he might be able to identify the assailants. He was killed shortly thereafter in New Jersey.

It was believed by many listeners that in the first few seconds of the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, one could hear a voice saying "Suge shot me," or "Suge shot 'em." This, along with reports of Knight's strong-arm tactics with artists and other illegal/unethical business tactics gave rise to a theory that Knight was implicit in Shakur's murder, but no evidence has been provided to support this theory. Independent investigations, including one by MTV, determined that the quote on the album was most likely "Shouldn't have shot him."

Other theories have been put forth, including a theory that Shakur is alive and well, but in hiding. Supporters of these theories point to the symbolism in Shakur's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory albumm and in the video for the single "I Ain't Mad at Cha". Most of the symbolism used in support of these theories has been easily explained by ordinary means, however.

Style and influences

Shakur's first album, 2Pacalypse Now, revealed the socially conscious side of Tupac. On this album Shakur attacked social injustice, poverty and police brutality on songs like "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Trapped" and "Part Time Mutha". His style on this album was heavily influenced by the social consciousness and afrocentrism pervading hip-hop in the late 1980's and early 1990's. On this initial release, Shakur helped extend the legacy of rap groups like Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, X-Clan, and even Grandmaster Flash, as he became one of the first major socially conscious rappers from the West Coast.

On his second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., Shakur continued to rap about the social ills facing African-Americans, with songs like "The Streetz R Death Row" and "Last Wordz". He also showed his compassionate side with the inspirational anthem "Keep Ya Head Up", while simultaneously putting his legendary aggressiveness on display with the title track from the album, "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z." He even added a salute to his former group Digital Underground by including them on the playful track "I Get Around." Throughout his career, an increasingly aggressive attitude can be seen pervading Shakur's subsequent albums.

The contradictory themes of social inequality and injustice, unbridled aggression, compassion, playfulness, and hope all continued to shape Shakur's work, as witnessed with the release of his incendiary 1995 album "Me Against the World". No album represents the perfect storm of street wisdom, intelligence and the sea of conflicting emotions that is Tupac Shakur better than his 1996 release, the critically acclaimed All Eyez On Me. With several tracks considered classics, including "I Ain't Mad At Cha", "California Love (Remix)**" and "Picture Me Rollin'", many critics consider this album to be not only Shakur's best, but one of the crown jewels of 1990's rap.

The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory, released under Tupac's pseudonym Makaveli, presents a stark contrast to previous works. In Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory, Tupac continued focusing on the themes of pain and aggression, making this album one of the emotionally darker works of his career. Produced and written almost entirely by Tupac himself, many fans and critics feel that Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory is the most "authentic" of Tupac's many albums.

Shakur's work has influenced many modern rap artists. Many artists, like Eminem and 50 Cent, freely admit his influence on their work. Others have made used their work to make Shakur's influence extremely obvious, such as Jay-Z's re-make of "Me and My Girlfriend". Still others, like DMX, have been compared to Shakur based on their style and public persona.

• • Note, the original verion of California Love does not appear on All Eyez On Me. The version appearing on All Eyez On Me is a remixed version with a different beat. The original version can be found on 2Pac: Greatet Hits (1998)

Legacy

To preserve Shakur's legacy, his mother founded the Shakur Family Foundation (later re-named the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation or TASF) in 1997. The TASF's stated mission is to "provide training and support for students who aspire to enhance their creative talents." The TASF sponsors essay contests, charity events, a performing arts day camp for teenagers and undergraduate scholarships. The Foundation officially opened the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (TASCA) in Stone Mountain, Georgia on June 11,2005.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Shakur's legacy is not the impact he had in the entertainment industry, but rather the far-reaching and continuing impact of his life and work in areas far-removed from popular culture. In the area of academia, his life and works have been analyzed by students and professors of the highest pedigree. On April 17, 2003, Harvard University co-sponsored an academic symposium entitled "All Eyez on Me: Tupac Shakur and the Search for the Modern Folk Hero." The speakers were all highly regarded academics and authors, who discussed a wide range of topics dealing with Shakur's impact on everything from entertainment to sociology.

Many of the speakers discussed Shakur's status and public persona, including State University of New York English professor Mark Anthony Neal who gave the talk "Thug Nigga Intellectual: Tupac as Celebrity Gramscian" in which he argued that Shakur was an example of the "organic intellectual" expressing the concerns of a larger group.

Other speakers at the Harvard Conference spoke of the mythical status around Shakur's life and death. Among those speakers was Northeastern University professor of Communications Studies Murray Forman who gave a talk entitled "Tupac Shakur: O.G. (Ostensibly Gone)" in which he discussed the mythology and symbolism surrounding Shakur's death. Emmet Price, music professor of Northeastern University, compared Shakur's public persona as the incarnation of the mythological "trickster figures" from African-American folklore.

Still other renowned academics spoke of Shakur's impact on entertainment, race relations, politics and the "hero/martyr" status to which he was elevated by fans after his death.

Awards

Since his death, Tupac's body of work remains highly regarded by his fans and entertainment industry insiders alike. Here are some of the industry and fan awards Tupac has received for his work:

• Tupac was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002.
• In 2003, MTV's "22 Greatest MCs" countdown listed Tupac as the "number 1 MC", as voted by the viewers.
• In 2004, a VIBE magazine poll rated Tupac "the greatest rapper of all time" as voted by fans.
• In 2005, Top Soundtrack Song of the Year: "Runnin' (Dying To Live)" From TUPAC: RESURRECTION by Tupac featuring The Notorious B.I.G. at the 18th Annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards
• Also in 2005, MTV listed Tupac's "The Don Kiluminati: The 7 Day Theory" (released under the pseudonym "Makaveli") as one of the "Top 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time."

Documentary

On November 14 2003, a documentary about Shakur entitled Tupac: Resurrection, was released under the supervision of his mother and narrated entirely in his voice. The movie was nominated for "Best Documentary" in the 2005 Academy Awards. Proceeds will go to a charity set up by Afeni Shakur.

Discography

Albums

The demand for Shakur's music has culminated in the release of more than twice as many full albums of his music since his death than while he was alive.

Released while living

• 
  2Pacalypse Now
  (November 12, 1991) (Gold U.S.)
• Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (February 16, 1993) (Platinum U.S.)
  Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
  (February 16, 1993) (Platinum U.S.)
• Thug Life: Thug Life Vol. 1 (September 26, 1994) (with Thug Life) (Gold U.S.)
  Thug Life: Thug Life Vol. 1
  (September 26, 1994)
  (with Thug Life)
  (Gold U.S.)
• Me Against the World (February 27, 1995) US #1 (2x Platinum U.S.)
  Me Against the World
  (February 27, 1995)
  US #1 (2x Platinum U.S.)
• All Eyez on Me (February 13, 1996) US #1 (9x Platinum) U.S.)
  All Eyez on Me
  (February 13, 1996)
  US #1 (9x Platinum) U.S.)

Released (officially) posthumously

• 
  Makaveli: The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory
  (November 5, 1996)
  US #1(5x Platinum U.S.)
• R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (November 25, 1997) (4x Platinum U.S.)
  R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
  (November 25, 1997)
  (4x Platinum U.S.)
• 
  2Pac's Greatest Hits
  (November 24, 1998), 1994)
  (9x Platinum U.S.)
• 
  Still I Rise
  (December 14, 1999)
  (with Tha Outlawz)
  (2x Platinum U.S.)
• The Rose that Grew from Concrete (October 17, 2000)
  The Rose that Grew from Concrete
  (October 17, 2000)
  
• 
  Until the End of Time
  (March 27, 2001)
  UK #31 (4x Platinum U.S.)
• 
  Better Dayz
  (November 26, 2002)
  (3x Platinum U.S.)
• Tupac: Resurrection (OST) (November 11, 2003) (Platinum U.S.)
  Tupac: Resurrection (OST)
  (November 11, 2003)
  (Platinum U.S.)
• Nu-Mixx Klazzics (October 7, 2003)
  Nu-Mixx Klazzics
  (October 7, 2003)
• 2Pac Live (August 6, 2004)
  2Pac Live
  (August 6, 2004)
• Loyal to the Game (December 14, 2004) US #1, UK #20 (Platinum U.S.)
  Loyal to the Game
  (December 14, 2004)
  US #1, UK #20 (Platinum U.S.)
• 
  The Rose, Vol. 2
  (September 20, 2005)
• Live at the House Of Blues (October 3, 2005) (With Tha Dogg Pound)
  Live at the House Of Blues
  (October 3, 2005)
  (With Tha Dogg Pound)

Singles

Released while living

Year	Title	Chart Positions		Status
		Position	Chart
1991	"Brenda's Got a Baby"	#11	US Charts	-
1992	"Trapped"	-	-	-
1992	"If My Homie Calls"	-	-	-
1993	"Holla If You Hear Me"	-	-	-
1993	"Keep Ya Head Up"	#9	US Charts	Certified Platinum
1993	"I Get Around" (with Digital Underground)	#13	US Charts	Certified Gold
1993	"Papa'z Song"	-	-	-
1994	"Cradle To The Grave" (with Thug Life)	-	-	-
1994	"Pour Out a Little Liquor"	-	-	-
1995	"Dear Mama"	#2	US Charts	Certified Platinum
1995	"So Many Tears"	-	-	-
1995	"Temptations"	-	-	-
1996	"California Love" (featuring Dr. Dre)	#1 #1	US Pop Charts Swedish Charts	Certified Double Platinum
1996	"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	-	-	-
1996	"How Do U Want It" (featuring K-Ci and JoJo)	#1 #17	US Pop Charts UK Pop Charts	-
1996	"Hit 'em up (with Outlawz)"	-	-	-

Released posthumously

Year	Title	Chart Positions		Status
		Position	Chart
1996	"I Ain't Mad At Cha" (featuring Danny Boy)	#4 #13	US Charts UK Pop Charts	-
1996	"Toss It Up" (as Makaveli) (featuring Danny Boy, K-Ci and JoJo & Aaron Hall)	-	-	-
1997	"To Live & Die In LA" (as Makaveli)	#9	US Charts	-
1997	"Hail Mary" (as Makaveli)	-	-	-
1997	"Wanted Dead or Alive" (with Snoop Dogg)	-	-	-
1997	"I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto"	#21	UK Charts	-
1997	"Do For Love"	#2 #12	US Charts UK Charts	Certified Platinum
1998	"Runnin" (featuring Notorious B.I.G.)	#15	UK Charts	-
1998	"Changes"	#3 #2	US Charts UK Charts	-
1998	"All About U (Remix)" (featuring Dru Down, Nate Dogg & Snoop Dogg)	-	-	-
1999	"Baby Don't Cry"	#19	US Charts	-
2001	"Until The End Of Time"	#9	US Charts	-
2001	"Letter 2 My Unborn"	#10	US Charts	-
2003	"Thugz Mansion" (featuring Anthony Hamilton)	-	-	-
2003	"Still Ballin'" (featuring Trick Daddy)	-	-	-
2003	"Runnin' (Dying To Live)" (with The Notorious B.I.G.)	#14 #17	US Charts UK Charts	-
2003	"Ghost"	-	-	-
2003	"The Realest Killaz" (featuring 50 Cent)	-	-	-
2004	"Thugs Get Lonely Too" (featuring Nate Dogg)			-
2005	"Ghetto Gospel" (featuring Elton John)	#1 #1 #1 #3	UK Charts AUS Charts Ireland Austria	-

Notable features

• "Same Song" Digital Underground featuring 2Pac (1991) (first popular recording featuring Tupac)
• "R U Still Down?" Jon B featuring 2Pac (1997)
• "Smile" Scarface featuring 2pac & Jonny P (1997)
• "Thug Luv" Bone Thugs-N-Harmony featuring 2pac (1997)

Filmography

During life

• Nothing But Trouble (1991), (brief appearance as self), directed by Dan Aykroyd
• Juice (film) (1992)
• Poetic Justice (1993)
• Above the Rim (1994)
• "Whatta Man" (1994), Music video, won Best Dance Video, Best R&B Video and Best Choreography at the 11th annual MTV Video Music Awards
• Bullet (film) (1996)
• Gridlock'd (1997)
• Gang Related (film) (1997)

Posthumous

• Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw (2001) documentary
• Biggie & Tupac (2002) documentary
• Tupac: Resurrection (2003)
• Live 2 Tell (2006) as screenwriter (currently in pre-production)

Poetry

• The Rose That Grew From Concrete (1999) ISBN 0671028448
• Inside a Thugs Heart (2004) ISBN 0758207891

See also

• Túpac Amaru
• Túpac Amaru II
• Tupac Inca Yupanqui
• Assata Shakur (Tupac's aunt/godmother in exile in Cuba)
• Afeni Shakur (Tupac's mother)
• Best selling music artists
• Seven Day Theory

External links

• 2Pac Legacy (Official website)
• Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation for the Arts