Shakur was named after Túpac Amaru II, the eighteenth-century South American revolutionary.Įast Harlem neighborhood of New York City, where Shakur was born When Williams married Mutulu Shakur, she changed her name to Afeni Shakur and also renamed her son. Shakur was born a month after his mother was acquitted of more than 150 charges of "Conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks" in the New York "Panther 21" court case. His mother, Alice Faye Williams, and biological father, Billy Garland, were active members of the Black Panther Party in New York during the late-1960s and early-1970s. Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. 2.3 1995: Imprisonment, Me Against the World and signing to Death Row Records.
Both of his parents and several other of his relatives were members of the Black Panther Party, and their ideals were reflected in his music. Shakur's themes addressed contemporary social issues in inner cities, including violence, hardship, and racism. His double-disc album All Eyez on Me (1996) is one of the best-selling hip hop albums ever, and achieved Diamond record status on 23 July 2014. Shakur has sold over 75,000,000 records worldwide as of 2010, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He was taken to the Southern Nevada University Medical Center, where he died six days later. On 7 September 1996, Shakur was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. (1993) and Me Against the World (1995).ĭuring the latter part of his career, Shakur suffered legal troubles and became heavily involved in the East Coast-West Coast rivalry after a major feud with East Coast rappers, producers and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his following albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. He emerged as a central figure in West Coast hip hop, introducing social issues in the genre at a time when gangsta rap was dominant in the mainstream. Shakur began his career as a member of the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground before embarking on a solo career in 1991 with the release of his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now. Despite only five years of releasing music commercially, Shakur was renowned for his prolific output and arduous work ethic. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Tupac Amaru Shakur (born Lesane Parish Crooks JSeptember 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and briefly Makaveli, was an American rapper, record producer and actor. Dre, Johnny "J", Outlawz, Snoop Dogg, Thug Life Vernon Coleman is a writer living in Atlanta.Digital Underground, Dr.
Here’s what Makaveli’s minions are up to now.Ĭ. With the recent death of OG member Hussein Fatal, only two of the three members who graced the cover of the 2011 album Perfect Timing remain. Those who were left eventually put out seven studio albums between 19, in addition to a dozen mixtapes, carrying on 2 Pac’s Thug Life mantra. One of the guys was murdered just two months after Pac’s untimely killing. Īppearing on classic songs like the seminal diss track “Hit Em Up” and featuring on the platinum 2 Pac albums Me Against the World, All Eyez on Me, Gang Related, and The Don Killuminati : The 7 Day Theory, the outfit looked to be heading for greater heights with Shakur at the helm.īut following Makaveli’s death in September 1996, they had yet to drop their debut LP and things appeared to get unstable among the remaining members. Mean, Hussein Fatal, Young Noble, Napoleon and Storm, the group had a measurable buzz in the mid- ’90s.
Hand- picked by the legendary rapper as his heir apparents, the crew of New Jersey and California MCs, mostly nicknamed after famed resistance leaders, were the icon’s soldiers-at-arms in the rap game.Ĭonsisting of Pac’s stepbrother (Komani), god brother (Yaki Khadafi), cousin (Kastro), a former member of the group Thug Life (Big Syke ), and five other aspiring MCs, E.D.I. The Outlawz Immortalz were running with 2 Pac when it was him against the world.