Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was a successful film actor and a prominent social activist. He is recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-selling rap artist, with over 75,000,000 albums sold worldwide, including over 50,000,000 in the United States. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing up amid violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, problems in society and conflicts with other rappers. Shakur's work is known for advocating political, economic, social and racial equality, as well as his raw descriptions of violence, drug and alcohol abuse and conflicts with the law.Shakur was initially a roadie and backup dancer for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground. Shakur's debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, gained critical recognition and backlash for its controversial lyrics. Shakur became the target of lawsuits and experienced other legal problems. Later, he was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of a recording studio in New York City. Following the event, Shakur grew suspicious that other figures in the rap industry had prior knowledge of the incident and did not warn him; the controversy helped spark the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. After serving eleven months of his sentence for sexual abuse, Shakur was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion "Suge" Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records. In exchange for Knight's assistance, Shakur agreed to release three albums under the Death Row label. Shakur's fifth album, the first double-disc release in hip hop history All Eyez on Me, was counted as two albums.On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, and died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center.
Renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur in 1972 by his mother after Tupac Amaru, an Inca who was sentenced to death by the Spaniards. Tupac Amaru, in the Inca language, means "shining serpent".
Son of black panther Afeni Shakur ; grew up in Harlem, Baltimore, and Marin County, California.
He had the words "thug life" tattooed across his abdomen.
Was engaged to Kidada Jones after time of his death.
Was going to play the role of Malik in Higher Learning
Died on a Friday the 13th.
More of his music has been released since his death than was while he was alive.
Appeared in the Salt-N-Pepa video, "Whatta Man.".
Founding Member of the Outlawz
Used the name Makaveli which is an altered spelling of Machiavelli, about whom he read while in prison.
In the song "Life Goes On" from the "All Eyez on Me" album, he rhymes about his own funeral.
As a young man, Tupac also studied dance, including ballet.
Tupac is listed as the most successful gangsta MC in the "Guinness Book of World Records."
Grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Jim Carrey was his favorite actor.
Was cast in the movie Woo , but was shot five days before principal photography began.
He was offered a record contract at the age of 13. However, his mother refused to let him sign anything at such a young age. She felt he had a lot to learn about the world before joining the music industry.
He read for the part of "Bubba" in Forrest Gump .
10 albums have been released after his 1996 death; all have gone platinum.
He was voted the 86th Greatest Rock n Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone.
In November 1994, he was robbed and shot five times by a pair of muggers in the lobby of a New York recording studio. Tupac survived the attack, and afterwards frequently boasted of his durability in his lyrics.
Was originally cast in Menace II Society but was fired after a physical altercation with director Allen Hughes.
As a teenager, he studied drama at Baltimores School for the Arts, where he rhymed under the name MC New York.
When he was 12 years old, his mother enrolled him in Harlems 127th St Ensemble. He played Travis in "A Raisin in The Sun" in his first acting role
Started his career on Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records with Digital Underground.
As a young man, he also studied ballet and dance
His 1996 song "Ghetto Gospel" was released in 2005, with some vocals by Elton John , and went to #1 in the UK, despite the fact he had been dead for eight years.
Was a good friend of fellow hip-hop MC M.C. Hammer , who also was from Oakland, California, USA.
His albums have sold 38 million copies in the USA alone.
Had been rapping since he was 18 years old.
According to Guiness Book of Records 2004, he is the highest selling rap/hip-hop artist selling over 67 million copies worldwide
In a 2005 Rolling Stones Magazine Vote, Tupac was named #6 of the 100 immortal artists of all time behind the likes of Elvis and Lennon
He is the first rap/hip-hop artist in history to have a wax model of himself set to be placed in Madamme Tussauds in Las Vegas
Appeared on Forbes "Top Earning Dead Celebrities" list in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with earnings of $7 million, $12 million and $5 million in each respective year.
Wrote a song, but died before he could finish it. Rap artist Eminem finished the song with his own lyrics and released it shortly afterwards.
First music artist to have a #1 LP while being in jail
Biological Father Is Billy Garland.
The harmonica in "So Many Tears" is a sample from Stevie Wonder s song "That Girl", which spent 9 weeks at number one on the R&B charts in 1982.
His song "Hit Em Up", which Shakur considered a "classic battle record" is scathing attack on one-time friend Notorious BIG, Bad Boy Records, and Sean Combs. In addition, Shakur claimed that he slept with Faith Evans (Notorious BIGs wife) in the songs lyrics.
Was a fan of actor Tim Roth and was delighted to learn he would work with him on Gridlockd , released after Shakurs death.
Read the article in "Entertainment Weekly" about his "Me Against The World" albums debut at number one, while incarcerated. The albums title song also appeared in Bad Boys , which opened in March-- while Shakur was behind bars.
Cited Prince as an inspiration and sampled his music on the "All Eyez On Me" album. Shakur mentioned in an MTV interview that "he [Prince] loves women like I love women.".
Used an interpolation of the 1984 El DeBarge song "A Dream" for his hit "I Aint Mad At Ya". Tupacs version, however, is at a faster tempo than the original.
Recorded much of his vocals of the "All Eyez On Me" album with a Neumann U87 microphone. In addition, entire album was recorded on analog tape. This was considered somewhat archaic by 1995 recording standards, as much of the recording industry had transitioned to digital recording. (However, it should be noted that Dr. Dre , who produced two songs for the album still uses analog tape to record his music, as of late 2006).
The song "To Live and Die in LA", was called by Shakur (who recorded the song under the name "Makaveli", for the "Seven Day Theory" album) "California Love, part 2-- without gay-ass Dre." It is unknown if "gay-ass Dre" is serious slur against Dr. Dre , who left Shakurs label Death Row records shortly after producing two tracks for "All Eyez On Me".
Shakur considered singer Don McClean (best known as the singer/songwriter of the 1972 hit "American Pie") and Kate Bush as two influences in his life. Shakur also saw McCleans hit "Vincent" (a tale of painter Vincent Van Gogh) as one particular inspiration. In addition, Shakur cited African-American poet Maya Angelou and William Shakespeare as being equally important to him.
Gang member Orlando Anderson, often cited as Tupacs killer, was later murdered himself during an altercation at a LA car wash, on May 29th 1998. It should be noted that Anderson was never charged in the slaying.
He completed the 27 song "All Eyez On Me", considered by many to be his magnum opus, in only two weeks. Often cited as raps first double album, "All Eyez" sessions began just hours after Shakur was released from jail. Released on February 13th 1996, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
His career triumphs--a number one album and pop single-- both happened on the 13th: Raps first double album, "All Eyez on Me" (certified by the RIAA as of December 2006 at 9 million copies sold) hit store shelves on February 13th 1996. His only number one pop single "How Do U Want It?", reached the apex of the Hot 100 on July 13th 1996. Sadly, it was on September 13th (a Friday) that Shakur succumbed to injuries sustained in a Las Vegas shooting.
"The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" was recorded and mixed in a mere 7 days in August 1996. It was released November 5, 1996 and debuted at number one on both the pop album and R&B/Hip-Hop album charts, with 663,000 albums sold in its first week. It is certified at 7 million albums sold in the US and 28 million albums worldwide, making it both Tupacs best-selling album.
His first album, "2Pacalypse Now" was released November 12, 1991 and was certified gold. It contains 13 songs and reached number 13 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums.
Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 at approximately 11:15pm, at the corner of Flamingo and Koval streets.
Shakur renamed his publishing company to "Joshuas Dream" in honor of a young, terminally ill child whose dying wish was to meet him.
His number one single, "California Love" was certified at sales of 2 million copies in 1998.
Tupac used the Roland D70 synthesizer for his album "All Eyez On Me" (as seen in an interview with MTV in 1996).
Recorded close to 150 songs during the final year of his life, and often completed three songs per day in the same period. Shakur also wrote lyrics in the studio and often performed his verses in one take. He felt that rappers who could not perform their verses properly on the first take werent ready to be rappers. R&B music, on the other hand, was worthy of multiple takes for the vocal tracks, he felt.
His 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend" (from the rappers posthumously released "Don Killuminati" album) chronicles Shakurs relationship with his pistol, which he frequently carried for protection. The "finger fucking" Shakur refers to in the song is actually a euphemism for pulling the trigger. The song was covered in 2003 by Beyonc and Jay Z with a slightly altered chorus; it reached the top ten of the American pop charts.
Moved out of his mothers house when he was 17.
Along with friends, he founded the "Junior Black Panthers" in his youth.
His favorite singer was Prince.
Mentioned in the rap-rock song "Mope" by Bloodhound Gang , along with personalities like Luciano Pavarotti , The Notorious B.I.G. , Falco , Tori Spelling , Bo Jackson and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Ranked #3 on VH1s 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists.
Tupac died with less than $100,000 in the bank.
Is portrayed by Anthony Mackie in Notorious .
His godfather was Geronimo Ji Jaga , a member of Black Panther Party for Self Defense, a radical group advocating violence in obtaining civil rights for African-Americans. Shakurs parents, Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland , were also members of the group.
Was planning to record with the Wu-Tang Clan near the end of his life, as he revealed his admiration for their sound and lyrics.
(November 2006) New album Pacs Life (originally titled Ready 2 Die) is released.
(December 2004) "Loyal To The Game" was released on Dec. 14. It is the 9th album of his to be released after his death.
Has another posthumous album tentatively tiled "Ready 2 Die". Its also his 14th album.
A fan of Tim Roth , Shakur was excited when he found out he was going to be in a movie with Roth. Roth, however, didnt like the idea of a rapper being in the movie with him, as he didnt know he was an actor before he became a rapper. Roths attitude changed, when they tested together and the two were very good friends until Shakurs death.
Was John Singleton s first choice to star in Shaft when the film was going to be called Son Of Shaft.
Was the original choice for Jody in Baby Boy .
His godmother Assata Shakur , was found guilty of the 1973 murder of a New Jersey state trooper. She broke out of prison and fled to Cuba. In 2013 she was added to the FBIs list of Most Wanted Terrorists.
Died on the same day that the pilot episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" premiered.
Auditioned for the role of Gerald "Gee Money" Wells in New Jack City but was turned down because he was than that of leading star Wesley Snipes.
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Was friends with Jasmine Guy , Snoop Dogg , Keyshia Cole , and Jon B..
The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.
The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothing to,get out of who I am and go into somebody else.
It seems like every time you come up something happens to bring you back,down.
We all gonna die, we bleed from similar veins.
I worked hard all my life as far as this music business. I dreamed of,the day when I could go to New York and feel comfortable and they could,come out here and be comfortable.
Let the Lord judge the criminals.
The only time I have problems is when I sleep.
With all my fans I got a family again.
If you believe in God, believe in Death Row East.
America wants its respect.
When you do rap albums, you got to train yourself. You got to constantly,be in character.
Thug Life to me is dead.
I don’t see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers.
Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive. Never surrender.
Reality is wrong. Dreams are for the real.
During your life, never stop dreaming. No one can take away your dreams,Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
There’s no way that Michael Jackson or whoever Jackson should have a million thousand droople billion dollars and then there’s people starving. There’s no way! There’s no way that these people should own planes and there people don’t have houses. Apartments. Shacks. Drawers. Pants! I know you’re rich. I know you got 40 billion dollars, but can you just keep it to one house? You only need ONE house. And if you only got two kids, can you just keep it to two rooms? I mean why have 52 rooms and you know there’s somebody with no room?! It just don’t make sense to me. It don’t.
I worked hard all my life as far as this music business. I dreamed of the day when I could go to New York and feel comfortable and they could come out here and be comfortable.
America wants its respect.
Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.
The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.
If you believe in God, believe in Death Row East.
With all my fans I got a family again.
It seems like every time you come up something happens to bring you back down.
