(Image Courtesy of Dailymail.co.uk)
Tupac Shakur sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born June 16,1971 in East Harlem, New York. Also known by his stage names 2 Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper, poet, and actor. He was in the rap industry from 1987-1996. Shakir starred in many movies over his career and he was best known for his appercances in the film Juice(1992) and Poetic Justice(1993).
His double disc albums All Eyez on Me (1996) and his Greatest Hits (1998) are among the best-selling albums in the United States. Shakur is considered as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all-time. Also, he's be considered as as one of the greatest artists of all-time by any genre and Rolling Stone ranked him as the 86th best artist on the 100 greatest artists of all-time list. But tragically he was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada on Spetember 6, 1996. And in 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
( Tupac's 1994 Interview with Ed Gordon, Shakur explains why he believes he's doing God's work.)
Shakur's impact on the world was a one people will never forget. He was very smart and intelligent and he inspired so many people not just rappers, but women who are independent parents raising children by themselves. Most of his songs send out a social message. He was greatly concerned with the social problems faced by the Afro-American community such as violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, conflicts with other rappers, social injustice, and poverty and police brutality.
His song Brenda's Got a Baby was about a young teenage girl whom had no family and was lost in the world with a baby she couldn't provide for and she had to do things that no young lady should do especially at 12 years old and with a infant. The song opened eyes around not only the country but also the world. Because of his run-in with the law in November 1993 when a woman accused of him raping her and he later spent a few years in jail for it. He denied that he raped her because he was raised and surrounded by women growing up.
When he got out of prison he wrote a song called Keep Ya Head Up inspired a lot of women around the country saying no matter how hard your life is things will get better just have to keep your head up and stay positive. One of the most famous lyrics he said in this song was "Keep ya head up, ooh, child Things are gonna get easier" Many rappers now look back at Tupac's legacy and learns on how to be smart and be careful while being in the industry because it isn't as easy as it seems.
(His song after he was accused of raping the women in 1993)
(His song about a twelve year old girl who was pregnant and growing up in poverty )
The Rolling Stone Magazine named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time. In a 2005 Rolling Stones Magazine Vote, he was ranked sixth on the list of ’100 immortal artists of all time’.
He released his debut solo album ‘2Pacalypse Now’ by the end of 1991. It featured content on racism, poverty, violence, and teenage pregnancy. It generated considerable controversy, and made the rapper very popular.
His second album, ‘Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z’ was out in 1993. It was more successful than its predecessor and contained the hits ‘Keep Ya Head Up’ and ‘I Get Around’.
He formed a group Thug Life along with musicians Big Syke, Mopreme Shakur, Rated R and others. They released one album ‘Thug Life: Volume 1’ in 1994. The album was certified Gold in the U.S.
He released the album ‘Me Against the World’ in 1995 while serving his prison term. The album was an immediate hit and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It is considered one of the most influential hip hop albums of all-time.
The album ‘All Eyez on Me’ released in 1996 was the last one released during his lifetime. Sold over 5 million copies in US alone and featured five singles and went 9x Platinum just months after its release. It featured the hits ‘How Do U Want It’ and ‘California Love’.
His album 'Me Against The World' stayed on Billboard 200 for five weeks and sold 240,000 copies in its first week. It was appreciated worldwide and set a record for the highest first week sales for a solo male rap artist.
"Want to grow. I want to be better. You grow. We all grow. We're made to grow. You either evolve or you disappear". By Tupac Shakur
"Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine?" By, Tupac Shakur
"Hate to sound sleazy, but tease me, I don't want it if it's that easy" By, Tupac Shakur
"I'd rather die like a man, than live like a coward". By, Tupac Shakur
