Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971-September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names, Makaveli and 2Pac, 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 over 75 million albums worldwide, including 44.5 million sales in the United States alone. He has had 17 top ten singles in the United States. Born in East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City, Tupac frequently found his family changing place of residence. ...show more

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971-September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names, Makaveli and 2Pac, 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 over 75 million albums worldwide, including 44.5 million sales in the United States alone. He has had 17 top ten singles in the United States. Born in East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City, Tupac frequently found his family changing place of residence.

In 1988, his family moved and brought Tupac and his half-sister Sekyiwa to live with a family friend in Marin City, California (In the Bay Area). He loved the state of California and decided thats where he would continue to reside for the rest of his life. Shakur soon moved in with a neighbor and started selling drugs and hustling on the street, but he also became interested in rap music. With Ray Luv and DJ Dize, he started a rap group called Strictly Dope.

Their recordings were later released in 2001 under the name Tupac Shakur: The Lost Tapes. Their neighborhood performances brought Tupac enough acclaim to land an audition with Shock G of Digital Underground. In 1990 he was hired as a back-up dancer for the alternative rap group Digital Underground. Tupac's debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, gained critical recognition and a ranged amount of backlash for its controversial criticism of the police force. ...show less