Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur

Born in jail to a former member of the Black Panther gang, rapper Tupac Shakur forged a prolific career in both music and cinema - releasing five albums and starring in five films before he was murdered in 1996, aged just 25. Tupac Shakur was a member of the hip-hop group Digital Underground, whose 1990 album featured the hits "Humpty Dance" and "Doowutchyalike." In 1992 he began his solo career. His debut album, the melodramatically entitled 2pacalypse Now, revealed a charismatic young artist at work, stirring controversy with its gun-toting violence, but offset by the sympathetic and thoughtful nature of his lyricism. Although his shooting remains a mystery, it is widely believed to be the result of an East Coast / West Coast rap feud sparked by Tupac's long-running battles with fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Born in jail to a former member of the Black Panther gang, rapper Tupac Shakur forged a prolific career in both music and cinema - releasing five albums and starring in five films before he was murdered in 1996, aged just 25. Tupac Shakur was a member of the hip-hop group Digital Underground, whose 1990 album featured the hits "Humpty Dance" and "Doowutchyalike." In 1992 he began his solo career. His debut album, the melodramatically entitled 2pacalypse Now, revealed a charismatic young artist at work, stirring controversy with its gun-toting violence, but offset by the sympathetic and thoughtful nature of his lyricism. Although his shooting remains a mystery, it is widely believed to be the result of an East Coast / West Coast rap feud sparked by Tupac's long-running battles with fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G.