2pac

About 2pac

Tupac Amaru Shakur arrived in hip-hop as a fully formed political voice. Born in New York to Black Panther parents and raised primarily by his mother Afeni, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988 and immediately shaped West Coast rap discourse. 2Pacalypse Now in 1991 announced his arrival with socially conscious lyrics that set him apart from contemporaries, while Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. in 1993 and Me Against the World in 1995 deepened his presence on wax. His 1996 release All Eyez on Me became the first double album in hip-hop history and achieved Diamond certification, establishing him as one of the best-selling rappers ever with over 75 million records sold worldwide.

Shakur's career extended into acting with roles in Juice, Poetic Justice, Above the Rim, and other films that demonstrated his range beyond the microphone. His later years involved significant legal troubles and his central role in the East Coast-West Coast feud after signing to Death Row Records. The rivalry with the Notorious B.I.G., once a friend, became emblematic of hip-hop's most destructive period. Shakur was shot in a drive-by in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, and died six days later at 25, his murder remaining unsolved.

Following his death, posthumous releases preserved his catalog for new generations of collectors. The Don Killuminati under his Makaveli alias arrived in 1996, while Greatest Hits in 1998 and subsequent albums like Until the End of Time and Loyal to the Game achieved multi-platinum status. He was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. The Groove Hunter currently tracks 7 editions across his discography, including All Eyez On Me as a 4 LP set, Me Against The World, and Greatest Hits among other notable pressings.