Consistent with their political, historical, and spiritual beliefs, Tupac`s family often called him the "Black Prince". A strict disciplinarian and a strong believer in the power of words and education, Afeni made Tupac read an entire edition of The New York Times when he misbehaved.

When he was two, his sister, Sekyiwa, was born. Sekyiwa`s father, Mutulu, was a Black Panther who, a few months before her birth, had been sentenced to sixty years for a fatal armored car robbery.

With Mutulu away, the family experienced hard times. No matter where they moved-the Bronx, Harlem, homeless shelters- Tupac was distressed. "I remember crying all the time. My major thing growing up was I couldn`t fit in. Because I was from everywhere. I didn`t have no buddies that I grew up with."

By the age of twelve, Tupac had discovered his loves for acting, writing love songs and poetry. As a young teen, his family moved to Baltimore, MD, where he attended The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts studying acting and ballet. At this school, Tupac left a lasting impression on his teachers, showing tremendous potential. Unfortunately, Tupac was unable to continue his education in Baltimore as his family moved to Marin City, California, where Tupac began hanging out with neighborhood criminals and learning about street life.

At age fifteen, Tupac fell in love with rap; he started writing lyrics, walking with a swagger, and exploiting his roots in New York for all they were was worth. Tupac began calling himself MC New York to gain respect through his hometown’s world-renowned tough image.

Tupac joined the Bay area hip-hop group Digital Underground as a dancer, and not long before the group achieved success, Tupac released his own album "2Pacalypse Now", which was also a success. The single "Brenda`s Got A Baby", a short compelling tale about a tragic teenage pregnancy, drew rave reviews from critics and garnered huge radio and video play launching Tupac`s career into stardom.

His considerable acting talent also Tupac a starring role opposite Omar Epps in the motion picture, "Juice", where he played the role of Bishop.

Tupac released his second album "Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z.," which was an a bigger commercial success than "2Pacalypse" and broke Tupac`s music into the mainstream with his huge hit "I Get Around".

Tupac was arrested in 1992 when a fight he was involved in resulted in the accidental death of a six-year-old boy, although the charges were later dismissed. He was accused in October 1993 of involvement in the shooting of two plain clothes policemen (later dismissed). He was already on bail for an outstanding battery charge for allegedly striking a woman who asked for his autograph, and had also been arrested in Los Angeles for carrying a concealed weapon and assaulting a driver.

In 1994, Shakur collaborated with his older brother Mopreme, Syke, Macadoshis and Rated R on the morbid, angry "Thug Life: Volume 1".

In November of 1994, while on trial for sexually assaulting a woman Tupac was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of Quad Studios in New York`s Times Square. Shakur accused Biggie Smalls (the Notorious B.I.G.), Andre Harrell and Sean "Puffy" Combs of involvement in the shooting, leading to the an East Coast/West Coast rap war. Miraculously, Shakur recovered from his gunshot wounds to his head, groin, and torso to attend his trial and put the finishing touches on his album "Me Against the World".

Shakur was sentenced to four and a half years in jail on February 7, 1995 for his conviction on sexual assault charges. However, "Me Against The World" was released while he was serving his sentence in prison, and still debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts.

Tupac was eventually released on bail pending his appeal of the sexual assault conviction after Suge Knight and Death Row Records posted a $1 Million Dollar bail. After his release on bail from prison, Tupac produced possibly his best work, the double CD opus "All Eyes On Me." "All Eyez On Me" revolutionized rap music both artistically and commerically. "All Eyez on Me" entered the Billboard charts at #1 in its first week of release. "All Eyez on Me" solidified Tupac and his "Thug Life" image as the most powerful, persuasive (and duplicated) marketing force in rap through its often lawless, highly sexual, highly political, urban hardcore lyrical and visual content. "All Eyes On Me", the first Rap Double CD, was an instant commerical and critical success and sold over 6 million copies in its first year of release

Marion "Suge` Knight, president of hip-hop`s most successful label Death Row Records, arranged parole for Shakur, who eventually served only eight months of his sentence. Newly signed to Death Row, Shakur released 1996`s double disc set "All Eyez On Me", which entered the main Billboard US chart at #1. The reviews were both supportive and outstandingly good, and the album sold over six million in its first year,

On September 7th, Tupac Shakur was shot by an unknown gunman in Las Vegas and died on September 13, 1996. Tupac`s murder remains unsolved.

Following his violent death, Death Row released "The Don Killuminati", under Tupac`s pseudonym "Makaveli." The cover depicted Shakur nailed to a cross under a crown of thorns, with a map of the country`s major gang areas superimposed on it. The music on "The Don Killuminati" further solidified Tupac`s iconic status through its commercial success and critical acclaim. Much like "All Eyez on me", many artists have attempted to duplicate the force of its hardcore, action-packed, uncompromising content since its release.