Born Tupac Amaru Shakur in New York City, he grew up primarily on the streets of Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital Underground. In the same year he received individual recognition for his album "2Pacalypse Now," but this album was also the beginning of his notoriety as a leading figure of the gangsta permutation of hip-hop, with refe ...
show all Born Tupac Amaru Shakur in New York City, he grew up primarily on the streets of Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital Underground. In the same year he received individual recognition for his album "2Pacalypse Now," but this album was also the beginning of his notoriety as a leading figure of the gangsta permutation of hip-hop, with references to cop killing and sexual violence. His solo movie career also began in this year with "Juice (1992)", and in 1992 he co-starred with Janet Jackson in "Poetic Justice (1993)". But law confrontations were soon to come: a 15-day jail term in 1994 for assault and battery and, in 1995, a conviction for sexual assault of a female fan. He was released after serving eight months pending an appeal, but following the Tyson vs Seldon fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, he was hit by four bullets while riding in a car driven by Death Row Records chief executive 'Marion 'Suge Knight. His right lung was removed in emergency surgery and, after six days in a medical coma, he died.
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