Tupac Amaru Shakur,also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli,was an American rapper and actor. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists,having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities,and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.
Me Against the World is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14,1995,by Interscope. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence,troubles with the police,and poverty.
The Don Killuminati:The 7 Day Theory is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur,his first posthumous album and the last released with his creative input. Recorded in seven days in August 1996,it was released on November 5,1996,almost two months after his death,under the stage name of Makaveli,through Death Row Records,Makaveli Records and Interscope Records.
"California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper-producer Dr. Dre and American singer Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first single as the newest artist of Death Row Records. The remix is featured on the UK version of his fourth album,All Eyez on Me (1996),and is one of 2Pac's most widely known and most successful singles. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and also topped the charts of Italy,New Zealand,and Sweden. The song was posthumously nominated Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997.
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by hip hop artist 2Pac,featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It",released on June 4,1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers,chiefly Shakur's former friend turned rival,the Notorious B.I.G.. The song was recorded at Can Am Studios in 1996. A previous version of the song was recorded in October 1995.
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album,All Eyez on Me (1996). The song features fellow West Coast rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and was produced by Daz Dillinger. The song was released as a promotional single for the album on May 7,1996 and later as the B-side to the album's second major and third overall single,How Do U Want It. The song peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The song contains interpolations of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five's song "The Message" and "Radio Activity Rap " by MC Frosty and Lovin' C.
"I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" is a song by American rapper 2Pac. It was released as the first single from the posthumous album R U Still Down?. The original version,titled "I Wonda if Heaven's Got a Ghetto",was released as a B-side on the 1993 single,"Keep Ya Head Up".
"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album,Me Against the World (1995). It was released on February 21,1995,as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother,Afeni Shakur. In the song,Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack cocaine,but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother supersede bad memories. The song became his first top ten on the Billboard Hot 100,peaking at number nine. It also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. As of March 2021,the song is certified 3×Platinum by the RIAA.
The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States,especially from the mid-1990s. Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label,Bad Boy Records,and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label,Death Row Records. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in drive-by shootings. Although several suspects have been identified,both murders remain unsolved.
"Hail Mary" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur from his fifth studio album,The Don Killuminati:The 7 Day Theory (1996). It was released after his September 1996 murder under the Makaveli stage name as the album's third single. Hail Mary features rap verses by Kastro,Young Noble and Yaki Kadafi of the Outlawz rap group and vocals from reggae musician Prince Ital Joe. A music video was shot for the song and can be found on the DualDisc of The Don Killuminati:The 7 Day Theory.
The discography of Tupac Shakur,an American rapper,consists of 11 studio albums. Throughout his career,Shakur has sold 74 million records worldwide. He has scored 5 No. 1 albums on Billboard 200 and 8 No. 1 albums on Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums. In 2001,Guinness World Records hailed him as the then Best-selling artist of rap in the US. According to Recording Industry Association of America,he has sold 55.3 million albums and an additional 4 million under his alias Makaveli with "The Don Killuminati",making him the second best-selling hip-hop artist in history.
"'I Ain't Mad at Cha'" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from Shakur's fourth studio album,All Eyez on Me (1996). It was released on September 15,1996 two days after Shakur's death as the album's fourth and final single. The song features contemporary soul singer Danny Boy providing vocals for its hook and was written by Shakur,Danny Boy and Daz Dillinger,who produced the song using a sample from DeBarge's "A Dream". The lyrics focus on Shakur reminiscing about past friends,love interests and associates he has lost touch with. The song is widely considered one of Shakur's best with Cheo Hodari Coker calling it "possibly the best song 2Pac has ever recorded". In 1998,The Source ranked the song's three verses second in its category of "dopest verses" in the history of hip-hop.
"Temptations" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur (2Pac) from his third studio album,Me Against the World (1995). It was released as a single in the US on August 29,1995,and was released as a CD,cassette,and 12" promo. While rapping is solely performed by Shakur,Erick Sermon and producer Easy Mo Bee are also featured in the song primarily as background vocalists. The song uses the bassline from the "Computer Love",and the theme focuses on relationship and infidelity issues. Debuting at number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100,the song did fairly well in the United States. It was also well received by critics,with many writers commenting on its romantic tone.
"Who Shot Ya" or often "Who Shot Ya?" is a song by Brooklyn,New York,rapper the Notorious B.I.G.,also called Biggie Smalls,backed by Sean Combs as the "hype man". Puffy's emerging record label,Bad Boy Entertainment,released it on February 21,1995,on an alternate reissue of Biggie's single "Big Poppa/Warning," out since December 5,1994. While this 1994 release climbed the Billboard Hot 100,its new B side "Who Shot Ya"—now Biggie's "most infamous classic," with an instrumental now iconic—revised some vocals of a "Who Shot Ya" track,rapped by Biggie and Keith Murray,already issued on a mixtape from a Harlem DJ earlier in 1995. Recalled as "menacing magic" that helps "define New York rap," "Who Shot Ya" was "controversial and hugely influential." Widely interpreted as a taunt at 2Pac,the single provoked a "rap battle" between the two rappers,formerly friends.
"Thugz Mansion" is a song by 2Pac,released as a posthumous single with two known popular versions both released on the 2002 album Better Dayz. It was nominated by the Source Awards for Single of the Year.
"Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix)" is a song by rapper Tupac Shakur. The song was released as a remix by Swizz Beatz and Krayzie Bone and was used to promote the 2006 posthumous album Pac's Life. Tupac recorded the song in June,1996,just prior to the Makaveli recording sessions. The original version has never been officially released. In the Swizz Beatz remix,rapper Krayzie Bone replaces the original featured artists,recording his part sometime in 2005. As the song was released as a promotional single only,no official music video for the song was created. The song contains lyrics similar to other Tupac songs,such as "Killuminati","Untouchable (Freestyle Version)" and "Capture The Flag".
"Pac's Life" is a single written and performed by American rappers Tupac Shakur and T.I and R&B singer Ashanti,produced by L. T. Hutton for Shakur's posthumously released album of the same name. It is a hip hop and R&B song;the second Tupac verse was recycled from a song titled "This Life I Lead". T.I. said in an interview that working on the song was an honor,as he idolized him while growing up.
"Still Ballin'" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur from the 2002 posthumous album Better Dayz. The song was released as a promo single in 2003 and features Trick Daddy. It is part two of the song "Str8 Ballin'" from the album Thug Life Vol. 1. On the album,Better Dayz,the song is listed under the name "Still Ballin' ",due to the song not being the original version. The original version,produced by Johnny "J" and featuring Kurupt,was recorded in 1995 during the All Eyez on Me sessions and has never been officially released.
All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13,1996,by Death Row and Interscope Records,the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre,Snoop Doggy Dogg,Redman,Method Man,Nate Dogg,Kurupt,Daz Dillinger,E-40,K-Ci &JoJo,and the Outlawz,among others.
"Papa'z Song" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his second solo album,Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993). It was released as the fourth and final single from the album. A music video was made for the single. The song peaked at number twenty four on the US Hot Rap Songs chart,number eighty two on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number eighty seven on the US Billboard Hot 100.
