The Estate

Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) left behind an unmatched musical legacy at the age of 25. Although his recording career lasted only five years, Tupac is considered one of the best-selling artists of all time, with over 75 millions records sold across the globe. More than half of his 11 studio albums sold over three million copies in the U.S., and both 1996’s All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits collection have been certified diamond, surpassing ten million sales and earning their place among the top-selling albums of all time. While the numbers are certainly a testament to his popularity, they still don’t accurately demonstrate the scope of Tupac’s influence on rap.
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Tupac’s music was birthed from his personal struggles as a black man, and he quickly became the voice of a generation, speaking out against racial inequality and the injustices that plagued America’s inner cities. When he was 17, Tupac and his family left the dangerous Baltimore ghetto and moved to Marin City, California in hopes for a better life.
There, he linked up with the popular Bay Area rap crew Digital Underground, where he eventually worked his way up to contributing a verse to the 1991 hit “Same Song,” his recorded debut. Tupac was signed to Interscope Records by Tom Whalley (who still oversees his estate today), and his first solo album, 2Pacalypse Now, arrived a few months later, generating both praise and controversy for the unsparing examinations of street violence and police harassment in the U.S.
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In 1993, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., including the hits “Keep Ya Head Up” and “I Get Around,” became his first platinum release. Two years later, his album Me Against the World reached #1 on the album charts and was nominated for two Grammys.
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But as Tupac’s popularity and professional success grew, so did his personal issues. At the height of his career in 1996, when All Eyez on Me, his best-selling album to this day, was released and spawned the Number One hits, “California Love” and “How Do U Want It,” Tupac was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 13.
Even after his death, Tupac’s music catalog continued to grow thanks to a generous arsenal of unreleased songs, amassing enough music for an additional seven studio albums, including the multi-platinum releases R U Still Down?, Until the End of Time, and the double-disc Better Dayz.