Tupac Shakur Caricature

Tupac Shakur Caricature, illustrated here from a photo shoot in NYC in 1993, age 22.

Lesane Parish Crooks, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor.

Shakur was born in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City but relocated to Los Angeles in 1993 to further pursue his music career. By the time he released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he had become a central figure in West Coast hip hop, introducing social issues in the genre at a time when gangsta rap was dominant in the mainstream.

Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… (1993) and the critically acclaimed Me Against the World (1995), which is considered to be his magnum opus.

Shakur became heavily involved in the growing East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. His double-disc album All Eyez on Me (1996) became certified Diamond.

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas; he died six days later and the gunman was never captured. Shakur was 25.

The Notorious B.I.G., Shakur’s friend turned rival, was at first considered a suspect, but was also murdered in another drive-by shooting several months later.

According to his bodyguard and friend Frank Alexander, Shakur’s favorite color was green. He wore a green tank-top on the night of his death.

In 2002, he was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.