Born June 16, 1971 in New York · Died September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas
is on this site.
Tupac
Amaru
Shakur
Born June 16, 1971 in New York Died September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas
Tupac Amaru Shakur
Rapper, actor, poet. Son of a Black Panther, raised in New York, Baltimore and Marin City. He died at 25. More albums were released after his death than during his lifetime.
What can be sourced is on this site.
His life in five stages
From East Harlem to 2026
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1971 birth
Born in East Harlem
Tupac is born in East Harlem on June 16, 1971, first named Parish Lesane Crooks. Five weeks earlier his mother, Afeni Shakur, had won her acquittal in the Panther 21 trial, where she defended herself. She names her son after Túpac Amaru II, who led an uprising against Spanish colonial rule in Peru. His childhood in Harlem and the Bronx is marked by poverty and constant moves.
Tupac as a toddler, laughing -
1991 age 20
The first album
At twelve he joins a theater group in Harlem and plays in “A Raisin in the Sun” at the Apollo Theater. In Baltimore he studies acting, poetry and dance at the Baltimore School for the Arts, and in 1988 the family moves to Marin City near San Francisco. There he starts out as a roadie and dancer for Digital Underground, and in 1991 he raps on one of their records for the first time. In November 1991 his first album, “2Pacalypse Now”, is released.
Tupac performing on stage at a concert -
1994 age 23
Robbery and prison
On November 30, 1994, Tupac is robbed and shot five times in the lobby of Quad Studios in New York. He survives and appears in court the very next day, still bandaged. He is convicted of sexual abuse and acquitted of the other charges, and in February 1995 he goes to prison. He keeps writing: in March 1995 “Me Against the World” is released and debuts at No. 1 while he is behind bars.
1994 Robbery and prison Illustration to follow -
1996 age 25
Death in Las Vegas
In October 1995 he is released on bail posted by Death Row Records, and in February 1996 he releases the double album “All Eyez on Me”. On September 7, 1996, after a boxing match in Las Vegas, shots are fired at him from another car at a red light, and four bullets hit him. Tupac dies at University Medical Center on September 13, aged 25.
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2026 today
After 1996
After his death more of his albums are released than during his lifetime, and in 1999 his poems appear as the book “The Rose That Grew from Concrete”. In 2017 he is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2023 he receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year Duane Davis is charged with the murder; in 2026 a jury finds him guilty, a verdict that is not yet final. On October 13, 2026, he is sentenced to 40 years to life; an appeal has been announced.
All about Tupac
1264 pages · as of Oct 23, 2026
25 pages
Life
A biography in 17 chapters, names and aliases, a timeline with more than 200 documented entries, the 1994 and 1996 shootings, his death, the investigation and the 2026 trial.
271 pages
Work
Albums, singles and soundtracks with tracklists, films and documentaries, the poems from “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” and books about him.
92 pages
Circle
Afeni, Mutulu and Sekyiwa Shakur, women and relationships, friends, the Outlawz, Digital Underground, Death Row and the feuds.
834 pages
Press
News by year, magazine articles from the Las Vegas Sun, MTV and Vibe, and interviews, each summarized and put in context.
Timeline · 1968 to today
His life, day by day
More than 200 documented events, from the Panther 21 to the guilty verdict of 2026.
Shootings · 1994 and 1996
Quad Studio and Las Vegas
The two shootings: New York in November 1994, Las Vegas in September 1996.
Discography · 1991 to 2026
Every album and single
Albums, soundtracks and singles from 1991 to the anniversary editions of 2026.
1,245
texts7,013
references in the source lists79
people and groups74
years, 1927 to 2037Recently updated
Search1947 Family
Assata Shakur
Tupac's godmother: a Black Panther in Harlem, convicted in 1977 over a police officer's death, freed in 1979, in exile in Cuba from 1984 and author of “Assata: An Autobiography”. She died in Havana in 2025.
1993 Other people
E.D.I. Mean (Malcolm Greenidge)
A Brooklyn kid who grew up with Tupac, rode in the car behind him, carried the Outlawz for three decades and testified in 2026: Malcolm Greenidge, E.D.I. Mean.
1971 Women and relationships
Jada Pinkett
Tupac's closest friend since their school days in Baltimore and, by her own account, never his lover: Jada Pinkett Smith on "Pac", from arts school and Rikers Island to her memoir.
1969 Friends
Johnny J
More than a hundred songs together, seven or eight in a day: Johnny J from South Central built the sound of “All Eyez on Me” and stayed loyal to Tupac to the very end. His life, from Juárez to October 2008.
1971 Friends
Method Man
Wu-Tang's first solo star, Grammy winner, actor. At the height of the East-West feud, his verse landed on Tupac's “Got My Mind Made Up” without his knowledge.
1966 Friends
Mike Tyson
The Brownsville boxer was champion at 20. Tupac admired him, recorded ring-walk music for him and sat ringside on September 7, 1996, hours before the shots.
News
All newsLatest news
- Money B tells in his memoir how Tupac came to Digital Underground
- Retrospective: The 'Keffe D' Case from 1996 to Sentencing
- Mopreme Shakur after the sentencing: "Justice is subjective"
- E-40: "One or two" unreleased Tupac verses sit in his archive
- 40 Years to Life: The Sentence for Duane "Keffe D" Davis
- "Street Fighter" hits theaters: 50 Cent explains the link to Tupac's version for Mike Tyson
Albums
Full discography20Most albums bearing Tupac's name came out after his death. In his lifetime Tupac Shakur released four solo albums and one group album; after his death in September 1996 more than twice as many followed.
- 2Pacalypse Now19912Pacalypse Now, 1991
- Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.1993Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., 1993
- Thug Life: Volume 11994Thug Life: Volume 1, 1994
- Me Against the World1995Me Against the World, 1995
- All Eyez on Me1996All Eyez on Me, 1996 · Double album
- Sep 13, 1996
- The Don Killuminati1996The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, 1996
- R U Still Down?1997R U Still Down? (Remember Me), 1997 · Double album
- Still I Rise1999Still I Rise, 1999
- Until the End of Time2001Until the End of Time, 2001 · Double album
- Better Dayz2002Better Dayz, 2002 · Double album
- Loyal to the Game2004Loyal to the Game, 2004
- Pac's Life2006Pac's Life, 2006
In his lifetime5 albums, 1991 to 1996
After his death7 albums, 1996 to 2006
Index
Three ways to every entry: