Originally branding himself MC New York, 2Pac incorporated influences from the East and West Coasts, not to mention the South, to create a universalist message and sound that explains why murals of him can be found all the way to Sub-Saharan Africa. And as Death Row Records’ strain of gangsta rap defined the middle years of the decade, he became the label’s avatar. But there was also the funkadelic player (“I Get Around”), the insular loner (“Me Against the World”), the savage warlord (“Hit ’Em Up”), and the sensitive poet (“Brenda’s Got a Baby”). For much of his career, he embodied this revolutionary, fight-the-power ethos on songs like “Trapped” and “Keep Ya Head Up,” befitting the Afrocentric, conscious-minded milieu of the early ’90s.

He was born Lesane Parish Crooks in 1971, but his mother (a Black Panther leader) swiftly changed his name to Tupac Amaru Shakur in honor of the last Incan emperor to perish while resisting Spanish rule. Even if his legend has become a tall tale, his music remains an indelible testament to the multitudes he contained. In fact, his closest analog may not be late rival The Notorious B.I.G., but rather dorm-room icons of the mythologized past: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, and James Dean. In a tribute to Pac on the 21st anniversary of his death, HNHH is ranking the top 10 Tupac songs that are still lyrically relevant today.2Pac is arguably the most influential rapper of all-time. From his days rapping about slanging rock to him seeming to predict his own death at times, Tupac is an artistic exhibit of the human condition translated through sound. His five albums provide a uniquely introspective look into one of the most influential young Black men our country has seen. It was posthumously released two months later featuring singles 'To Live and Die in L.A.' and 'Hail Mary.'Ĭountless artists and performers have attributed a portion of their passion for music, to music made by Tupac.

Pac was working on his fifth album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory at the time of his death. Pac spent the next six days fighting for his life in the hospital before he tragically passed on September 13. Pac's first album, 2Pacalypse Now, was released in 1991 and featured hits like 'Trapped' and 'Brenda's Got a Baby.' His next album, Striclty 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., was released in 1993 highlighted by 'Keep Ya Head Up' and 'I Get Around.' Me Against The World followed in 1995 which included the Platinum single 'Dear Mama.' Shakur's fourth album was All Eyez on Me, released the next year, in 1996, headlined by 'California Love,' 'I Ain't Mad At Ya' and 'How Do You Want It?' On September 7, 1996, Tupac was gunned down on a Las Vegas street following a Mike Tyson fight.

2pac songs