Tupac is Born

Tupac was born as Lesane Parish Crooks, in East Harlem, New York City. A year later, he was renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur, after the 18th century Peruvian revolutionary Tupac Amaru II.

His Acting Debut

His mother, Afeni enrolled him in a Harlem theatre group, and at 13, he made his acting debut playing Travis in the Lorraine Hansberry classic, A Raisin in the Sun, at a benefit for Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign held at the Apollo Theatre.

MC New York

Tupac wrote his first rap under the rapper name, MC New York. He wrote an unreleased song called “Tearz of a Clown” about police brutality and the importance of organized rebellion against oppressive systems.

Moves to California

Afeni sent 17 year old Tupac and his sister Sekiywa to live in Marin County, in San Francisco, fearing for their safety after one of Tupac's friends was killed in a gang shooting.

Digital Underground

Tupac joins rap group, Digital Underground. He started out working as a roadie, carrying bags and dancing, before he was given a chance to rhyme.

2Pac Debut

Tupac makes his first rapping appearance, on the single “Same Song” from Digital Underground's album, Sons Of the P.

2Pac's debut album, 2pacalypse Now, arrived in 1991 on Interscope. The album peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and No. 13 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It yielded the poignant single “Brenda's Got a Baby,” about a 12-year-old girl who becomes pregnant by her cousin and tries to hide it from her family. Pac's debut, though uneven at times, also produced “Trapped,” one of his rawest songs about oppression and the subsequent decisions born of that subjugation.

Hollywood Acting Debut

At age 21, Tupac was casted in director Ernest Dickerson's, Juice, this was the first of several other films that he starred in. Some that weren't released until after his death.

'Something 2 Die 4'

Tupac was arrested after a six-year-old boy, Qa'id Walker-Teal, was shot in the head after a scuffle broke out between the rapper and two other people, resulting in the discharge of a weapon. Tupac was inconsolable when he heard of the boy's death, memorializing him on “Something 2 Die 4”.

Vice President, Tries to Ban 2Pac's Music

Ronald Ray Howard shot and killed a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper in 1992; he had cocaine and cannabis in his system when he did it, but authorities and the press drew their attention to the music Howard was allegedly listening to when he committed the murder: "Soulja's Story," from 2Pacalypse Now. Seizing on the opportunity to make a statement, Vice President Dan Quayle called on Pac's record company Interscope to withdraw the album, and the trooper's family sued Pac and Interscope for millions of dollars (the suit was dismissed).

Alanta Cop Shooting

Tupac was charged with shooting two white off-duty police officers in Atlanta in 1993. Pac was approached by the two, who claimed Pac had nearly hit them with his car. An exchange of words turned into an exchange of bullets as one of the officers fired at Pac's car, and Pac shot both men, only wounding them. Pac was arrested, but the conduct and gun possession of the two officers were called into question, and charges against all parties were eventually dropped.

Rape Charges

Possibly his biggest run-in with the justice system, Tupac and two members of his entourage were charged with sexual abuse following an incident in a New York hotel. The woman claimed was repeatedly raped by Tupac and his crew, though Pac consistently denied the charges. “I'm young, black, and 22, and I'm making money,” he told reporters about the case. “They can't find a way to make me dirty.”

Tupac Shot Five Times

Tupac was shot during an armed robbery in a studio off of Times Square in NYC. "I couldn't hear nothing,” he said later, “and I couldn't see nothing; it was all just white.” He was hit in the head, hand and testicle, though his mother Afeni checked him out of Bellevue hospital the next day. But during his short time in the hospital, Pac had another pivotal moment—finally meeting his father, Billy Garland. “Right then I thought I had died and gone to Heaven,” Pac said of meeting Garland.

Convicted for 1993 Sexual Offenses

Tupac and his road manager, were convicted of first-degree sexual abuse, but they were acquitted of weapons and sodomy charges, stemming from the incident at a New York hotel. While awaiting sentencing, he spoke to Vibe's Kevin Powell. “I had a job,” Pac said, “and I never showed up.” He hadn't raped the young woman, but he hadn't stopped it either. “I'm going to show people my true heart,” Tupac said. “I'm going to show them the man that my mother raised.” He ended up being sentenced to four and a half years in the maximum-security facility at Dannemora, New York.

Signs to Death Row

Tupac was incarcerated and strapped for cash when Death Row Records honcho Suge Knight swept in and put up part of Pac's $1.3 million dollar bail (Interscope Records ponied up most of it) to spring him while he appealed the sexual abuse conviction. In return, Tupac signed a deal with Death Row that named Knight's lawyer David Kenner as his legal representative and Knight himself as controller of his business affairs. Pac immediately hit the studio and within six days of his release had recorded 14 songs.

'All Eyez On Me'

Almost a year to the day after his sentencing, Tupac released rap's first double album, All Eyez on Me. Like most double albums, it was uneven in scope, but the stellar production from Dr. Dre, Daz and Devonte Swing often overshadowed what it lacked, and it remains one of Pac's most revered recordings to this day. He was bigger than ever, his fame cemented by the controversy of his jail stint, movie appearances, simmering beef with Biggie, and ambitious album release. All Eyez on Me was his second No. 1 album, and the last to be released in his lifetime.

'Hit 'Em Up'

Tupac laid into his enemies on one of rap's most vicious diss tracks, "Hit 'Em Up," Released as the B-side of "How Do U Want It?" "Hit 'Em Up" sees Pac spitting flame at not just Biggie, but the entire Bad Boy roster, including Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Lil' Kim, as well as Mobb Deep. Tupac hits low — "You claim to be a player, but I fucked your wife," he says, targeting Biggie and his wife, Faith Evans. He even taunts Prodigy for his sickle-cell diagnosis. If the east coast-west coast beef had been smoldering before, "Hit 'Em Up" set the whole thing on fire.

Tupac's Death

Almost three months to the day after he released “Hit Em Up,” Tupac was shot on the Las Vegas strip while riding with Suge Knight. There were 13 shots, and Pac was hit in the hand, the pelvis and twice in the chest. While in the hospital, he woke up briefly, seemingly awakened by the sound of his girlfriend Kidada's voice. Tupac Amaru Shakur died on September 13, 1996. He was 25.