Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur became the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap, becoming the tragic symbol of hardcore rap. At the outset of his career, it didn't appear that he would emerge as one of the definitive rappers of the '90s, especially since he was a second-string rapper for Digital Underground, joining after they had their biggest hit. But in 1992, he delivered an acclaimed debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, which quickly followed with a star-making performance in the …

…believed his death would end the much-hyped East Coast-West Coast rivalry and decrease Black-on-Black violence. Sadly, six months after his death, his rival the Notorious B.I.G. was murdered in similar circumstances. As Shakur's notoriety only increased in the wake of his death, a series of posthumous releases followed, among them Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, issued under the alias Makaveli, One Million Strong and 1998's Greatest Hits. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide