Biography

It seems easy enough to write a biography of someone who only lived to see 25. But that’s not the case when the subject is Tupac Amaru Shakur. How do you summarise his life in just a couple of paragraphs? The biopic All Eyez on Me (2018) definitely showed it’s not easy to summarise his life in a feature film. We are currently doing our best to rewrite our Tupac biography. In the meantime, check out his life events in the timeline below.

Timeline

  1. 1971

    1. 16 Jun 1971

      Afeni Shakur, an activist with the Black Panther Party, gives birth to her first son, Lesane Parish Crooks, in East Harlem, New York. She would change his name to Tupac Amaru Shakur shortly after.

  2. 1983

    1. Tupac makes his acting debut in a local theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun.

  3. 1986

    1. The Shakurs move to Baltimore, Maryland, where Tupac attends the Baltimore School for the Arts and starts rapping under the alias MC New York.

  4. 1988

    1. Afeni moves the family to Marin City, California.

  5. 1990

    1. Tupac joins Digital Underground as a roadie/dancer and makes his official recording debut on This Is an EP Release’s ‘Same Song’.

  6. 1991

    1. 12 Nov 1991

      Tupac’s first solo album, 2Pacalypse Now is released by Interscope Records.

  7. 1992

    1. 17 Jan 1992

      Theatrical release of the movie Juice, featuring Tupac in his real acting debut and earning him praise for his portrayal of troubled teen Roland Bishop.

    2. 22 Aug 1992

      Tupac and his entourage, including his step-brother Maurice Harding visit the annual Marin City Festival. In the last few years, the town’s feelings towards Tupac had gone from pride to hatred, as many felt he had not done enough for his community since becoming famous. A heated discussion broke out and 6-year old Qa’id Walker-Teal was hit and killed by a stray bullet coming from Tupac’s gun, shot by Harding. The case was later settled out of court in November 1995.

    3. 23 Sep 1992

      Vice-President Dan Quayle orders Interscope Records to witdraw 2Pacalypse Now from stores, claiming the record was responsible for the death of a Texas state trooper, who was shot to death in April by a suspect who allegedly was listening to the album on the tape deck of a stolen truck when he was stopped by the officer. He said: There is absolutely no reason for a record like this to be published by a responsible corporation. […] It has no place in our society. Tupac would look back at that saying: They are yanking my whole album off the shelves before the trial even gets to case. He just judged me before they… They ain’t even judged the dude that shot the cop yet. He ain’t even been judged; and they judge me!

  8. 1993

    1. 16 Feb 1993

      Tupac’s second album, Striclty 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…, is released by Interscope Records.

    2. 23 Jul 1993

      Tupac stars alongside Janet Jackson and Regina King in Poetic Justice, a romantic drama written and directed by John Singleton. The movie reached #1 in the box office on its opening weekend.

    3. 18 Nov 1993

      Tupac gets accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old woman (later identified as Ayanna Jackson) while he is staying at the Parker Meridien Hotel in New York, filming the movie Above the Rim.

  9. 1994

    1. 23 Mar 1994

      Theatrical release of Above the Rim, in which Tupac plays Birdie. The movie also stars Duane Martin, Leon, Marlon Wayans and Bernie Mac.

    2. 06 Jun 1994

      Tupac forms the group Thug Life with Big Syke, Mopreme, The Rated R and Macadoshis and they release their only album Thug Life: Volume 1.

    3. 07 Sep 1994

      Two Wisconsin minors plot a sniper attack on a police van. They are later tried as adults and claim they acted because of a Tupac Shakur record that talks about killing the police.

    4. 30 Nov 1994

      Tupac gets robbed and shot 5 times by 3 men in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan.

    5. 01 Dec 1994

      Just one day after getting shot, Tupac is acquitted of sodomy and weapons charges, but sentenced to a maximum of 4.5 years in prison for ‘forcibly touching a woman’s behind’, a felony sex abuse in the state of New York. Tupac attends the sentencing in a wheelchair.

  10. 1995

    1. 14 Feb 1995

      Tupac starts serving his prison sentence at Rikers Island, New York City’s main jail complex.

    2. 08 Mar 1995

      Tupac is transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum security state prison.

    3. 14 Mar 1995

      The release and success of Me Against the World makes Tupac the first artist to have a number one album while being incarcerated.

    4. 04 Apr 1995

      While still in prison, Tupac marries his long-time (girl)friend, Keisha Morris.

    5. 12 Oct 1995

      After serving 8 months of his punishment, Death Row Records and its C.E.O. Marion “Suge” Knight bail Tupac Shakur out for $1.4 million.

    6. 19 Oct 1995

      One week after being released from prison, Tupac divorces Keisha Morris. He would admit he got married “for the wrong reasons”.

  11. 1996

    1. 06 Feb 1996

      Death Row Records releases rap’s first double and 2Pac’s most successful album, All Eyez On Me.

    2. 07 Sep 1996

      Tupac gets shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada after attending a Mike Tyson fight and on his way to a club where he was supposed to perform.

    3. 13 Sep 1996

      After 6 days in critical condition, at 04:03pm, rap loses an icon, as Tupac Shakur is pronounced dead. He was only 25 years old.

    4. Oct 1996

      Bullet is the fourth movie starring Tupac in one of the leading roles, here alongside Mickey Rourke.

    5. 05 Nov 1996

      Death Row and Interscope Records release Tupac’s fifth and final studio album, The Don Killuminati: the 7-Day Theory (as Makaveli). At the same time, it is the first of long list of official, posthumous album releases.

  12. 1997

    1. 29 Jan 1997

      Theatrical release of Gridlock’d, a Vondie Curtis-Hall movie starring Tupac, Tim Roth, Thandie Newton and Lucy Liu.

    2. 08 Oct 1997

      Another movie with Tupac hits the movie theatres: Gang Related. Other cast members include Jim Belushi, James Earl Jones and Dennis Quaid.

    3. 17 Nov 1997

      Amaru Records releases its first (double) album R U Still Down? [Remember Me]. It is the first album to be finished without 2Pac’s creative input and contains previously unreleased material from 1991-1995.

    4. Afeni Shakur founds the Shakur Family Foundation (later renamed the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF)) with the scope of preserving and protecting her son’s legacy. Its mission is to provide training and support for students who aspire to enhance their creative talents.

  13. 1998

    1. 24 Nov 1998

      Greatest Hits is released and contains Tupac’s most popular songs and 4 previously unreleased songs.

  14. 1999

    1. 01 Nov 1999

      The poetry book The Rose That Grew From Concrete is published and bundles 71 poems written by Tupac before he got famous.

    2. 21 Dec 1999

      Still I Rise is released, containing previously unreleased 2Pac & Outlawz songs.

  15. 2000

    1. 17 Oct 2000

      11 months after the book, Tupac’s poems find their way to a first audio CD, as numerous artists and friends interpret them on The Rose That Grew From Concrete Vol. 1.

  16. 2001

    1. 27 Mar 2001

      The next posthumous album, entitled Until the End of Time, hits the charts. At this point, more official albums have been released after than before his death. It contains (remixes of) previously unreleased songs of his Death Row-period.

  17. 2002

    1. 11 Jan 2002

      English documentary film director Nick Broomfield, best known for his controversial Kurt & Courtney, releases his Biggie & Tupac, about the murders of both The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac. Although the documentary remains inconclusive as to who’s responsible for the shootings, Bloomfield strongly suggests they were planned by Marion “Suge” Knight, Death Row Records’ C.E.O..

    2. 26 Nov 2002

      Release date of Better Dayz, Tupac’s last double album. It contains previously unreleased songs from the period 1994-1996.

  18. 2003

    1. 14 Nov 2003

      Amaru Entertainment releases the Academy Award nominated documentary Tupac: Resurrection, along with a soundtrack album. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 77th Academy Awards.

    2. The Makaveli Branded Clothing line, created by Paul Meltzer, is launched.

  19. 2004

    1. 14 Dec 2004

      Loyal to the Game is released. Producer Eminem used many controversial techniques to modify the pace of Tupac’s voice and have him say new words, such as “G-Unit” and “Obie Trice”.

  20. 2005

    1. 11 Jun 2005

      The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation officially opens the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (TASCA) in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Its aim is to hold many (cultural) events for underprivileged youth. The hope is the Center will one day include a performing arts theater, museum, art gallery, community meeting space and classrooms.

    2. 20 Sep 2005

      Amaru Erntertainment releases a second music album inspired by Tupac’s poetry: The Rose Vol. 2.

  21. 2006

    1. 21 Nov 2006

      Pac’s Life, 2Pac’s final official album, is being released.

  22. 2012

    1. 15 Apr 2012

      A “hologram” of 2Pac makes a controversial appearance to perform ‘Hail Mary’ (The Don Killuminati: the 7-Day Theory, 1996) and ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted’ (All Eyez On Me, 1996) with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at the Coachella Music Festival.

  23. 2014

    1. Broadway runs Holler If Ya Hear Me, a play based on Tupac’s lyrics. Unfortunately it would get cancelled after just 6 weeks.

  24. 2015

    1. The TASF is facing financial struggles and ultimately needs to close the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts.

  25. 2016

    1. 02 May 2016

      Afeni Shakur is found by police and paramedics in her home in Sausalito, California, and transported to a nearby hospital. There, she is pronounced dead as the result of a suspected heart attack.

    2. 11 Nov 2016

      To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its original release, 2Pacalypse Now (1991) is released again, on vinyl and cassette.

    3. 20 Dec 2016

      It is announced that Tupac will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 April 2017.

  26. 2017

    1. 07 Apr 2017

      Tupac is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Snoop Dogg is given the honour to do so.

    2. 16 Jun 2017

      Tupac’s 46th birthday marks the theatrical release of All Eyez on Me, a biopic starring Demetrius Shipp, Jr. as Tupac Shakur and produced by L.T. Hutton.