This book of his original poetry, written when he was 19 on scraps of notepaper, really surprised me by giving a glimpse into that sensitive side. Although he's popularly portrayed as a cold-hearted gangbanger, those who dig deeper will find that he was an incredibly complex, soulful person with a deep sensitivity that the mainstream media misses. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, and died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center. Shakur's fifth album, the first double-disc release in hip hop history All Eyez on Me, was counted as two albums. In exchange for Knight's assistance, Shakur agreed to release three albums under the Death Row label. After serving eleven months of his sentence for sexual abuse, Shakur was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion 'Suge' Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records. Following the event, Shakur grew suspicious that other figures in the rap industry had prior knowledge of the incident and did not warn him the controversy helped spark the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. Later, he was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of a recording studio in New York City. Shakur became the target of lawsuits and experienced other legal problems. Shakur's debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, gained critical recognition and backlash for its controversial lyrics. Shakur was initially a roadie and backup dancer for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground. Shakur's work is known for advocating political, economic, social and racial equality, as well as his raw descriptions of violence, drug and alcohol abuse and conflicts with the law. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing up amid violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, problems in society and conflicts with other rappers. He is recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-selling rap artist, with over 75,000,000 albums sold worldwide, including over 50,000,000 in the United States. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was a successful film actor and a prominent social activist.

Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper.

The rose that grew from concrete