2Pac

Tupac Shakur, known professionally as 2Pac, was an American rapper, actor, and activist born in New York City and raised in Baltimore and the San Francisco Bay Area. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s with Digital Underground before launching a solo career that defined West Coast hip-hop. His work blended raw lyricism with social commentary on race, inequality, and street life, showcased on landmark albums like Me Against the World and All Eyez on Me. Shakur's influence extended beyond music through roles in films such as Juice and Poetic Justice and his outspoken activism. He was fatally shot in 1996 at age 25, yet remains one of the best-selling and most influential artists in hip-hop history.