On this day in 1996, the world lost rapper Tupac
Shakur.
After sustaining four bullet wounds in a drive-by shooting six days prior, he
succumbed to his injuries. Cut down in the prime of his career, he was only 25
years old.
Tupac was one of the top hip-hop artists to come out of the
west coast scene in the 1990s. Releasing four albums over the course of his
nine year career, his music has been certified platinum many times over. His best-selling
album, 1996’s ‘All Eyez On Me,’ earned him his first American Music Award
before going 10-times platinum. He remains one of the best-selling artists to
date with two of his albums currently charting on Billboard’s Catalog Albums
chart. In 2017, his first year of eligibility, he became the fifth hip-hop act
ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In light of the 21st anniversary of his death, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, would like to take a look back at some of
the things that made Tupac and his music so special. Here are seven facts about
the artist, his music and his legacy.
1.
He released more albums after his death than
before: With all the albums Tupac has released over the years, only four were
actually released during his lifetime. The other seven, which pulled from his
prolific unreleased recordings with Death Row Records, were released
posthumously.
2.
His final album made history: Released in 1996, ‘All
Eyez On Me’ was Tupac’s final album, as well as his highest acclaimed. The
album was also the first double full-length studio album in hip-hop history.
3.
He had a number one album while in prison: It’s
hard for an artist to achieve the number one position on the charts, period.
But when Tupac released his third album, ‘Me Against the World,’ in 1995, the
rapper was serving a four-month prison sentence. Apparently that didn’t mean
much to critics and fans because the album became his first number one. From
there on out, all of his albums would reach the top 10.
4.
He was a dancer for the Digital Underground: Tupac
didn’t start out as a musician. His first gigs were actually in acting and
dancing. His big break came as a dancer for The Digital Underground, the group
that gave us all “The Humpty Dance.” He also honed his songwriting chops with
them, helping to pen the single “Same Song” while he was working on his debut
solo album.
5.
He performed live as a hologram: It was actually
a “Pepper’s Ghost” illusion, but semantics aside, he was brought “back to life”
for a performance at Coachella in 2012 during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s set. As
Tupac hadn’t given a performance in 16 years, it was naturally a draw and led
to his entire catalog getting a sales surge.
6.
He was influenced by pop-rock: Tupac had a lot
of varied influences that went into his music. While some of those included the
socially conscious works of his fellow rappers, he was also a fan of rock and
pop. His early influences include Kate Bush, U2,
Culture
Club and Sinead O’Conner. His favorite artist?...Prince.
7.
His music is in the National Recording Registry:
In 2010, his song “Dear Mama” was deemed “culturally, historically and
aesthetically important” enough to be included in the Library of Congress’
prestigious list. Other artists included that year were Patti
Smith, R.E.M.,
Little
Richard, Loretta
Lynn and The
Band.
Tupac Shakur remains one of the most influential hip-hop
artists of the last three decades. His socially conscious themes and varied
influences made his music stand out. Now 21 years after his death, his music is
inspiring a whole new generation of artists and fans.
---
Celebrate Tupac and other legendary artists at Vinyl Bay
777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles
to choose from in an array of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used
vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store or
online at vinylbay777.com. Whether you’re looking for hip-hop, R&B, rock,
jazz, classical, dance or anything else, we have you covered. With more titles
being added to our selection all the time, you never know what gems you might
find at Vinyl Bay 777.
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