2PAC TIMELINE

TUPAC’S LIFE

1968: Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, joins the NEW YORK Black Panther party at the age of 22.

April 1969: Afeni Shakur is arrested and charged with conspiracy to bomb several public areas in New York. While out on bail Afeni dates two men, Legs, a local G, and Billy, who is a member of the party.

February 1971: Afeni, pregnant with Tupac, has her bail revoked. She is then sent to the Womens House of Detention in Greenwich Village.

A Young Tupac

June 16 1971:Afeni gives birth to Tupac Amaru Shakur, shortly after been acquitted on bombing charges. Tupac Amaru are Inca words meaning “shining serpant”. Shakur is Arabic for “Thankful to God”.

1975-1983: Tupac’s family constantly move between the Bronx and Harlem, sometimes living in shelters. Legs comes to live with the Shakur family and Tupac “claims” him as his father. Legs then introduces Afeni to Crack.

September 1983: Afeni enrolls Tupac, now aged 12, in the 127th Street Ensemble, a Harlem theater group. In his first performance little Tupac plays Travis in Raisin The Sun.

June 1986: Tupac’s family move to Baltimore, where as MC New York Tupac writes his first rap.

September 1986:Tupac enrolls himself at the Baltimore School For Arts where ‘pac studies ballet and acting.

June 1988: Tupac and his family move again, this time to Marine City, Claifornia. Tupac said later “leaving that school affected me so much, I see that as the point where I got of track.” Shortly after moving Tupac moves in with a neighbour and begins to slang drugs.

August 1988: Mutulu Shakur, Tupac’s stepfather, is sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a an amoured-car robbery which took place in 1981.

2Pac with Digital Underground

1990:Tupac joins Digital Underground as a rodie/dancer/rapper. Whilst he is on tour he learns that his mother, Afeni, is doing crack.

January 3, 1991: Tupac makes his recording debut on Digital Underground’s. This is an E.P. release.

November 12, 1991: Tupac releases his debut solo album, 2PACALYPSE NOW. Shortly after ‘pac launches a $10 million lawsuit against Oakland police for alleged brutality following his arrest for jaywalking.

January 17, 1992: Tupac makes his big-screen debut in Ernest Dickinson’s JUICE, in which he earnt praise for his portrayel of his character, Bishop. He is perhaps best remembered for the line “Im crazy and I dont give a fuck!”

April 11, 1992: Ronald Ray Howard, aged 19, shoots a Texas trooper. Howard’s attorney claims 2Pacalypse Now , incited him to kill.

August 22, 1992: Tupac meets with old mates in Marine City. A 6 year old bystander is shot in the head. Tupac’s half brother, Maurice Harding is arrested but released due to lack of eveidence.

September 22, 1992: Tupac is denounced by vice president Dan Quayle, who says 2Pacalypse Now “has no place in our society.”

STRICTLY 4 MY N.I.G.G.A.Z (93)

February 1, 1993: 2Pac’s STRICTLY 4 MY N.I.G.G.A.Z album is released and goes platinum.

April 5, 1993: Tupac is arrested in Lansing Michigan for taking a swing at a local rapper with a baseball bat during a concert. ‘pac is sentenced to 10 days in prison.

July 23, 1993: John Singleton’s POETIC JUSTICE, starring Tupac and Janet Jackson is released. Before the filming began Janet demanded Tupac to take a HIV test before she would do any kissing scenes.

October 31, 1993: Tupac is arrested for allegedly shooting two off-duty Atlanta police officers who he says were harassing a black motorist. The charges are eventually dropped.

November 18, 1993: A 19 year old woman who Tupac ‘picked-up’ 4 days earlier in a New York nightclub, is allegedly sodomized and sexually abused by Tupac and 3 of his friends.

December 1993: John Singleton is forced by Columbia Pictures to drop Tupac from the cast of his upcoming film, Higher Learning.

March 10, 1994:Tupac is sentenced to 15 days in a Los Angeles jail for punching out Director Allen Hughes. Hughes and his brother had earlier dropped Tupac from the film Menace II Society.

'Pac in wheelchair after surgery

March 23, 1994: Tupac stars as Birdie, a troubled drug dealer, in a film called Above The Rim. The soundtrack album, featuring the song “Pour out a little liquor,” by Tupac’s group, Thug Life, sells 2 million coppies.

September 7, 1994: Two Milwaukee teens murder a police officer and say that Tupac’s “Souljah’s Story” is their inspiration.

November 30 1994:While on trial for sex and weapons charges, Tupac is shot five times and robbed of $40,000 worth of jewelry in the lobby of Times Square Recording Studios. Tupac later checks himself out of the hospital less than three hours after the surgery. This case still remains unsolved.

December 1, 1994: Tupac is acquitted of sodomy and weapons charges but is found guilty of sexual abuse.

Febuary 14, 1995: Tupac is sentenced to up to four and a half years in a maximum security prison after been convIcted of “touching her bum.” He immediately begins serving his time in the New York Rikers Island penitentiary.

ME AGAINST THE WORLD (95)

April 1, 1995: While in prison Tupac’s third album, ME AGAINST THE WORLD, debuts at No.1 in the USA Billboard pop chart. Fueled by the single “Dear mama” the album goes double platinum in less than 7 months. John Singleton is forced by Columbia Pictures to drop Tupac from the cast of his upcoming film, Higher Learning.

April 1995: In a vibe interview from jail, Tupac renounces “Thug Life” persona and commits himself to positive works. He also implicates Biggie Smalls, Puffy Combs, Andre Harrell, and his close friend Stretch, and others in the recording studio ambush.

August 1995: Biggie, Puffy and Harrell tell Vibe, they had no connection to Tupac’s New York shooting.

October 1995: Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight posts $1.4 million bond to release Tupac, who immediately flies to LA, signs with Death Row and begins recording All Eyez on Me.

November 30, 1995: Exactly on year after Tupac’s shooting, Randy “Stretch” Walker is murdered execution-style in Queens.

February 1996: In Vibe Tupac suggests he’s been sleeping with Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans. She denies the stories.

All Eyez on Me (1996)

February 13, 1996: Tupac’s Death Row Debut, All Eyez on Me, rap‘s first double CD, is released.

March 29, 1996: Words are exchanged and a gun is pulled when Death Row and Bad Boy employees face off after the Soul Train awards in Los Angeles.

April 25, 1996: All Eyez on Me goes quintuple platinum.

May 1996: 2pac and Snoop Doggy Dogg release “2 of Amerikaz most Wanted.” In the video, caricatures of Biggie and Puffy and punished for setting up Tupac.

June 4, 1996: Death Row releases Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up,” a brutal diatribe against Biggie, Bad Boy, Mobb Deep, and others.

September 4, 1996: Tupac returns to New York for the MTV music awards and gets into a scuffle.

Tupac & Suge Knight at The Tyson Fight, and below, leaving the fight in the last ever photo of Tupac alive

September 7, 1996: After leaving the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight in Las Vegas in Suge Knight’s car, Tupac was shot four times in the chest by an assailant in a white Cadillac. Knight, who has connections with the Bloods, escapes with a minor injury. Shakur is rushed to University Medical Center, where he undergoes surgery, including the removal of his right lung.

September 11, 1996: A Compton man who police say is associated with the LA Crips is shot to death while sitting in his car, the first in a series of gang related murders. Police begin investigating possible connections to Tupac’s shooting.

Friday, September 13 1996: After six days in critical condition, Tupac Shakur is pronounced dead at 4:03pm. His body is later cremated. He was only 25.

September 1996: Tupac’s last album to be released when he was alive “All Eyez On Me”, was certified 6x platinum.

The Don Killuminati - 7 Day Theory (1996)

November 1996: A posthumous LP by 2Pac under the alias of “Makaveli” was released. The album was titled (by Makaveli) “The Don Killuminati – 7 Day Theory”, and became 2Pac’s 3rd # 1 album. The album topped the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for a week and the Top R&B Albums chart for 6 weeks. Videos released after 2Pac’s death ironically show 2Pac focusing on the hardcore lifestyle he lived in, and the deadly results. Tracks such as “White Man’z World” and “Krazy” kept 2Pac’s music on radio airways well into 1997.

December 1996: Tupac’s last album to be released when he was alive “All Eyez On Me” was certified 7x platinum. Don Killuminati – 7 Day Theory topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for 6 weeks.

January 1997: 2Pac won an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. 2Pac’s Don Killuminati – 7 Day Theory album was officially certified 2x platinum.

February 1997: 2Pac was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album with “All Eyez On Me”, and Best Rap Performance for both “California Love” and “How Do U Want It” singles from his “All Eyez On Me” album.

April 1997: 2Pac (aka Makaveli) “The Don Killuminati – 7 Day Theory” album was certified as 3x platinum by the RIAA. 2Pac’s voice was still heard on many collaborations and unreleased tracks, his persona was still expressed in a few films, and his estate was challenged numerous times in court. A woman who was paralyzed in Arkansas at a club where 2Pac was performing in 1993, won a $16.6 million judgment from Tuac’s estate (although the ruling was later over-ruled by a judge. Tupac’s biological parents were battling in court to decide who should claim his estate, although Tupac had nenver had a relationship with his biological father, he still wanted a piece of Tupac’s estate. Tupac’s estate was again challenged as it was sued by C. DeLores Tucker, who claimed that 2Pac’s album “All Eyez On Me” has ruined her sex life. Tucker is a member of the National Political Congress of Black Women and is known for her outspoken protests of what she calls “gangsta porno rap.” The $10 million suit contends that the LP’s lyrics has caused her “great humiliation, mental pain, and suffering” with the songs such as “Wonda Why They Call U Bytch” and the hit “How Do U Want It” saw 2Pac aiming lines at Tucker personally.

Gridlock'd movie

May 1997: The film “Gridlock’d” starring 2Pac was released on 30th May. Most critics felt 2Pac’s strong performance as a drug addict in the film demonstrated that not only an extremely talented musician had been lost, but also a seriously talented actor had been lost too.

August 1997: 2Pac was back in the Top 40 helping out Scarface and Johnny P with the track “Smile” taken from Scarface’s album, a track that 2Pac recorded alongisde Scarface before his death.

September 1997: Vibe magazine released a “Tupac Shakur” hard-cover collection of essay and photo portraits of 2pac to commemorate the first anniversary of the his death. The profiles look at 2Pac’s life, career achievements, and look into his controversial death. 2Pac’s name continued to be involved with many lawsuits. The estate of 2Pac and Suge Knight (head of Death Row Records) was sued by a man claiming to be a victim in the Las Vegas casino attack on the evening 2Pac was shot. The alleged victim, now known to be Orlando Anderson, who was also said to be a suspect in 2Pac’s murder at the time, claimed he was beaten by 2Pac, Suge Knight, and others of their entourage in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel. Orlando was also believed to be a member of the Los Angeles Southside Crips street gang. Knight had been currently serving a nine-year jail sentence from a previous assault case. Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, won her court case against Death Row Records, Tupac’s last record label whilst he was alive, and received at least 150 unreleased songs recorded by her son.

2Pac - R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (1997)

November 1997: A new double CD with 24 tracks by 2Pac called “R U Still Down? (Remember Me)” was released and the first single was “I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto.” The LP was the first release from the record company started by 2Pac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, after she won the rights to her son’s unreleased material. The tracks were recorded by Tupac between the years of 1991 and 1994, the time when 2Pac was with Interscope, prior to his involvement with Suge Knight and his Death Row Records.

December 1997: R U Still Down? (Remember Me) was certified 4x platinum only 1 month after its release, and also topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for 2 weeks. 2Pac topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Billboard 200 Album Artist – Male and the Top R&B Artist – Male (singles & albums).

June 1998: All Eyez On Me, the last album released by Tupac when he was still alive was certified as 9x platinum.

July 1998: The LP “In His Own Words” was released in the U.S and included unreleased material including 2 songs with the The Notorious B.I.G. and an interview. However, the release was considered to be a bootleg by Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, and a cease-and-desist order was issued in order to stop sales of the LP.

August 1998: The single “How Do U Want It / California Love” from Tupac’s All Eyez On Me album was certified 2x platinum.

Ocotber 1998: A few court cases against 2Pac’s estate were settled during October 1998, one of which saw 2Pac’s biological father drop his lawsuit which seeked half of the rappers estate. The case was settled for over $800,000. The lawsuit from a woman hit by a stray bullet at a 2Pac concert was rumoured to have been settled for about $2 million.

2Pac - Greatest Hits (1998)

November 1998: A 2-CD greatest hits collection was released: “2Pac – Greatest Hits” with the hit single “Changes.”

December 1998: 2Pac hit the Top 40 with his single “Changes” taken from his Greatest Hits album, and the album itself also topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for 2 weeks.

February 1999: 2Pac hit the Top 10 with his single “Changes“.

March 1999: 2Pac: Greatest Hits album was certified as platinum.

June 1999: The Don Killuminati – 7 Day Theory, Tupac‘s first posthumous album was certified 4x platinum.

September 1999: 2Pac was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and Best Editing for the single “Changes” taken from his Greatest hits collection.

2Pac & Outlawz - Still I Rise (1999)

December 1999: A new 2Pac album, Still I Rise, was released on 14th December. MTV’s “100 Greatest Videos Ever Made” list includes 2Pac’s “California Love” at # 9.

February 2000: 2Pac was nominated for a Grammy Award for Rap Solo Performance for his “Changes” single. Still I Rise was certified platinum just a few months after its release.

March 2000: 2Pac Greatest Hits was certified 5x platinum and the single “Do For Love” was certified as gold.

April 2000: 2Pac was featured in a new book, “Static: My Tupac Shakur Story” by Chopmaster J. one of the co-founders of Digital Underground, which was the hip hop group Tupac joined in the first stages of his rap career.

September 2000: Court cases involving 2Pac’s family and the family of Orlando Anderson, a man 2Pac was accused of assaulting on the night 2Pac died, are settleed. Orlando Anderson was shot to death 2 years after 2Pac died.

October 2000: 2Pac Greatest Hits was certified as 9x platinum. The Rose That Grew from Concrete, an album based on the poetry of Tupac Shakur, was released on October 17, 2000. This album features a cast of celebrities reading Tupac’s poetry and writing, much in the spirit of a traditional spoken word album.

2Pac - Until The End Of Time (2001)

March 2001: The next collection of 2Pac’s music was released. The album was titled 2Pac ‘Until The End Of Time’ – and sold over 425,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. This album consists of a collection of unreleased material and remixed songs from Tupac’s “Makaveli” period while signed to Death Row Records. Most of the tracks were remixed from their original master tape versions.

April 2001: Until The End Of Time topped the Billboard 200 LP chart for a week and Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop LP chart for 4 weeks.

May 2001: Until The End Of Time was certified 3x platinum. 2Pac hit the U.K.’s Top 10 for the 1st time with the single “Until The End Of Time”, taken from the album of the same name.

Late 2001: Until the End of Time was so highly anticipated that it ended up being the best selling hip hop album in 2001.

September 2002: A controversial report from the Los Angeles Times reported that The Notorious B.I.G. was directly linked to the murder of 2Pac, including paying for the hit and supplying the weapon. The report states the shooter was paid $1 million and given Biggie’s own gun for the hit.

2Pac - Better Dayz (2002)

September 2002: Another posthumous LP was released – the double LP Better Dayz. The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200. The album consists of a collection of unreleased material and remixed songs from Tupac’s “Makaveli” period while signed to Death Row Records. 2Pac could also be heard on “Irv Gotti Presents… The Remixes” on the track “Pledge” (with Ashanti, Nas, and Ja Rule).

December 2002: 2Pac’s Better Dayz album topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

January 2003: Better Dayz was certified 2x platinum.

April 2003: The “VH1: 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists” includes 2Pac at # 3.

August 2003: 2Pac’s collaboration with Nas on the track “Thugz Mansion”, taken from 2Pac’s Better Dayz album, was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award, for Best Rap Video.

October 2003: Death Row Presents 2Pac Nu-Mixx Klazzics was released – the LP featured remixes of 2Pac material from his time at Death Row Records. The album includes several songs from All Eyez on Me, with new backing tracks and new guest vocals. The remixes were criticized for being another Death Row ‘cash in’ featuring inferior versions of the original tracks. It sold about 75,000 copies.

November 2003: Tupac: Resurrection was released by Amaru Entertainment as the soundtrack for the 2003 documentary Tupac: Resurrection

Tupac: Resurrection Soundtrack (2003)

December 2003: Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack was certified platinum.

April 2004: ‘Rolling Stone: The Immortals – The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time’ included 2Pac at # 86.

August 2004: The album ’2Pac Live’ was released on August 6, 2004 by Koch Records and is Shakur’s first ever live album.

December 2004:The fourth “official” posthumous 2Pac album, Loyal To The Game, was released on December 14, 2004 by Amaru Records. Loyal to the Game was produced by Eminem.

January 2005: Loyal To The Game topped the Billboard 200 LP chart and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart. The album sold over 330,000 copies in the US alone in its first week of release.

February 2005: Loyal To The Game was certified platinum

June 2005: 2Pac topped the singles chart in the UK with “Ghetto Gospel,” a track taken from his ‘Loyal To The Game’ album.

December 2005: 2Pac could be heard on The Notorious B.I.G. posthumous album – “Duets: The Final Chapter”, on the track “Livin’ In Pain” alongside Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige & Nas.

2Pac - Pac's Life (2006)

November 2006: 2Pac’s fifth posthumously released album, “Pac’s Life” was released on November 21, 2006, in the United States, on Amaru Entertainment & Interscope Records.

August 2007: Another DeathRow Records/Koch Records 2Pac album hit the shelves, Nu Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 – Evolution: Duets & Remixes. It is the follow up to Tupac’s Nu-Mixx Klazzics, and the release contains mostly remixes of recordings from two of his biggest selling albums, All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

December 2007: Best of 2Pac, a posthumous greatest hits compilation series of Tupac Shakur was released in two parts: Thug and Life. The Best Of 2Pac – Part 1: Thug was released with the unreleased track “Resist The Temptation” and The Best Of 2Pac – Part 2: Life was released with the unreleased track “Dopefiend’s Diner.” VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 90′s included 2Pac’s song “California Love” at # 51.

June 2008: Entertainment Weekly: 100 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years included 2Pac’s “All Eyez On Me” album at # 87.

June 23, 2011: The Tupac’s greatest hits collection “2Pac: Greatest Hits” is certified DIAMOND (10x Platinum) by the RIAA in the US becoming Tupac’s biggest selling album at that point.