Tupac Shakur spent much of his brief life in tough inner-city neighborhoods in New York, Maryland, and California. A pensive, artistic youth, Tupac burst onto the hip-hop scene in the 1990s and became one of rap music's most popular and volatile figures thanks to his highly charged lyrics and seemingly endless legal troubles. To his critics, Tupac symbolized the evils of "gangsta rap" and its glorification of violence. His fans, however, saw him as a thought-provoking hip-hop intellectual who articulated the plight of millions of disaffected inner-city youths. Shot to death in 1996 under still-unsolved circumstances, Tupac's career lasted a scant half-decade, but his iconic stature continues to grow with each passing year. Filled with full-color photographs, revealing text, and insightful sidebars, Tupac Shakur provides a powerful examination of the life, legacy, and impact of the best-selling rapper of all time.