Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac (or simply Pac) and Makaveli, was an American rapper. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was a promising actor Growing Tupac's Legacy, 10 Years After His Death : NPR Music and a social activist. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing up amid violence and hardship in ghettos,