Inducted:
2017
Category:
Performer
Inducted By:
Snoop Dogg
The son of Black Panther parents, and named after an Inca revolutionary, the legendarily charismatic Tupac Shakur was born to be both a confrontational artist and a fearless activist. Regarded by many as the greatest rapper of all time, with a conversational, poetic flow, Tupac took on police brutality, systemic racism and inner-city realities. He matched braggadocio and rage with raw vulnerability, broadening hip-hop’s possibilities.
Induction
Impact
Signature Sound
Intense, Reflective, Powerful West- Coast Rap
Arriving in the early ‘90s as a socially conscious, politically-focused rapper, Tupac Shakur evolved into both an aggressive, defiant gangsta artist and a sensitive, vulnerable rap balladeer. Upon reading philosophy during a mid-’90s prison sentence, his work took on deeper spiritual themes, encompassing both personal revelation and broader cultural commentary.
A scorching, densely poetic debut decrying police brutality, with samples from the Bar-Kays' "Holy Ghost" and James Brown's "The Spank," this track caught the ire of VP Dan Quayle.
From the Museum
Pac DrainedBut Defiant
Written and recorded (with Outlawz) in Tupac’s early-mid ‘90s period, and released posthumously on the Until the End of Time album (2001), these lyrics in Tupac’s own hand display his renowned ability to be both vulnerable and poetic, expressing harsh realities,
but also offering explanation for what compels a man to a thug life, i.e. a broken home and unsympathetic powers-that-be contributing to a repressed desire for revenge.
From the Museum
Pac DrainedBut Defiant
Written and recorded (with Outlawz) in Tupac’s early-mid ‘90s period, and released posthumously on the Until the End of Time album (2001), these lyrics in Tupac’s own hand display his renowned ability to be both vulnerable and poetic, expressing harsh realities,
but also offering explanation for what compels a man to a thug life, i.e. a broken home and unsympathetic powers-that-be contributing to a repressed desire for revenge.
He was taking things further than a lot of rappers at the time – pushing it to the next level, giving feeling to his words and music.
Eminem
2024 Hall of Fame Essay
"Tupac was a lightning rod, a screen onto which millions of people projected their feelings about rap, about race and about the young Black man in America."
– Alan Light
Check It OutInfluence
Influences
Kurits Blow
Rakim
KRS-ONE
Schoolly D
Tupac Shakur
sealed with a signature
This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.
More from
the Hall
