Remembering Fallen MC Tupac Shakur

Today marks what would have been Tupac Shakur's 39th birthday had he not been gunned down by an unknown assailant in 1996. Nearly 14 years after his death at the age of 25, Shakur still remains one of the most influential rappers ever, and one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. An icon of '90s hip-hop, Shakur released only four albums during his brief career that mixed tales of street life with politically charged lyricism, including the classics Me Against the World and All Eyez on Me, both of which rank among the top sellers of the decade. Tupac was also an acclaimed actor who stood out in Juice and Poetic Justice.

Look back at more artists lost before their time.

Recently, T.I. revealed to RS that his new album King Uncaged was influenced by Shakur's own post-incarceration disc All Eyez on Me, and there likely isn't a rapper in the game today that wasn't inspired by Shakur. As Rolling Stone celebrates Tupac's life, look back at the rapper's career in photos, plus check out a guide to his albums and our feature that ran shortly after his death:

• All Eyez on Tupac: The Life and Times of the Hip-Hop Great

• Album Guide: Tupac Shakur

• Tupac Shakur: 1971-1996: The Short Life & Violent Death of Tupac Shakur

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  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
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  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
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  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
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  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

More Song Stories entries »

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