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Two Decades Without Our Favorite Rebel - Today marks 20 years since we lost Tupac Shakur. While the artist and unapologetic rebel is no longer with us, his impact still looms larger than ever, partly thanks to these 25 unforgettable moments both on and off the mic. Check them out as we celebrate the life of a rap legend. - BET Staff(Photo: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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God Bless the Child - Tupac Amaru Shakur came into this world in controversy. His mother, Afeni Shakur (pictured here in his "Dear Mama" video), was pregnant with him while incarcerated as a member of the New York Panther 21. Pac once commented that he was “cultivated in prison” and that his embryo had been “imprisoned.”  He was born one short month after her release.(Photo: Death Row/Interscope Records)

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Living Contradiction - Off his second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z, Tupac released two singles, the fun, party anthem about chasing girls, “I Get Around,” and the more somber and thoughtful “Keep Ya Head Up,” an inspirational track telling Black women to keep moving forward despite adversity. Many were puzzled how these two singles could come from the same artist simultaneously. Yet, the fans loved Tupac’s complexity, both singles peaked right outside the top 10 at #11 and #12 respectively.(Photos: Interscope Records)

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Enraptured in Rage - Tupac was in the courtroom more times than anyone should.  This famous image — it’s been screened on many a T-shirt — shows an infuriated Tupac leaving court and yelling at the paparazzi to get out of his face with cameras. His signature bandana and matching red Detroit Red Wings jersey are symbolic of his rage. (Photo: John Roca/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

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Critical Condition - Facing felony charges, Tupac is wheeled into court after being gunned down in the lobby of a recording studio. He recalled going to Quad Studios in mid-town Manhattan to record a verse to earn extra cash for impending legal fees on November 30, 1994. While waiting for the elevator, he was shot five times and robbed. Somehow he survived two gunshot wounds to the head, a shot to the groin and another to the hand. (Photo: REUTERS/Mark Cardwell)

Photo By Photo: REUTERS/Mark Cardwell /Landov

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More Money, More Problems - Tupac found himself embroiled in a nasty legal situation with a young woman whom he met in a nightclub. The young woman reportedly performed oral sex on the rapper on the dance floor and months later when hanging out with associates of Tupac ended up back at the rappers hotel room. Tupac claims to have fallen asleep, only to be awakened by the woman screaming that she had been gang raped by the other two men. There was no evidence proving that Tupac had been involved however he was charged with felony sexual abuse and sentenced to 1.4 to 4.5 years in prison.(Photo: Reuters)

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Behind Bars - After his shooting and incarceration, Tupac sat down with writer Kevin Powell of Vibe magazine. In the interview Tupac implicates several people with being involved or having knowledge of his 1994 shooting, including Jimmy Henchman, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Notorious BIG and Andre Harrell.(Photo: VIBE Magazine)

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Bruised and Battered - After the release of Tupac’s first album, 2Pacalypse Now, in which the rapper told stories of the trials and tribulations of growing up young, Black and male in the inner cities of America, Tupac was beaten by police in Oakland, California. The rapper said that he had never had any such encounter with police before rapping about police brutality on his record. Photos of the incident show Tupac’s bruised face after having been pushed face down in the street and arrested for jaywalking. He sued the Oakland Police Department and was awarded a small sum.

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More Legal Woes - One year after a Texas teen shot and killed a state trooper while allegedly listening to 2Pacalypse Now, Tupac faced charges of shooting an off-duty police officer in Atlanta. In late 1993, after it was revealed that the officer had lied in his testimony, charges were dropped against all parties involved. (Photo: Gerald Herbert/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

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Showing Out - Tupac was set to star in the LA coming of age drama Menace II Society, the Hughes brothers’ first feature film.  But after a quarrel on set, resulted in Tupac attacking Allen Hughes, Tupac was released from his contract. The rapper later went on Yo! MTV Raps and animatedly discussed the incident. The footage was later used in the trial against him. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail. (Photo: MTV)

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Lyrical Drive-by - Still arguably, one of the hardest diss records to date, the single, "Hit'em Up" goes in on almost every prominent East coast rapper. Only adding fuel to the fire of the media hyped coastal feud. Tupac takes aim at the Notorious BIG, Mobb Deep and many more.(Photo: Death Row/Interscope Records)

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Implications, Complications - After Tupac convinced himself of Notorious BIG’s involvement in his 1994 shooting, the rapper was relentless in taking shots at his former Brooklyn crony. One of those antagonisms was Tupac allusion to having slept with Biggie’s wife, singer Faith Evans. As the couple was on the outs, though Faith was pregnant at the time, Big poked fun at the rumor as well including the line—“if Fay had twins, she prolly have two pacs. Get it? Tu-pac’s”—in a verse on the track “Brooklyn’s Finest.” (Photo: Krusberg/Getty Images)

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West Side Ridah - “Out on bail, fresh out of jail, California dreamin’” is how the Dr. Dre produced track “California Love” begins. The big budget music video, re-imagines the wild, wild west as a Mad Max-esque era future. The first single off, Tupac’s classic double disc, All Eyez on Me, introduced Tupac as the newest member of the Death Row Records family and the beginning of what would many would cast as coastal war within hip hop.(Photo: Death Row Records)

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A Deal With the Devil - Many people supported Tupac while he spent 10 months in a New York correctional facility, including Jasmine Guy, childhood friend Jada Pinkett Smith, even Tony Danza. But the notorious gangster turned record executive, Suge Knight would be the one to give Tupac his freedom. After a visit, Tupac drew up a hand-written contract naming Knight as manager and executive producer of his future rap catalog and signing him to Death Row Records.(Photo: VIBE Magazine)

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Inked Up - Tupac revealed his infamous “Thug Life” tattoo during an interview and ever since people across the globe have inked the phrase across their abdomen  and other parts in tribute. Even acclaimed 1970s poet, Nikki Giovanni has the words tattooed on her forearm. (Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Street Ethics - More than simply a tattoo, Tupac was famous for saying that he, “didn’t create ‘Thug Life,’ he diagnosed it.  With the help of his stepfather, high profile political prisoner Mutulu Shakur, Tupac was instrumental in forging a peace agreement between rival Blood and Crip gangs in California as they signed a “Code of Thug Life.”  The code of ethics was to serve as a guide for gang leaders and “thugs.”  (Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson /Landov) 

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America's Most Wanted - Tupac appeared alongside his label mate and friend Snoop Dogg at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. The two had just released the video for their single, “2 of Americaz Most Wanted” off Tupac’s All Eyez on Me. Snoop was facing murder charges at the time and the song reflected both rappers’ legal troubles.(Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

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Sorry, Ms. Jackson - Tupac not only had a successful rap career but he showed serious promise as an actor as well, having appeared in close to 7 films before his untimely death. One film, John Singleton’s Poetic Justice, he co-starred alongside Janet Jackson. Though Pac thought he and Janet were “cool,” he claims that before the two were to film a love scene, Janet’s people requested he take an AIDS test. Pac, insulted, declined. He said that the day after the film wrapped, Janet changed her number.(Photo: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)

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Generational Divide - C. Dolores Tucker, the first Black female Secretary of State took to protesting misogynist and violent rap lyrics in the 1990s. She called senate hearings to band rap music and even went so far as to protest Tupac’s 1994 NAACP Image Award. She filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Pac for using her name in the song, “How Do U Want It?” featuring K-Ci and JoJo, when he rapped, " C. DeLores Tucker you's a motherf---er / Instead of trying to help a ni--a you destroy a brother."(Photo: Dudley M. Brooks/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

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Say Hello To The Bad Guy - Tupac’s breakout role was in the movie Juice. Set in Harlem, NY, Tupac played Roland Bishop, a troubled teen who turns into a murderous sociopath, killing his friends and anyone who stands in the way of his attaining ultimate street cred. Already, with court cases and his outspoken lyrics, his role as “Bishop” only fueled misperceptions of Tupac as a “bad guy.”(Photo: Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection)

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Back to Life - In 2003, seven years after Tupac’s death Lauren Lazin and Paramount pictures produced a documentary about Tupac’s life and legacy called, Tupac: Resurrection. The film, a beautiful depiction of a brilliant, sensitive complicated young artist, is eerily narrated by the rapper himself. The film was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Academy Award in 2004.(Photo: Paramount Pictures)

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Hip Hop Elvis - Tupac was known by his peers as one of the hardest working rappers in the game. He was a true storyteller, precise lyricist and had an impeccable work ethic, recording sometimes three songs or more a day. In the documentary Tupac: Resurection, he revealed that he had a prophecy of his death and understood that he only had so much time, which is why he recorded as much as he could before his death. Since his passing, eight full albums have been released, all but one going multi-platinum.(Photo: Amaru/Interscope Records)

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Last Man Standing - Grainy video footage of the gambling floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas show Tupac, Suge and other men get into an altercation which result in the stomping of Crip gang member Orlando Anderson.  Police would later claim this incident precipitated Tupac’s shooting, which occurred about one-hour later.

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A Final Look - The last photo taken of Tupac, just shortly before the shots rang out that killed him. It’s a wonder that his killers were never identified though cameras cover every inch of the Las Vegas strip. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

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Warriors, Homies - Tupac said that he and Mike Tyson shared the same soul. Tyson used many of Pac's songs as his theme music when he walked into the ring. This image captures the last time the two would see one another, hugging after Tyson defeated Bruce Seldon, only hours before Tupac's death.

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Goodbye, Old Friend - One of the best shows on television and the reason many of us wanted to be college bound, A Different World was always a hot subject at school the next day. And when Tupac appeared as “Piccolo,” Jada Pinkett’s character Lena’s childhood friend from Baltimore, everyone was so excited. (Photo: Carsey-Werner Productions)