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Only the Beginning - It was Tupac’s second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... that put him on the rap map, debuting at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 chart. This album was more commercial than his first, 2Pacalypse Now, and featured songs like “Keep Ya Head Up” and “I Get Around.”  (Photo: T.N.T./Interscope) 

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Acting Money - Tupac decided to take his acting to the next level when he co-starred in Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson. The film reached No. 1 at the box office during its opening weekend. It has also become an acclaimed film within the urban community. (Photo: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock) 

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Thug Life Origins - Tupac got his infamous “Thug Life” tattoo across his stomach in 1992, which inspired the ‘90s mantra, lifestyle and tattoos. He then formed the group Thug Life and the gangster crew released their only album in late 1994, Thug Life: Volume 1, and it ended up going gold! (Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) 

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Hopes For Change - In an in-depth interview with MTV, Tupac revealed a more vulnerable side of himself to the world. He talked about why he was so controversial and his goal in life to never be forgotten. He spoke on the poverty within Black, poor communities and his hopes to spark people to change the world. (Photo: MTV NEWS)

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Who Shot Tupac? - In November of 1994, the day before he was to appear in court for a sexual assault case, Tupac was robbed and shot five times in the lobby of Quad Recording Studio in Manhattan, New York. Tupac believed it was Bad Boy Records’ Diddy and Biggie who helped set it up because the robbers stole all his money but left his Rolex watch behind. This fueled a historic public rivalry between the rappers that made the East Coast vs. West Coast feud even worse. (Photo: Eric Mille/FILE/AP Photo) 

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Going To Prison - Tupac was locked up in ‘95 due to the sexual assault case against him. At Clinton Correctional Facility, he began to study the works of Niccoló Machiavelli. Inspired, he took on the nickname “Makaveli” and went through some of the darkest times of his life. Colleagues who spoke to him while he served his sentence said he had become a new person. (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Death Row Affiliation - Tupac agreed to sign to Death Row Records after its CEO, Suge Knight, agreed to post the rapper’s bail of $1.4 million! The label would later become notorious for instigating beef with New York rappers and ridiculing them in songs, which Tupac would heavily participate in. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) 

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A No. 1 Album in Prison?! - Tupac was pushing albums like it was easy. While he was in prison, he released his third album, Me Against the World and this time it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. The song “Dear Mama” was the album’s most successful record and the first to become certified platinum. It was one of the first times a gangster rapper dedicated a touching song to his mother. (Photo: Jive Records/Interscope Records)

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In the Citayyyy - Freshly released from jail, Tupac got back to the music and released rap’s most iconic Cali song and video, “California Love” featuring Dr. Dre. Infused with a futuristic chorus, the song became so popular it stayed at No. 1 for two weeks. The video was major, showing us how dark his music could get with rugged metallic clothes and black cars speeding in the desert. Tupac was letting the world know how they do it in the wild, wild West and, most importantly, making us respect his artistry. (Photo: Death Row/Interscope) 

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Tupac Claps Back - Tupac recruited the Outlawz to make the diss track “Hit ‘Em Up,” which violently professed that he wanted to kill Biggie, Diddy and the Bad Boy family. The song’s first line claims that Tupac had sexual relations with Faith Evans, Biggie’s wife. It was his vengeful way of responding to “Who Shot Ya?,” the song Biggie released months after Tupac was shot, which Bad Boy Records claimed wasn’t done on purpose. (Photo: Bebeto Matthews/FILE/AP Photo) 

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Gangsta Mentality - Tupac’s fourth album, All Eyez on Me, blew everyone out of the water. The project included songs like “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” and “How Do You Want It.” It sold 6 million copies after just a year, something unheard of at the time. Today, it’s one of the best-selling U.S. albums of all time. (Photo: Death Row Records/Interscope Records)

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Presenting Kiss - In 1996, Tupac pushed the envelope again by presenting an award with reunited rock band Kiss on the Grammy stage. It was the first time Kiss had truly come together in 15 years. The crowd was shocked as it was only something Tupac could do. (Photo: Eric Draper/FILE/AP Photo) 

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Urban Prophet - Award-winning journalist AJ Benza revealed in 2016 that the night Tupac was shot in 1994, he told the reporter, “not this time, but it’s coming.” Many of Tupac’s songs point to the fact that he knew he would die young, which he confessed in the same interview with AJ Benza. Some of these songs include “I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto,” “Changes” and “If I Die Tonight.”  (Photo: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) 

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Shakur's Shocking Death - Tupac was shot twice in Las Vegas during a drive-by shooting. There were allegations that people from Biggie’s camp had been involved and others said that it was Suge Knight who had ordered the shooting. There were numerous other theories and suspects, but the police were never able to identify who murdered the music legend. The shooting caused outrage from the media and fans.(Photo: Lennox McLendon/AP Photo) 

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A Final Album - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was Tupac’s fifth album. He completed the entire album in seven days and wrote/recorded it in three. It was the last album he left us before his unfortunate death. (Photo: Death Row Records/Makaveli/Interscope Records/Koch Records)

Photo By Photo: Death Row Records/Makaveli/Interscope Records/Koch Records

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Commemoration - After his death, viewers of several prominent brands, such as MTV and Vibe, voted Tupac the greatest rapper of all time. There have been dozens of documentaries and films made about the impactful artist and the legacy he left behind with his fashion, art, poetry, rhymes, movies, activism and musical genius. People of old and new generations will remember his name. (Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage)