Remembering Tupac Shakur: The Hip-Hop Legend Who Would Have Turned 55 Today

West coast rap legend Tupac Shakur, born on June 16, 1971, would have turned 55 today.

As everyone knows, the legendary "Brenda's Got a Baby" rapper was murdered in cold blood in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. He was only 25 years old.

Shakur was one of the most prolific '90s rappers, who rose to the top of the west coast hip-hop pack despite his east coast upbringing. His first album, 1991's 2Pacalypse Now, hit No. 64 on the Billboard 200 - and even drew ire from then-Vice President Dan Quayle (who famously didn't know how to spell "potato").

Quayle blamed the song "Soulja's Story" for inspiring a man to allegedly kill a police officer. "There is absolutely no reason for a record like this to be published by a responsible corporation," Quayle said, per the Los Angeles Times. "Today I am suggesting that the Time Warner subsidiary Interscope Records withdraw this record. It has no place in our society."

Interscope, however, couldn't have possibly felt more different. "Right away you could tell that this guy was different from the rest of the world," Interscope president Tom Whalley told Vanity Fairin 1997. "I couldn't slow him down. I never worked with anyone who could write so many great songs so quickly." He added, "Suddenly, Tupac was larger than life."

Of course, Shakur's career only kept rising. His 1996 album All Eyez On Me birthed two Billboard No. 1 singles, "California Love" and "How Do U Want It." All Eyez On Me is still considered the rapper's magnum opus, and in 2014, it was certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling 10 million copies - making Shakur one of only a few rappers to ever achieve the honor. All Eyez On Me is also the title of the 2017 biopic based on Shakur's life.

Shakur's murder remained a cold case until 2023, when a grand jury indicted Duane "Keffe D" Davis for the star's killing. Davis is still awaiting trial, which after many delays, is set to begin on Aug. 10.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 2:09 AM.