Shakur had an older stepbrother, Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, and a half-sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, two years his junior. I wanted him to know he was part of a world culture and not just from a neighborhood." Shakur's mother explained, "I wanted him to have the name of revolutionary, indigenous people in the world. He was named after Túpac Amaru II, the descendant of the last Incan ruler, Túpac Amaru, who was executed in Peru in 1781 after his failed revolt against Spanish rule.
While born Lesane Parish Crooks, at age one he was renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur.
Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City.
Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. With the release of his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he became a central figure in West Coast hip hop for his conscious rap lyrics. Raised by his mother, he relocated to Baltimore in 1984 and to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality. Considered one of the most influential rappers of all time, Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Tupac Amaru Shakur ( / ˈ t uː p ɑː k ʃ ə ˈ k ʊər/ TOO-pahk shə- KOOR born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), better known by his stage name 2Pac and later by his alias Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor.