In 1995, Tupac made history as the first ever artist to top the Billboard Charts while in prison. Chillingly, the official music video showing himself getting shot and going to heaven, was recorded one week before he was actually shot and killed in Las Vegas. Sampling 1983 song 'A Dream' by DeBarge, the track was actually recorded on the same day Tupac was released from prison in 1995. The track, which samples Elton's 1981 song 'Indian summer', features the rapper discussing social politics over powerful production. Pac's only UK No.1 single came courtesy of a posthumous collaboration with Elton John in 2005. The rappers dream about a hypothetical heaven dedicated to thugs and gangsters, on the track taken from his posthumous 2002 album 'Better Dayz'. Tupac showed his soulful, introspective side on acoustic classic 'Thugz Mansion' featuring Nas. His crew The Outlawz also provide hard-fitting feature verses. The final track from Tupac’s fifth album ‘The Don Killuminati’, hears the rapper torn between the street life and salvation, over chilling graveyard bells and a heavy bass line. Intended as a response to Biggie's 'Who Shot Ya', Pac displayed his signature aggression on the track. The pair rap about Tupac's adopted city of California over some classic bass-lead production.Īfter being shot in 1994, Tupac retaliated by releasing one of the biggest diss tracks in Hip-Hop history, directed at Biggie Smalls and The Junior Mafia. Dre for one of the most iconic Hip-Hop songs of the 1990s. All rights reserved.Tupac linked up with fellow Deathrow label-mate Dr. Tupac's Official Top 10 biggest singles on the Official Chart POS When it comes to albums, Tupac's 1998 Greatest Hits album finishes top of the pile, logging 619,000 sales despite is Number 17 peak, while All Eyez On Me is second with 338,000 sales.
The song refers to the possibility of a black president of the United States, claiming "we ain't ready", while the last verse refers to Tupac's premonition about being shot.Ĭhanges peaked at Number 3 on the Official Chart and it has sold 597,000 in the UK, split between 284,000 copies from its physical release, plus 180,000 downloads and 13.3 million streams since 2014. The song, which interprets the 1986 hit The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby and the Range - talks about racism, police brutality, drugs and gang violence. Released posthumously on his Greatest Hits album in 1998, Changes is Tupac's biggest selling single in the UK. The track spent three weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart in 2005 and has shifted 560,000 in the UK, including 229,000 physical singles, 221,000 downloads and 11 million streams.
Originally released as the second single on his posthumous 2004 album Loyal to the Game, Ghetto Gospel samples Elton John's 1971 track Indian Sunset and was produced by Eminem. It finishes as his third biggest single on the Official Chart with 319,000 combined sales, including 6.4 million streams.
The track served as the lead single from his fourth album and last in his lifetime All Eyez On Me.Ĭalifornia Love was nominated for a posthumous Grammy Award in 1997 as a Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. California Love has his big commercial breakthrough hit, spending two weeks at Number 1 in America and becoming his first Top 10 hit in the UK, where it reached Number 6. Tupac's collaboration with Dr Dre was released as his comeback single following his release from prison in 1995. To mark the film's home entertainment release, here's a look back at Tupac's biggest selling singles on the Official UK Chart - and which songs continue to make an impact in the downloading and streaming eras. MORE: See where all of Tupac's singles and albums charted in the UK I waited until the last day and then did my audition."Ģ1 years after Tupac's untimely death at the age of 25, five albums of the singer's work have been released posthumously, plus countless compilations and collaborative collections, including 2001's Until The End Of Time and 1998 retrospective Greatest Hits.
"I didn't even want to audition for the role back in 2011, but was adamant that I should do it. "I don't know who, I just remember in High School, that's when I was getting called Pac every day," he said. as Tupac, who, in this exclusive clip below, reveals that he never intended to audition for the film despite his looks baring a strong resemblance to the star. This week sees the DVD release of Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me the true and previously untold story of the prolific rapper, actor, poet, activist and hip-hop gamechanger.