He is one of the most influential and greatest rappers of all time - but many of 's fans have no idea what his name actually means. Born Lesane Parish Crooks in Manhattan, Tupac is among the world's best-selling music artists, with over 75 million records sold. His lyrics often tackled social injustice and political issues, while maintaining the essence of gangsta rap.
Besides music, Tupac also penned poetry and starred in several films. Some of his most popular tracks include Changes, Ghetto Gospel, California Love, Until the End of Time, I Ain't Mad at Cha, and Dear Mama. When Tupac was just a year old, his politically active parents decided to change his name from Lesane Parish Crooks to Tupac Amaru Shakur.
This led to a fan asking on Quora: "What did Tupac Shakur's name mean? " According to his mother, Afeni Shakur, the new name was intended to immerse him into a "world of culture". She reportedly stated: "I wanted him to have the name of revolutionary, Indigenous people in the world. I wanted him to know he was part of a world culture and not just from a neighborhood.
" To accomplish this, she named him after Tupac Amaru II, a descendant of the last Incan ruler, who was executed in Peru in 1781 for leading a revolt against Spanish rule. The name is believed to mean 'royal thing', and 'shining serpent', while his surname, Shakur, translates to 'thankful to god'. In 1996, Tupac's life was tragically cut short at 25 when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.