BlaQ GP FM2 Nay Nay TTAS's blog: "HIPHOP"

1973: Stanley Howse, aka 'Flesh-n-Bone' is born in Cleveland Ohio, USA. 1974: Anthony Henderson, aka 'Krayzie Bone' is born in Cleveland Ohio, USA. 1974: Steven Howse, aka 'Layzie Bone', and Charles Scruggs, aka 'Wish Bone', are born in Cleveland Ohio, USA. 1976: On september 12th the youngest of the group, Bryon McCane, aka 'Bizzy Bone', is born in Cleveland Ohio, USA. 1990: Layzie Bone is caught selling drugs and is forced to move to Texas, USA, to live with his uncle and aunt. 1993: Bone Thugs-n-harmony release their first effort, "Faces of Death", under the name 'Bone Enterpri$e', on the record label, Ruthless Records. 1994: Bone Thugs give a backstage audition to Eazy E, after his show in Cleveland, after months of trying to contact him, Eazy is impressed and gives Bone a contract for his Record label, Ruthless Records. Bone thugs-n-harmony release their first official album, "Creepin on ah Come Up", which went to sell over two million copies. 1995: Bone Thugs-n-harmony release their next album, "E.1999 Eternal", which debut at #1 in the pop charts. Their record beating, smash-hit single, "Tha Crossroads", went on to win a Grammy. Later in 1995, Bone Thugs' mentor, Eazy-E, is diagnosed with HIV, a while later he is then diagnosed with full blown AIDS virus, and a few weeks later Eazy-E, aka Eric Wright, passes away. R.I.P. 1996: On November 19th, Flesh-n-Bone releases his first solo album "T.H.U.G.S: Trues Humbly United Gatherin' Souls". Flesh struggled to release both of his solo albums amid a series of legal problems. Unfortunately, the album didn't live up to some peoples expectations, and also didnt receive too good reviews. 1997: Bone thugs-n-harmony release their double disc album "The Art of War", featuring late artist Tupac Shakur. later that year Bizzy Bones father, Byron Carlos, passes away. 1998: In April Krayzie Bone releases his first solo album, "Thug Mentality", a double disc set, and the album does very well, giving Krayzie excellent reviews from various sources. A few months later, Bizzy Bone releases his first solo album "Heaven'z Movie", the album did well, and gave Bizzy a good foundation for a future solo career. Later Bone thugs-n-harmony release "The Collection, Volume 1", greatest hits and remix collection of their previous efforts as a group, also including unreleased tracks. 1999: Krayzie Bone starts Thugline Records, his own Record label. 2000: Amid many rumours that the group have broken up, Bone thugs-n-harmony release "BTNHResurrection" which stops all rumours. But unfortunately for bone, Flesh-N-Bone is sentenced to 11 years in a California state prison for threatening a friend with an AK-47. Soon after been sentenced Flesh-n-Bones second solo album he was working on before hand was released under the title "5th Dog Let Loose". Despite all the trouble and controversy surrounding BTNH they still manage to release another album in the same year in the form of "The Collection Volume Two", the second collection of Bone's greatest hits so far, remixed and originals, and some previously unreleased tracks. 2001: Layzie Bone releases his first solo album "Thug By Nature" under the alias L-Burna. The album isnt a huge commercial success but establishes Layzie with an excellent status as a solo artist! Bizzy Bone then releases his second solo album "The Gift", the album is more of a success than Thug By Nature and again proves Bizzy as one of the stronger members of BTNH. Further strengthening rumours BTNh are about to split, Krayzie Bone follows suit and drops his massive debut solo effort "Thug Mentality". The album is more successfull than any other previous bone solo, with help from a long list of high status artists featuring on the albums roster. The album not only features some hit singles, inlcuding 'Thug Mentality', but proves Krayzie as the 'head' of the group, and establishes him as a superb solo artist and a lyrical talent to match no other! 2002: This year saw Bone Thugs once again hit back at their critics and the media surrounding the break-up rumours, as they dropped their album "Thug World Order". The album doesnt dissapoint and is packed full of new BTNH gems, and also the more commercialised track "Home" featuring Phil Collins on the chorus, the single was also a smash hit and seemed to throw BTNH back were they belonged, on MTVand radio stations worldwide! But despite the albums success the rumours are confirmed as the groups most controversial and troubled member, Bizzy Bone, leaves, or was kicked out of the group. This came as a big shock to all BTNh fans and but the groups future into doubt! 2003: Unfortunately for fans of Bone thugs-n-harmony, 2003 didnt seem to be a better year, as BTNH move away from Ruthless Records. Most fans didnt see this as a surprise as Ruthless were not only a weak performer in the Hip Hop world today, but their owner, Tomica Wright was not working in the intrests of Bone Thugs, and also BTNH were known to be on a very bad contract, so the move was not unexpected, but did cause even more doubt as to the groups future together! 2004: BTNH fans are treated to two new albums from the 'ex' BTNH member Bizzy Bone, in 2004, as he releases his third solo album "Alpha & Omega" and also "The Beginning and The End" (an Internet Only release). Bone say that for now they want to concentrate on making a few solo efforts rather than a group album! Ruthless Records, Bone's ex-label, who are in need of cash at this time, release Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Greatest Hits album and also a Greatest Videos DVD, the album and DVD contain no previosuly unheard material. 2005: Krayzie Bone relases his much delayed, but still very much anticipated release, 'Gemini: Good Vs Evil'. The album itself was once again another masterpiece from Krayzie Bone in all areas, but suffered hugely from its backers, Ball'r Records, who just didnt have the funds in place in order to promote the album to give it the success it deserved! Also in 2005, Layzie Bone and Bizzy Bone the true BTNH brothers, release their duet album "Bone Brothers". The album shows that BTNh still have a fture as a group as all members feature in the album, and the albums quality shines in every track! The album featured the hit single "Hip Hop Baby" and also reached number 64 in the US Billboard charts! Later in the year Bone thugs announce there will be another group effort from them due for release in 2006 and rumours start flying about they will soon sign to Swizz Beatz! Layzie Bone then drops another solo album "Its Not A Game" which has minor success, only due to the strong following Bone Thugs have no doubt. Bizzy Bone releases his next solo album in the form of 'Speaking In Tongues' on his newly signed to Indie music label. The album does very well and recieves Bizzy alot of positive media attention, which was needed following a very bad year for him, both in and out of the press. The albums success and its unique style gain Bizzy the respect of the media as an artist following his recent problems in which people were even questioning Bizzy's sanity and mental stability. He even signs a deal to do a web-based reality tv show, the show, just liek all of Bizzy's albums, was a unique insight not only into bizzy's life, but also bone thugs, and hip hop as a whole.

BIZZY BONE BIOGRAPHY: (See below for other member bio's) Bizzy Bone, the youngest member of Bone Thugs, was born Bryon McCane on September 12, 1976, in Columbus Ohio, USA. He was born to parents Roseana, and Rober Floyd, however he considered Byron Carlos, his Step father, to be his father, sadly he passed away in 1997, which caused Bizzy to react slightly different, negatively, towards Bone Thugs and also influenced his later album lyrics. Bizzy Bone is confirmed to be half Italian and half Black, with his mother been the Italian. Bizzy started life in turbulance when he was abducted by his half-sister's father when he was just four years old, his 4 siblings are by the names Heather, Hope, Capo, and Cassy and he relates to them in many of his lyrics. Bizzy Bone recored his first album at age 17 and back in the early 90's before Jay-Z became who he is today he battled Bizzy Bone and lost. (No Confirm From Jay-Z however!!). Another triumph for Bizzy is that "Thug Luv" on the album "Art of War" featuring Bone Thugs and 2pac, was originally a track with Bizzy Bone, 2Pac and Silk-E-Fyne. The track was later redone to add the other members of Bone thugs-n-harmony on it. One thing you may not have known, or expected, is that Bizzy has SEVEN (yes 7) children, from three different women. Three girls and two boys are from a girl he was with in high school. Another girl is from another women that he was married to. His last child who is also a girl, is from another different women. Plus, unlike most rappers, he is a committed father to his kids. But to no suprise, due to his past and current stressfull life, Bizzy Bone has admitted he has been to a psychiatrist a few times. As for music, Bizzy Bone is the most unique member of Bone thugs-n-harmony, and has had his pop at a solo career. Bizzy made his solo debut in 1998 with "Heaven'z Movie". Then he followed up that album in 2001 and released of "The Gift", probably one of my favourite albums of all time!! Both albums would go on and do pretty well giving Bizzy a solid solo career. Three years later and Bizzy is back again with his third solo album "Alpha & Omega". The album shows Bizzy's diversity and brings a new style never heard from Bizzy. He has also become an established actor in an independant film release. Now for the rare random facts you may not have known about Bizzy; he is known to have four tattoo's, on his Left and Right Arm, Left Shoulder and his Neck, his favourite film is known to be "Goodfellas", and his favourite food is Steak & Potatoes. Aswell as his more popular alias of "Bizzy Bone" he is known as, B.B., Gambini, Rest In Peace, R.I.P., Lil' RIPsta, Bizzy The Kid, and Gambino. KRAYZIE BONE BIOGRAPHY: (See below for other member bio's) Krayzie was born Anthony Henderson on June 17, 1974, in Cleveland Ohio, and he is the tallest of the group measuring in at 6". His aliases include Leatherface, Mr. Sawed Off, Silent Killer, and Kray. Krayzie Bone is the most laid back and soft spoken of Bone thugs-n-harmony. And along with Bizzy Bone he is a headliner for the group, and has released very successful solo projects, "Thug Mentality" (1998), "Thug On Da Line" (2001), and "Underground Legends: Part 1" (2004). Like Bizzy Bone he also needs to buy a TV, as he has FIVE children, Destiny, Melanie, Nathan, Malaysia and another child. He has faced summons for missing payments to one of the mothers of his children. Krayzie Bone has his own record company Thugline Records, which he started in 1999 shortly after the release of his second solo album "Thug Mentality". Now for some rare facts you may not know about Krayzie, for instance, that Krayzie Bone accidentally shot Wish Bone in the leg with a twelve gauge and was sent to prison for about a year and a half. This is what Krayzie had to say about it: "We was like driving around drunk doing stupid shit and um I accidentally shot him. Shot him in the leg with the uh twelve gauge and it was like a whole big thing. He went to the hospital, police came, you know what I’m saying, took me to jail and everything." Kray's Favourite Movie is 'Colors', and his Favourite Food is Cheeseburgers & fries. LAYZIE BONE BIOGRAPHY: (See below for other member bio's) Layzie Bone is the unofficial head of Bone thugs-n-harmony. Layzie Bone was originally named Bizzy Bone but it was later changed. He was born Steven Howse on September 23, 1974, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA to Curtis Howse (Father). He has an older brother Stanley Howse (Flesh-N-Bone) and younger bother Stew Bone, he is also cousins with Charles Scruggs (Wish Bone). As a child Layzie grew up wanting to be a baseball player. Like Krayzie, Wish and Bizzy he also has a child, Jeremy (J-Bone), and also Angel who died at an early age due to lung problems. Layzie gives a shout to Angel on the album "Thug world Order". In March of 2001 he relesed his debut solo album, "Thug By Nature" which become a solid good first album. Layzie Bone named his album "Thugs By Nature" because he felt he was a thug by nature. He said he is not trying to be a thug and that he was born a thug. "Thugs By Nature" had a lack of Bone collabs because they were all working on their albums at the same time. Layzie has also presented the Mo' Thugs Family, a wide and revolving roster of Cleveland area urban artists, on his Mo' Thugs records. Layzie Bone sustained a critical eye injury while shooting his video "Listen". He suffered a quarter inch abrasion on the pupil of his right eye, due to special effects chemicals. Now for some of Layzies lesser known facts. He has 4 tattoo's, on his Front Body/Right Arm, Left Arm. Back, and Neck. His favourite movie is 'Scarface' and his favourite food is soul food. layzie measures in at 5'7'' tall. When Bone thugs-n-harmony got together they first formed the group B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e, Layzie Bone got the name B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e off a building on the way to jail in 1990 when he was caught selling drugs and was forced to move to Texas to live with his uncle and aunt. Layzie Bone's aliases include; L-Burna, #1 Assassin, an Lil Lay, his alias L-Burna was given to him by his sister. On btnhcentral.com (an excellent btnh site) they state it is rumoured that "as a kid Layzie Bone was shot by someone in the head while he was walking down the street in his Cleveland neighborhood", but they are not 100% sure of this so dont quote us or them on that one. WISH BONE BIOGRAPHY: (See below for other member bio's) Wish Bone is the most unknown about member of Bone thugs-n-harmony and he seems to be very shy in front of camera and in interviews....he is the only member that has yet to release a solo album. Wish was born Charles Scruggs on Febuary 17, 1975 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. I do not know who his parents are but he has 3 siblings; Shon, Monie, Loonly Lynn, and one child called Charles III (Lil' Wish). Wish is cousins with other Bone Thug members Steven Howse, Stanley Howse (Layzie Bone & Flesh-N-Bone) who are brothers. Know for some of those rare facts you may not know about Wish. Krayzie Bone accidentally shot Wish Bone in the leg with a twelve gauge and was sent to prison for about a year and a half. This is what Krayzie had to say about it: "We was like driving around drunk doing stupid shit and um I accidentally shot him. Shot him in the leg with the uh twelve gauge and it was like a whole big thing. He went to the hospital, police came, you know what I’m saying, took me to jail and everything." Wish Bone was arrested at a strip club in July of 1997 because a stripper claimed that he slapped her in the butt. Someone else slapped the stripper's butt then turned and slapped Wish because she thought he did it. Wish's measurements are 6' tall, his Record Label is ThugLine, his favourite movie is 'True Romance' and his favourite food is Steak & Eggs. FLESH N BONE BIOGRAPHY: (See below for other member bio's) Flesh Bone is the older brother of Layzie Bone and cousin to Wish Bone. He is the tallest of the group measuring at 6'3" and weighs around 173lbs. He was born Stanley Howse on June 10, 1973 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He has two siblings, Younger brothers Steve Howse (Layzie Bone), and Stew Bone. He has tattoo's pn his front chest and right arm. Flesh-N-Bone is probably the most troubled member of Bone thugs-n-harmony, Flesh struggled to release his solo albums amid a series of legal problems. With the success of the Bone albums it gave Flesh with the opportunity to record his debut solo album, "T.H.U.G.S.: Trues Humbly United Gatherin' Souls", on rap label Def Jam. Unfortunately, the album didn't live up to some peoples expectations, receiving not so good reviews. In September, weeks before the release of his second album "5th Dog Let Loose", Flesh was sentenced to 11 years in jail for threatening a friend with an AK-47. He is still in prison today and he is expected to be released on parole in 2008. Some lesser known facts about Flesh is that he once beat up a neighbor who complained of loud music in their suburban community. Flesh-N-Bone was sentenced to 11 years in a California state prison for threatening a friend with an AK-47. Flesh-N-Bone never signed to Ruthless Records with the rest of the group and worked at KFC so the group could raise money for bus tickets to L.A. to meet with Eazy-E.

They went from being broke, hungry and homeless in 1993 to watching their brand of flowing, rolling, rapid-clip, harmonized rap -- dubbed the "Cleveland Sound" -- hit the top of the charts. But to get from the streets of Cleveland, to TV sets across the world, it's been a long journey for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Their rise commenced in '93 when they scraped up every penny they had for one-way bus tickets to Los Angeles determined to prove their talents to their favorite rapper, the late Eric "Eazy-E" Wright of N.W.A. As the famed story goes, they spent months living on the street, constantly trying to contact Eazy-E, until they finally received a call from him. They rapped for him over the phone, Eazy said he'd get back to them, but never did. When they learned Eazy was doing a show in Cleveland, they hustled up more money for bus tickets and headed back. They found him backstage and and gave a back stage audition in person, Eazy signed them to his Ruthless Records label. Eazy had tickets ready for them the next morning to return to L.A. to begin recording their debut EP. That EP, "Creepin' On Ah Come Up", exploded onto the rap scene with Bone's debut single, "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," which sold more than 500,000 copies and the video was the cable music channel the "Box's" most-requested of 1994. Their Ruthless/Relativity EP debut, "Creepin' On Ah Come Up", started moving large quantities shortly after its June 1994 release, shot past triple-platinum sales, and became an R&B, and Rap chart topper. As the EP continued its reign atop the charts, the group began work on their debut LP, "E. 1999 Eternal". The LP entered all charts at #1 and hasn't slowed down, selling over six million plus copies and counting. The LP proved a great blend of sweet soul harmonies and boulevard mentalities. The album's tribute to their dead homies, called "The Crossroads," became an MTV smash hit, launching them into mainstream radio play. The song took on an unexpected meaning after Eazy-E's March 1995 death from the aids virus. "Tha Crossroads" later won a grammy, went double-platinum, and made history when it tied with the Beatles' 32-year-old record ('64's "Can't Buy Me Love") for the fastest rising single on the pop charts. With all their success, it's hard to believe that the days of struggling were very much a reality for Bone not too long ago. "First Of Tha Month," their glorious ode to government cheese, was something that Bone was living rather than just rapping about. As Layzie recalls, "It was like this man, we come from zero, straight from the dirt, dog." Wish adds, "We were in the streets doin' whatever it took to survive." But through these rough times, the Bone family strengthened. Layzie and Wish, who are cousins, first hooked-up with Bizzy and Krayzie under the name 'Band-Aid Boyz'. During this era, the flow that would make them famous developed. Wish breaks it down like this, "Our style just came from us sittin' in our house with nothing to eat, just trippin' and writin', and just building on it. And we finally came up with what we got." Krayzie adds, "We knew we had something different. Our music is just coming from the heart. We always knew we were gonna make it somehow." "All our albums have a dark feeling to them, but it is so smooth that you don't really focus on the dark too much," says Krayzie. "The dark themes come from how we used to live. Then, every day and every night was dark in our eyes. That's changed." Asked about fame, Layzie concludes, "In my wildest dreams, where I'm comin' from, I couldn't even dream **censored** would be like this. Fame, it's cool to be famous, but some people take it out of control. I look at it like the Lord got us to the front of the line for some reason." The first to release a solo effort was member Flesh-n-Bone's album "T.H.U.G.S." released on November 19th, 1996 on the Def Jam record label, and recieved good sales for a debut solo album, but nothing spectacular. The group returned in 1997 with their next album "The Art Of War", which was a 2 disc album and had some great hits, but if it were a single disc album would have been rated better by the critics, as some tracks lacked something that others had. In the late 90's, the group concentrated on developing artists signed to their own Mo Thug Records label. Bizzy, Krayzie, Layzie and Flesh also released commercially and critically successful solo albums. Not only do Bone speak about their hard times on this double CD release, they choose to tell the positive as well on 'The Art Of War'. Songs like "If I Could Teach The World" finds Bone delivering a message of upliftment to kids all over the planet. Here's a verse from the bomb hit 'If I could Teach World' "To all the little boys and girls all over the world/This ish that we say is for the streets/Not for you to go and do or to repeat/Please no more murder/Must I say it if we can no mo murder." On "Friends," a remake of the Whodini classic, Bone pay tribute to those who have remained close and loyal to them. And "Family Tree Bone" is a remarkable personal account that illustrates the highs and lows of each Bone member's lives. On another note, Tupac Shakur features on "Thug Luv", a song which displays the hardcore lyric side of Bone, and by using gun shots as bass lines, gives a slightly more 'Gangster' feel to the album, other tracks such as "Body Rot" again show this more aggressive style of rap from Bone. Bone Thugs then released a follow up in the form of "The Collection, Vol 1", basically a Greatest Hits CD of their tracks os far and remixes of their previous tracks as well as some hot fresh jointz thrown in tha mix! Truely another great album in my opinion and another big seller. In the late 90's, the group concentrated on developing artists signed to their own 'Mo Thug Records' label. Bizzy, Krayzie, and Flesh also released commercially and critically successful solo albums, which i will explain in depth in each members seperate biography found below this biography of the group. First of all Krayzie Bone released 'Thug Mentality 1999' on April 6, 1998, on Ruthless Records label, shortly followed by Bizzy Bones's effort "Heaven'z Movie" released October 6, 1998, also on Ruthless Records. Flesh-N-Bone, who was and is probably the most troubled member of Bone thugs-n-harmony, struggled to release both of his solo albums amid a series of legal problems. In September 2000, weeks before the release of his second album "5th Dog Let Loose", Flesh was sentenced to 11 years in jail for threatening a friend with an AK-47. He is still in prison today and he is expected to be released on parole in 2008. (To send him letters see his own bio below). After this the group was shrouded in both controversy and rumours of the trouble resuklting in an inevitable split. Despite his arrest and charges Flesh's album "5th dog let loose" was released on April 6, 1998. In 1999 Krayzie Bone formed his own record label, 'Thugline Records, again sparking bone thug split rumours. Then on February 29, 2000 after very successful solo efforts, and artist signings/launches from Bone's own 'Mo Thugs Records', the group reunited to record "BTNHResurrection" which would stop the rumors that they have broken up. "BTNHResurrection" probably one of Bone’s best albums after "E. 1999 Eternal" debuted at number 2 in March 2000, but could have sold more if it were promoted better, as is also the case with thier later works. After the release of that album they went on resuming their solo careers. Bizzy Bone released his second solo album "The Gift" on March 20, 2001 again with great success, and was joined by a same day release by Layzie Bone's first solo effort, "Thug By Nature", to a little less success than Bizzy. Krayzie Bone then released another greatly successfull solo album in the form of "Thug On Da Line" on August 28, 2001 to Sony Records. The group then continued in their past trends by releasing "The Collection Vol 2" on November 14, 2000, to Ruthless Records, and as with its predecessor "Collection Vol 1" it consisted of Bone's best jointz remixed, and a few unreleased tracks thrown into the mix. As with all before ti this album is another showcase for Bone's great talent for producing so many massivley successful albums in such a short period of time, and all of such superior and unique quality. I believe there is only one other person who worked this hard on recording and releasing his albums in the rap industry, and that was Tupac Shakur, and look at the fame and praise he has since recieved for it, so its only fair Bone get the same. In 2002 the group got back once again with everyone back in the group though Flesh-n-Bone in jail for threatening a friend with an AK-47. They went to release Thug World Order, which was a good solid album probably their best to date in my opinion but was slightly more commercialised than past releases, but the die-hard Bone fans would expect more from them. Smash hit singles including "Home" featuring Phil Collins, were released of the album. After the release of "Thug world Order" Bizzy Bone leaves/is kicked out of the group on 'mutual' terms, and many believe this was due to a beef between him and Krayzie, about money and/or women, but there are so many reasons and theories i wont bore you with them. In 2003 the fans' fears are confirmed as Bone Thugs are no longer signed as a group too Ruthless Records and it looks like the end of Bone Thugs. Later 2003 and all members are believed to be on talknig terms, including Krayize and Bizzy and plans are that they will release further work when Flesh is released from jail, as they say "Bone just aint bone without Flesh". Flesh-n-Bone was expected to be released on parole in 2008. All artists were concentrating working on solo projects and Bizzy and Layzie have established themselves as actors in well-received independent films and additional Mo Thugs compilations are also in the works, so this Hip Hop chapter is far from closed. In late 2004 Bizzy Bone released his third solo album "Alpha & Omega", another truely classic release from Bone, and Krayzie Bone is near completion on his album, "Gemini - Good Vs Evil" featuring a sure smash hit single "Getchu Twisted". Ruthless Records released a Bone Thugs "Greatest Hits" album and music video disc, which was not attached to the artists themselves, so they recieved no profits from the release as Ruthless owned the rights to the music. They are one of the most underrated rap groups ever but they are still the best to millions of people all over the world. Even through all the hard times with the group and family problems, including the death of Wish's Uncle Charles, (the only person who inspired and motivated them to go for their ambitions in rap), Bone thugs-n-harmony still managed to become massivley successful. Also Layzie Bone was caught selling drugs and was forced to move to Texas to live with his uncle and aunt in 1990 but still managed to hook up with his Cleveland crew and make it big. They are the only rap group that has worked with rap legends like Eazy-E, Tupac Shakur, and Notorius B.I.G. and also outside Hip-Hop, successful artists such as Phil Collins. They came in the game with their original style and they will go down as one of the best in the hip-hop history books, but this is not the end for the Bone legacy. This is only the beginning for Bone thugs-n-harmony and expect more, much more!!

Big Punisher (Big Pun for short), was born Christopher Lee Rios on November 10, 1971 and lived through up until his untimely death on February 7, 2000. Pun was a Puerto Rican rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in the Bronx in the late 1990s. He appeared on albums from Raekwon, the Beatnuts and Fat Joe, and eventually signed to Loud Records. Struggling with weight problems during his lifetime, Pun's career was cut short in 2000 after a fatal heart attack. He was survived by a wife and three children. Born in the Bronx during the early years of hip-hop, Christopher Rios grew up in an athletic tradition, enjoying basketball, boxing, and other sports. At the age of five, he broke his leg in a Manhattan municipal park, which would later (after several minimum wage jobs in New York and Miami, where he briefly relocated) net him a settlement from the city, to the tune of $500,000. At the age of 15, Pun dropped out of Stevenson High School. Sometime during the '80s, Rios began to write rap lyrics, forming the Full A Clips Crew with Triple Seis, Cuban Link, and Prospect. After meeting fellow Puerto Rican and Bronx rapper Fat Joe, in 1995, Pun became increasingly associated with him, making his commercial debut on Fat Joe's second album, Jealous Ones Envy (J.O.E.). After an advertising blitz, "I'm Not a Player" (featuring an O'Jays sample) was an underground hit. The song's remix, "Still Not a Player" (featuring Joe), became Big Pun's first major mainstream hit. His full-length debut, Capital Punishment, followed in 1998, and was the first album by a Latino rapper (and a Latino solo artist) to go platinum. Around this time, Big Pun became a member of The Terror Squad, a New-York-based group of Latino rappers founded by Fat Joe, with most of the roster supplied by the now-defunct Full A Clips Crew. Big Pun was also a member of the Digging in the Crates Crew, alongside Fat Joe and various New York hip-hop legends such as Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Big L, and O.C. Due to issues with his broken leg and drug abuse, Pun's health declined during these years. The once-athletic man struggled with overeating problems and weight issues for several years, his weight bounding between 450 and 700 pounds (200 and 300 kg). Though he checked into a North Carolina weight loss clinic and lost 80 pounds (35 kg), the final effort was not enough to save Pun's health. At the age of 28, on February 7, 2000, Big Pun died of a heart attack at 700 lbs. (300 kg). Big Pun's second album, Yeeeah Baby, was already scheduled to be released at the time of his death, and was issued in March 2000. A second posthumous album, Endangered Species, was released in 2001, a collection of "greatest hits," new material, guest appearances, and remixed "greatest verses." Pun's supporters generally praise him for his complex rhyme schemes, intricate wordplay, ability to stay on-beat, and relentless flow and breath control (despite his immense size, which would generally render his complex phrasing too difficult).

he Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls) was born Chris Wallace in Brooklyn, NY. In his youth, Biggie spent nine months in prison for selling crack after dropping out of high school. Legal problems (with assaults, drugs, and weapons charges) continued into his emergence as a successful rapper until his death at age 24 in 1997. Biggie's success in music began when his demo made it to the desk of Uptown Records and eventually Sean Combs (aka Puff Daddy) who took Biggie with him to Bad Boy Records. Biggie's notoriety started when he contributed a remix to Mary J. Blige's LP, What's The 411? and a track on the Who's The Man? soundtrack. August 1994: Biggie topped the Billboard Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for a week with "Juicy." September 1994: Biggie's debut release, Ready To Die, was released and established Biggie as a rapping force in the industry. The Notorious B.I.G. hit the Top 40 with "Juicy / Unbelievable." November 1994: The single "Juicy / Unbelievable" was certified gold and Ready To Die was certified gold. Tupac Shakur (2pac) is shot 4 times during a robbery in New York City: he loses $40K of jewelry, and he says Biggie is involved someway in the shooting. January 1995: Biggie hit the Top 40 with "Big Poppa." The Notorious B.I.G. topped the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart for 9 weeks with "Big Poppa/Warning." February 1995: The Notorious B.I.G. topped the Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for a week with "Big Poppa/Warning." The single "Big Poppa" was certified gold. March 1995: Biggie hit the Top 10 with "Big Poppa." Ready To Die was certified platinum. April 1995: The Notorious B.I.G. helped out Total with the Top 40 track "Can't You See." May 1995: The single "Big Poppa" was certified platinum. June 1995: The Notorious B.I.G. topped the Billboard Singles Sales chart for 5 weeks, the R&B Singles chart for 9 weeks, the R&B Singles Sales chart for 9 weeks, and the Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for 5 weeks with "One More Chance/The What." After a few modest hits on the radio, the Notorious B.I.G. crossed over all music platforms in 1995 with his Top 10 song "Big Poppa." The song became Biggie's signature song and was followed up with another Top 10 hit, "One More Chance" (hitting the Top 40 in June). Ready To Die sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. and established Biggie as a premiere hip-hop artist representing the East Coast sound of rap music. Biggie also contributed his rap vocals to hits by many other artists including Total, the Junior M.A.F.I.A., 112, Da Brat, and Lil' Kim. As Biggie's East Coast rap sounds grew in popularity, so did the rivalry between East and West Coast rappers, especially with 2Pac. The Notorious B.I.G. won 2 Billboard Music Awards for Rap Artist of the Year and Rap Single of the Year ("One More Chance"). July 1995: The single "One More Chance" was certified platinum. August 1995: The Notorious B.I.G. hit the Top 10 with ""One More Chance." December 1995: The Notorious B.I.G. topped the Billboard Year-End Chart-Toppers as the Top Pop Artist - Male (singles & albums), Top Hot 100 Singles Artist - Male, Top R&B Artist - Male (singles & albums), Top Hot R&B Singles Artist - Male, Top Hot R&B Singles Sales ("One More Chance / Stay With Me"), Top Hot Rap Artist, Top Hot Rap Single ("One More Chance / Stay With Me"), Top Hot Rap Artist - Male, and Top Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales Artist. Ready To Die was certified 2x platinum. Mid 1996: Tupac releases 'Hit Em Up' a scathing diss track aimed at Biggie and the Bad Boy Roster in which he states he slepped with Biggie's wife, Faith Evans. February 1996: The Notorious B.I.G. helped out the Junior M.A.F.I.A. with "Get Money" and hit the Top 40. The Notorious B.I.G. was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Big Poppa"). June 1996: The Notorious B.I.G. hit the Top 40 helping out 112 with "Only You." When 2Pac was murdered there was much speculation that the Notorious B.I.G.'s camp was involved in some manner. There was often talk that Biggie and Combs may have been involved with a robbery and shooting of 2Pac in 1994. June 1996: Biggies bitter rival, and ex-friend, Tupac Shakur (2pac) is shot in a drive-by shooting, Las Vegas NV. He dies in hosptial five days later. January 1997: An arrest warrant was issued for the Notorious B.I.G. in New Jersey after he did not show up to answer assault charges in court. A civil court later ordered Biggie to pay over $40,000 in damages to the man while the criminal charges were pending. The charges stem from a May, 1995 incident with a concert promoter. Additional charges Biggie was facing included charges from 1996 alleged drug and weapons violations and an additional assault charge stemming from a New York City nightclub incident. 9 March 1997: On March 9th, after a party for the Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles, the Notorious B.I.G. was shot and murdered at the age of 24. No one has been arrested for the murder, but some have speculated it might somehow be a retaliation for 2Pac's death. Biggie is survived by his estranged wife, Faith Evans, and 2 children. 18 March 1997: His body is flown to La Guardia Airport, where it travels by limousine motorcade to lie in state (open casket) at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home. And then off to eventual cremation in New Jersey. March 1997: Three weeks after his death, his second LP was released, ironically titled Life After Death. The LP debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums and R&B Albums charts (where it stayed for 4 weeks). April 1997: "Hypnotize" topped the Billboard R&B Singles chart for 3 weeks, the Billboard R&B Singles Sales chart for 3 weeks, and the Billboard Rap Singles chart for 7 weeks. May 1997: The Notorious B.I.G. hit the Top 40 with "Hypnotize." "Hypnotize" topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart for 3 weeks and the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart for 3 weeks. A few weeks later, a tribute to Biggie by his estranged wife, Faith Evans, and producer, Puff Daddy, "I'll Be Missing You," went to #1. June 1997: "Hypnotize" went Top 10. The single "Hypnotize" was certified platinum. July 1997: Biggie hit the Top 40 with "Mo Money Mo Problems" with the help of Mase and Puff Daddy. August 1997: "Mo Money Mo Problems" topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart for 2 weeks, the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart for 4 weeks, the Billboard R&B Singles Airplay chart for 2 weeks, the Billboard Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for 2 weeks, and the Billboard Rap Singles chart for 4 weeks and hit the Top 10. Life After Death was certified 6x platinum. September 1997: "Mo Money Mo Problems" (featuring Mase and Puff Daddy) went to #1 for a week and helped Life After Death sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. The Notorious B.I.G. won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video ("Hypnotize"). The single Mo Money Mo Problems" was certified platinum. December 1997: Spin magazine deemed The Notorious B.I.G. "Artist Of The Year" for 1997. The editor of the magazine described B.I.G. as a "genuinely fascinating artist, hard and complicated." The slain rapper was also described as "...like Marvin Gaye or Kurt Cobain, one of those artists who music was suffused with depression and death, but still vibrated in the key of life" by the magazine's senior editor. SoundScan proclaimed The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death the sixth best-selling LP of 1997 - selling over 3.2 million copies in the U.S. The single "Sky's The Limit" was certified gold. The Notorious B.I.G. topped the Billboard Year-End Charts with the Top R&B Album (Life After Death), and as the Top R&B Album Artist and Top R&B Album Artist - Male. January 1998: Life After Death was certified 7x platinum. February 1998: Biggie was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Hypnotize"), Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Mo Money Mo Problems" (with Mase and Puff Daddy)), and Best Rap Album (Life After Death). The Notorious B.I.G. won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Male (Life After Death) and nominated for Best R&B/Soul Album and Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video for "Mo Money Mo Problems" (with Mase and Puff Daddy). August 1998: Ready To Die was certified 3x platinum. September 1998: The Notorious B.I.G. was nominated for a MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rap Video ("Mo Money Mo Problems" (with Mase and Puff Daddy). November 1998: Life After Death was certified 8x platinum. October 1999: Ready To Die was certified 4x platinum. December 1999: A collection of previously unreleased material by the Notorious B.I.G., Born Again, was released and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album chart (where it stayed for 1 week) and Billboard R&B Album chart (for a week). Life After Death was certified 9x platinum. MTV: 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made includes "Mo Money, Mo Problems" at # 23. January 2000: Born Again was certified 2x platinum and Life After Death was certified 10x platinum. September 2002: A controversial report from the Los Angeles Times reported that the Notorious B.I.G. was directly linked to the murder of 2Pac, including paying for the hit and supply the weapon. The report states the shooter was paid $1 million and given Biggie's own gun for the hit. Faith Evans responded to the story: "...I remember Big calling me and crying. I know for a fact he was in Jersey. He called me crying because he was in shock. I think it's fair to say he was probably afraid, given everything that was going on at that time and all the hype that was put on this so-called beef that he didn't really have in his heart against anyone." April 2003: VH1: 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists includes the Notorious B.I.G. at # 4. June 2003: VH1: 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years includes "Mo Money Mo Problems" at # 58. July 2003: The Notorious B.I.G. will be heard on the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack with the track "Realest Niggaz." November 2003: Biggie was featured on the Resurrection soundtrack on the track "Runnin' (Dying To Live)" with 2Pac. December 2003: Rolling Stone: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 133: Ready To Die, # 483: Life After Death. 2004: # 198 on the Top Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years chart. December 2005: Another Notorious B.I.G. LP was released - Duets: The Final Chapter, and featured many duets and collaborations. January 2006: Duets: The Final Chapter topped the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart and Top Digital Albums chart. The Notorious B.I.G. topped the UK singles chart with "Nasty Girl." February 2006: The Notorious B.I.G. hit the Top 40 with "Nasty Girl." Duets: The Final Chapter was certified platinum.

The Brooklyn-born rapper the Notorious B.I.G. (born Chris Wallace) first gained attention for his work on Mary J. Blige's "What's the 411?". THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. blasted his way onto the hip-hop scene with his platinum-selling album Ready To Die, and entered the mainstream public's eye in much the same way when he was murdered in March of 1997. Until his death, B.I.G., a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, nй Christopher Wallace, was virtually unknown outside the world of hip-hop. But news of his death fueled intensive media coverage of an East Coast-West Coast rap war, rallied hip-hop artists from both coasts, and left two young children without a father. The 6'3", 280-pound Wallace was only twenty-four years old. Raised in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant as the son of a pre-school teacher, young honor-roll student Wallace dropped out of high school at the age of seventeen to sell crack. Although his mother insists that "he didn't need to sell crack. He never went hungry," Wallace contended that "crack dealers were my role models." Whatever his reasons, dealing was a way for a young black man to make a living in the ghetto. Of course, his career choice involved certain risks, not all of which paid off: one drug-exchange trip to North Carolina ended with a nine-month stay behind bars. Wallace had plenty of time to think during his prison term, but becoming a millionaire musician was still in the realm of fantasy. Still, after his release, the young man borrowed a friend's four-track tape recorder and laid down some basic rap tracks in a basement. The tapes that he came up with were passed around until they landed in the hands of Andre Harrell, president of Uptown Records, who was impressed with what he heard. Also at Uptown at the time was the East Coast version of Death Row's Marion "Suge" Knight, Sean "Puffy" Combs. When he left Uptown to form Bad Boy Records, B.I.G. went with him. B.I.G. first made a name for himself with a remix of Mary J. Blige's "What's the 411?" and a track on the Who's the Man? soundtrack. But it was the 1994 album Ready To Die, that pushed him to the forefront of the hip-hop scene. The record quickly went platinum, and the Notorious B.I.G. was named Rapper of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Awards. Rolling Stone called the record the best rap debut since Ice Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted. Ready To Die differed from other gangsta rap efforts in its matter-of-fact storytelling of life on the street, with B.I.G. acting as a kind of omniscient narrator. The entire album was held together by his unique perspective; rather than glamorizing violence with the telltale first-person bravado of many rappers, B.I.G. sought to tell the truth, and his deep voice and deeper tales earned him the respect of his fellow artists. The single "Big Poppa" landed him another nickname, and "One More Chance" was named Billboard's Rap Single of the Year. But despite his new reign as a successful rap artist, B.I.G. had not completely left his former life behind. Over the next few years, he had several run-ins with the law, on charges ranging from beatings to drugs to weapons. In 1994, he and Combs were accused of setting up the November robbery-shooting of Tupac Shakur, a charge both of them vehemently denied. (Shakur later mocked B.I.G. in a song, claiming to have slept with Faith Evans, the R&B singer B.I.G. married shortly after the release of Ready To Die.) This "Beef" with Westcoast rapper Tupac Shakur would continue escallading out of control resulting in a feud between Eastcoast and Westcoast rap, Biggie released a few songs calling Tupac. But Tupac retalliated in a dramatic way, in the believe Biggie knew who shot Tupac in 1994 and kept this from him, and also the fact that Tupac believed Biggies first album "Ready To Die" was a re-written version of his own unreleased album. In most of Tupac's future releases he lyrically slays B.I.G, his Bad Boy entourage, and East Coast rap in general, with even whole songs dedicated to rippin tha fuk out of Biggie Smalls and Puffy Combs, such as "Hit Em Up" and "Bad Boy Killaz". This beef would continue to grow until in my mind, it caused the death of both artists involved, as well as many others on the different sides. After one of his concerts was canceled in 1995, B.I.G. and his entourage allegedly beat up a promoter when it turned out the man didn't have the rapper's promised fee. Later the same year, as he and a friend were leaving the Palladium in New York, a crowd of photograph-seekers harassed them, and after some words were exchanged, two of them hopped in a cab to flee. B.I.G. and the friend followed, caught up with the cab, and took baseball bats to the windows and occupants. B.I.G. kept extremely busy in the years between his two albums. He carried on a very public affair with Kim Jones, a.k.a. L'il Kim, and went on to produce her album Hardcore. He also appeared on R.Kelly's debut album and shared studio time with the King of Pop himself, appearing on Michael Jackson's HIStory. Along with Sticky Fingers and M.C. Lyte, the portly rapper even played himself on an episode of the TV show New York Undercover. All that ended in March of 1997 in Los Angeles. B.I.G. was on the West Coast for several events, doing advance press for his next release, Life After Death . . . 'Til Death Do Us Part. On March 9, he attended the Soul Train Music Awards and the party that followed. After the bash, B.I.G. was sitting in a G.M.C. Suburban on the street when he was shot several times by an unknown assailant. He died almost instantly. Theories abound about B.I.G.'s death, the most popular being that the incident was part of the East Coast-West Coast feud between rappers, and that B.I.G.'s murder was payback for the September killing of Tupac Shakur. There had been a buzz around L.A. that the local rap community was unhappy with the high-profile presence B.I.G. had taken on while on their turf, and that the Soul Train Awards appearance was the capper. Another theory gaining prominence is that the murderer was part of a gang that B.I.G. had hired to protect him on his left-coast trip, and that the banger felt he'd been short-changed by the rapper on a past deal. Although the official report reads that the shooting was a drive-by, some accounts say that a man approached the car, talked with B.I.G., and then shot him as he rolled down the window. Several off-duty police officers were working security for Wallace at the time, yet none could provide any concrete evidence of the crime or its perpetrator. Los Angeles police have released a sketch of the suspect, but no arrests have been made. B.I.G.'s murder thrust the so-called "rap war" into the national spotlight and created a call for peace from all sides. Rappers from both coasts, including Snoop Doggy Dogg, Chuck D, and Doug E. Fresh attended a summit held by Louis Farrakhan in Chicago, pledging their support for a unity pact that would include a joint peace tour and an album. Puffy Combs was unable to attend but sent his support, as did Ice-T and Ice Cube. Cube also canceled two shows he had scheduled in L.A. out of respect for the slain rapper. "Stop the Gunfight," a single recorded several years ago that featured both Tupac and B.I.G. was released soon after, and Puffy Combs put together a tribute album that included a single with both B.I.G. and Faith Evans. May 14 was declared Notorious B.I.G. Day, with over two hundred radio stations nationwide playing the single, followed by a thirty-second moment of silence. The Notorious B.I.G.'s public funeral, however, was anything but peaceful. Thousands flooded into his Brooklyn neighborhood to catch a glimpse of his hearse, jumping on cars and clashing with police; ten people were arrested. A private funeral held earlier was more cordial, with Queen Latifah and members of Public Enemy and Naughty by Nature in attendance. The casket was open from the waist up, and the rapper had been fitted in a double-breasted white suit and matching hat. A week later, the double-CD Life After Death hit the streets, landing at the top of the charts, where it remained for three weeks. The next release from the now deceased Biggie Smalls was entitled "Born Again". This is my eyes was a dissapointment for such a long awaited drop. Unfortunately Big didn’t leave 7 albums worth of new material when he died, like 2Pac. Born Again is clearly a stretch to put together the remaining Big material. It’s really a hodge-podge of featuring type songs. There is some Biggie on each song, but on some it’s a shamefully small amount. Even so, we can’t complain. The last CD ever by Notorious is flat out cool. It has a lot of good songs on it and it features some of his best rapping and lyrical prowess ever. New styles are explored and new levels of senseless violence are reached. Biggie, of course, illustrates a robbery gone violently wrong better than any rapper ever to pick up a mic. The album reaches such a crescendo of violence, homophobia, and sex in “Dead Wrong” that it becomes flat out hilarious. “When I get dusted/I love to spread the blood like mustard” is a line that will live in infamy forever. This song is completely raw deal and is one of my all time favorites. While I singled out ‘blood like mustard” I could have picked any of the lines. This receives my rating for most violent song ever. It achieves greatness through brash testosterone. There is also a very memorable collaboration with Cube and another wish Cash Money Records. Hearing Cube and Biggie on the same track is just weird and the Cash Money track (while pushing BIG to his limits) just bangs. ”Tonight”, “Notorious B.I.G.”, and “Niggas” are all worth a good listen as well. The cd lacks a good continuous flow, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks good tracks. However, it is not in the same category with “Ready to Die” or “Life After Death”. Those CD’s have an overall pervading theme. They speak about ghetto life, death, and there is a lot of Biggie in them. This is really a messy list of half-assed tracks. There is success here, but it’s not lp success, it’s hit track success. The mix of absolutely shitty tracks in with the good ones betrays the circumstances under which this was produced. I love that we have it but it doesn’t run like a regular Biggie LP, because it simply isn’t. REST IN PEACE BIG, ALWAYZ REMEMBERED

50 Cent had one of the most anticipated debut LPs in 2003 with the instant hit track "In Da Club" and a few years underground with mixtapes - all from a rapper who had been shot 9 times, stabbed, sold crack, and jailed. 50 Cent grew up as Curtis Jackson in New York, raised by his grandparents after his mother was murdered, now find all the info on his since life and career, only here. 1999: 50 Cent signed a deal with Columbia Records with the help of The Trackmasters. May, 1999: 50 Cent was shot 9 times in New York. He was soon dropped from Columbia Records and his LP, Power Of The Dollar was never released by Columbia Records. 50 Cent continued to try and make it as a rapper and hit the underground music scene with mix-tapes and independent recordings with G-Unit. June, 2002: After finding some success with mix-tapes, 50 Cent was signed by Shady/Aftermath Records with the help of Eminem. October, 2002: 50 Cent could be heard on the 8 Mile soundtrack with the tracks "Wanksta," "Love Me," and "Places To Go." December, 2002: 50 Cent was arrested for gun possession in New York. January, 2003: A performance in San Francisco by 50 Cent had to be cancelled after thousands of fans without tickets showed up outside the concert hall. February, 2003: 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart, the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart for 9 weeks, and the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for 9 weeks with "In Da Club." 50 Cent released Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. The LP includes help from Eminem, Nate Dogg, and Dr. Dre. 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with "In Da Club." Get Rich Or Die Tryin' topped the Billboard 200 Album chart for 6 weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for 8 weeks selling over 872,000 copies in its first week of release in the US - a shorter release week than usual after the release date was pushed up to thwart bootlegging and downloading. Get Rich Or Die Tryin' topped the LP charts in Canada. 50 Cent can be heard on the soundtrack for Cradle 2 The Grave with "Follow Me Gangster." March, 2003: 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for 9 weeks and the Hot 100 Airplay chart for 9 weeks with "In Da Club." 50 Cent hit the Top 10 with "In Da Club" and then #1 for 4 weeks. "In Da Club" broke a Billboard magazine record as the 'most listened-to' song in radio history within a week. Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was certified 4x platinum. 50 Cent helped out Lil' Kim on the track "Magic Stick" for her LP, La Bella Mafia. April, 2003: 50 Cent The New Breed (CD & DVD) was released. 50 Cent appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone. 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with Nate Dogg with "21 Questions." 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for 8 weeks with "21 Questions." 50 Cent topped the Canadian singles charts with "In Da Club." May, 2003: 50 Cent performed on Saturday Night Live. 50 Cent The New Breed topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart for a week. 50 Cent The New Breed topped the Billboard Top Music Videos chart. 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for 4 weeks, the Hot 100 Airplay chart for 5 weeks, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart for 7 weeks, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart for a week, and Hot Rap Tracks chart for 7 weeks with "21 Questions." June, 2003: 50 Cent hit the Top 10 with Nate Dogg with "21 Questions." 50 Cent and Jay-Z will start touring together as part of the 'Rock The Mic Tour' kicking off in June in Connecticut. 50 Cent hit the Top 40 helping out Lil' Kim with "Magic Stick" from her LP La Bella Mafia. 50 Cent topped the Billboard Rap Singles chart for 5 weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for a week by helping out Lil' Kim with "Magic Stick." 50 Cent won 2 BET Awards for Best New Artist and Best Male Hip-Hop Artist. Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was certified 5x platinum. July, 2003: 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for a week helping out Lil' Kim with "Magic Stick." 50 Cent could be heard on the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack with the track "Realest Niggaz." 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with "P.I.M.P." 50 Cent hit the Top 10 helping out Lil' Kim with "Magic Stick." August, 2003: 50 Cent's video for "In Da Club" won 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rap Video and Best New Artist, and was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, and Viewer's Choice. 50 Cent also performed at the ceremony. 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart for 2 weeks with "P.I.M.P." 50 Cent could be heard on Mary J. Blige's LP, Love & Life, on the track "Let Me Be The 1." October, 2003: 50 Cent hit the Top 10 with "P.I.M.P." 50 Cent won 5 World Music Awards including Best Artist 2003, Best Pop Male Artist, Best R&B Artist, Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist, and Best New Artist. 50 Cent took home 2 Source Awards for Album of the Year (Get Rich Or Die Tryin') and Single of the Year, Male ("In Da Club"). 50 Cent won a Radio Music Awards for Artist of the Year - Hip-Hop Radio. November, 2003: 50 Cent was featured on the Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack on the track "The Realist Killaz" with 2Pac. 50 Cent's G-Unit released Beg For Mercy. 50 Cent won 2 American Music Awards for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist and was nominated for the Fan's Choice Award. 50 Cent won 3 Vibe Awards including Artist of the Year, Dopest Album, and Hottest Hook ("In Da Club"). December, 2003: Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was certified 6x platinum. 50 Cent had the Top Music Video Sales title of the year with The New Breed. Readers of Rolling Stone named 50 Cent as the Best New Artist. 50 Cent topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Pop Artist (singles & albums), Top Pop Artist - Male (singles & albums),Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Billboard 200 Album Artist - Male, Top Hot 100 Singles Artist, Top Hot 100 Singles Artist - Male, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist (singles & albums), Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - Male (singles & albums), Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist - Male, Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Artist, Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Artist - Male, Top Hot Rhythmic Top 40 Artist, Top Hot Rap Artist - and with the Top Billboard 200 Album Artist and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album (Get Rich Or Die Tryin''), and the Top Hot 100 Singles & Tracks, Top Hot 100 Airplay Track, Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Top Hot Rap Single ("In Da Club"). 50 Cent had the biggest selling LP of the year - Get Rich Or Die Tryin' - which sold over 6.5 million copies during the year in the US. February, 2004: 50 Cent was nominated for 5 Grammy Awards including Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Magic Stick" with Lil' Kim), Best Rap Solo Performance - Male ("In Da Club"), Best Rap Album Get Rich Or Die Tryin''), Best New Artist, and Best Rap Song (songwriter) ("In Da Club" with M. Elizondo and A. Young). 50 Cent won a Brit Award for Best International Breakthrough Artists. August, 2004: The video for "P.I.M.P." was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award including Best Rap Video. October, 2004: The single "In Da Club" was certified gold. November, 2004: 50 Cent hit the Top 40 helping out Eminem with "Encore" from Eminem's LP, Encore. #276 on the Top Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years chart. January, 2005: 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with "Disco Inferno." 50 Cent hit the Top 40 helping out The Game with "How We Do" from the LP The Documentary. The single "P.I.M.P." was certified gold. February, 2005: 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with "Candy Shop." 50 Cent topped the Billboard Rhythmic Airplay chart with "Disco Inferno." 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart with "Candy Shop." 50 Cent performed on Saturday Night Live. The single "Disco Inferno" was certified gold. March, 2005: 50 Cent released his next LP The Massacre. 50 Cent topped the Billboard Rhythmic Airplay chart helping out The Game with "How We Do." 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Billboard Rap chart, Hot 100 Airplay chart, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and Rhythmic Airplay chart with "Candy Shop." 50 Cent hit the Top 10 with "Disco Inferno." The Massacre topped the Billboard LP 200 chart and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart selling over 1.14 million copies its first week of release (shortened to 4 days due to an early release) in the US. The LP also topped the LP charts in the UK and Canada. 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with The Game with "Hate It Or Love It." 50 Cent hit the Top 10 with "Candy Shop" and "How We Do." The single "Candy Shop" was certified gold and "Disco Inferno" was certified platinum. April, 2005: 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart,Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and Hot Rap Tracks chart helping out The Game with "Hate It Or Love It." The Massacre was certified 4x platinum. 50 Cent hit the Top 10 with The Game with "Hate It Or Love It." May, 2005: 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with "Just A Lil' Bit." 50 Cent topped the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart with "Just A Lil' Bit." 50 Cent plead no contest to assault charges from a concert last year and must take anger management classes and can no longer carry a gun in Massachusetts. June, 2005: The single "Hate It Or Love It" was certified gold. 50 Cent hit the Top 10 with "Just A Lil' Bit." The singles "Disco Inferno" and "Candy Shop" were certified 2x platinum. July, 2005: 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with help from Mobb Deep with "Outta Control." August, 2005: The video for "Candy Shop" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video. The video for "Hate It Or Love It" was nominated for Best Rap Video. 50 Cent performed at the ceremony. The single "In Da Club" was certified platinum. September, 2005: 50 Cent released his next LP The Massacre (Special Edition). The set included a remix of "Outta Control" with Mobb Deep and a DVD. October, 2005: 50 Cent hit the Top 40 with "Window Shopper." November, 2005: The Get Rich Or Die Tryin' soundtrack and movie were released. 50 Cent topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and Top Rap Albums chart with Get Rich Or Die Tryin' soundtrack. 50 Cent won an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album (The Massacre) and was nominated for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, and Artist of the Year. December, 2005: The Massacre was certified 5x platinum and the Get Rich Or Die Tryin' soundtrack was certified platinum. 50 Cent had the #2 selling LP of 2005 with The Massacre selling over 4.8 million copies during the year. 50 Cent topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Pop Artist (singles & albums), Top Pop Artist - Male (singles & albums), Top Billboard 200 Album Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album Artist - Male, Top Hot 100 Singles Artist, Top Hot 100 Singles Artist - Male, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist (singles & albums), Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - Male (singles & albums), Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist - Male, Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artist, Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artist - Male, Top Rhythmic Artist, and with the Top Billboard 200 Album (The Massacre which actually came in at #2 by the end of the year) and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album. February, 2006: 50 Cent was nominated for 6 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Disco Inferno"), Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Encore" with Eminem and Dr. Dre and "Hate It Or Love It" with The Game), Best Rap Song (awarded to the songwriter) ("Candy Shop" with Scott Storch and "Hate It Or Love It" with A. Lyon, The Game and M. Valenzano), and Best Rap Album (The Massacre).

Why, despite being blackballed by the industry and without a major-label recording contract, did peoples attractions turn to Jamaica, Queens' realest son, 50 Cent, like the flies to shit. 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson 26 years ago, is the real deal, the genuine article. He's a man of the streets, intimately familiar with its codes and its violence, but still, 50, an incredibly intelligent and deliberate man, holds himself with a regal air as if above the pettiness which surrounds him. Couple his true-life hardship with his knack for addictive, syrupy hooks, it's clear that 50 has exactly what it takes to ride down the road to riches and diamond rings. 50 is real, so he does real things. Born into a notorious Queens drug dynasty during the late '70s, 50 Cent lost those closest to him at an early age. Raised without a father, 50's mother, whose name carried weight in the street (hint, hint, dummies), was found dead under mysterious circumstances before he could hit his teens. The orphaned youth was taken in by his grandparents, who provided for 50. But his desire for things would drive him to the block. Which in his case was the infamous New York Avenue, now known as Guy R. Brewer Blvd. There, 50 stepped up to get his rep up, amassing a small fortune and a lengthy rap sheet. But the birth of his son put things in perspective for the post adolescent, and 50 began to pursue rap seriously. He signed with JMJ, the label of Run DMC DJ Jam Master Jay and began learning his trade. JMJ would teach the young buck to count bars and structure songs. Unfortunately, caught up in industry limbo, there wasn't much JMJ could do for 50. The platinum hitmakers Trackmasters took notice of 50 and signed him to Columbia Records in 1999. They shipped 50 to Upstate NY where they locked him up in the studio for 2 1/2 weeks. He turned out 36 songs in this short period, which resulted in "Power Of A Dollar," an unreleased masterpiece that Blaze Magazine judged a classic. 50's stick up kid anthem "How to Rob" blew through the roof and playfully painted him as a deliriously hungry up-and-comer daydreaming of robbing famous rappers. But 50 and the fans were the only ones laughing. Unable to take a joke, Jay-Z, Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz, and Ghostface Killah all replied to the song. "It wasn't personal. It was comedy based on truth, which made it so funny," says 50 Cent. In April of '00, 50 was shot 9 times, including a .9mm bullet to the face, in front of his grandmothers house in Queens. He spent the next few months in recovery while Columbia Records dropped him from the label. 50 didn't fold, he flew. Right into the zone. He banged out track after track, despite no income or backing, with his new business partner and friend Sha Money XL. The two recorded over 30 songs, strictly for mix-tapes, with the soul purpose of building a buzz. 50's street value rose and by the end of the spring of '01 he'd released the new material independently on the makeshift LP, "Guess Who's Back?". Beginning to attract interest, and now backed by his crew, G-Unit, 50 stayed on his grind and made more songs. But it was different this time. Rather than create new songs as they had before, 50 decided to showcase his hit-making ability by retouching first-class beats which had already been used. They released the red, white and blue bootleg, "50 Cent Is the Future," revisiting material by Jay-Z and even Rapheal Saadiq. That's when the unbelievable happened, and hip-hop history was written. The energetic CD caught the ear of supa MC Eminem, and within a week Em was on the radio saying, '50 Cent is my favorite rapper right now.' Em looked to mentor Dr. Dre to confirm his belief in the young hitmaker, and the good doctor co-signed. Floored by the appreciation of the greats, 50 didn't hesitate in signing with the dream team. In the wake of his acquisition, 50 Cent has become the most sought after newcomer in almost a decade. Not since the summer of '94, when radio would play absolutely anything Notorious B.I.G. related, has hip-hop seen buzz like this. Ever the clever businessman, 50 didn't let the opportunity escape him and quickly released another bootleg of borrowed beats, "No Mercy, No Fear." The CD featured only one new track, "Wanksta," which was certainly not intended for radio, but the streets couldn't wait for the official single and within weeks "Wanksta" became New York's most requested record. Thankfully, the stellar cut has found a home on the multi-platinum soundtrack to Eminem's smash movie, "8 Mile." With several huge hits already under his belt, 50 Cent is poised to be the artist to beat next year. He's coming with over ten incredible tracks stashed from last spring and newly recorded winners courtesy of Eminem, who's really cut his production teeth of late, and hip-hop's greatest, highest-selling producer Dr. Dre. "Creatively, what more could I ask for?" he asks jokingly. "You know if me and Em is in the same room then it's gonna be a friendly competition, neither of us wanna let the other one down. And Dre??? C'mon." Promising an LP of the caliber of rap classics like "Illmatic," "Ready to Die," and "Reasonable Doubt," 50 Cent's debut promises to set the pace for hip-hop in coming years. The product of his unrelenting drive, talent and, frankly, his real-ness, 50's official first album promises to do for him just what it says. With his infectious flow and viciously funny I-don't-give-a-fuck personality, there is no doubt that 50 Cent will Get Rich or Die Trying.

1968: Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, joins the NEW YORK Black Panther party at the age of 22. April 1969: Afeni Shakur is arrested and charged with conspiracy to bomb several public areas in New York. While out on bail Afeni dates two men, Legs, a local G, and Billy, who is a member of the party. February 1971: Afeni, pregnant with Tupac, has her bail revoked. She is then sent to the Womens House of Detention in Greenwich Village. June 16 1971: Afeni gives birth to Tupac Amaru Shakur, shortly after been acquitted on bombing charges. Tupac Amaru are Inca words meaning "shining serpant". Shakur is Arabic for "Thankful to God". 1975-1983: Tupac's family constantly move between the Bronx and Harlem, sometimes living in shelters. Legs comes to live with the Shakur family and Tupac "claims" him as his father. Legs then introduces Afeni to Crack. September 1983: Afeni enrolls Tupac, now aged 12, in the 127th Street Ensemble, a Harlem theater group. In his first performance little Tupac plays Travis in Raisin The Sun. June 1986: Tupac's family move to Baltimore, where as MC New York Tupac writes his first rap. September 1986:Tupac enrolls himself at the Baltimore School For Arts where 'pac studies ballet and acting. June 1988: Tupac and his family move again, this time to Marine City, Claifornia. Tupac said later "leaving that school affected me so much, I see that as the point where I got of track." Shortly after moving Tupac moves in with a neighbour and begins to slang drugs. August 1988: Mutulu Shakur, Tupac's stepfather, is sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a an amoured-car robbery which took place in 1981. 1990: Tupac joins Digital Underground as a rodie/dancer/rapper. Whilst he is on tour he learns that his mother, Afeni, is doing crack. January 3, 1991: Tupac makes his recording debut on Digital Underground's. This is an E.P. release. November 12, 1991: Tupac releases his debut solo album, 2PACALYPSE NOW. Shortly after 'pac launches a $10 million lawsuit against Oakland police for alleged brutality following his arrest for jaywalking. January 17, 1992: Tupac makes his big-screen debut in Ernest Dickinson's JUICE, in which he earnt praise for his portrayel of his character, Bishop. He is perhaps best remebered for the line "Im crazy and I dont give a fuck!" April 11, 1992: Ronald Ray Howard, aged 19, shoots a Texas trooper. Howard's attorney claims 2Pacalypse Now , incited him to kill. August 22, 1992: Tupac meets with old mates in Marine City. A 6 year old bystander is shot in the head. Tupac's half brother, Maurice Harding is arrested but released due to lack of eveidence. September 22, 1992: Tupac is denounced by vice president Dan Quayle, who says 2Pacalypse Now "has no place in our society." And what does everyone else think??.....fuck u Quayle! February 1, 1993: STRICTLY 4 MY N.I.G.G.A.Z is released and goes platinum. April 5, 1993: Tupac is arrested in Lansing Michigan for taking a swing at a local rapper with a baseball bat during a concert. 'pac is sentenced to 10 days in prison. July 23, 1993: John Singleton's POETIC JUSTICE, starring Tupac and Janet Jackson is released. Before the filming began Janet demanded Tupac to take a HIV test before she would do any kissing scenes. October 31, 1993: Tupac is arrested for allegedly shooting two off-duty Atlanta police officers who he says were harassing a black motorist. The charges are eventually dropped. November 18, 1993: A 19 year old woman who Tupac 'picked-up' 4 days earlier in a New York nightclub, is allegedly sodomized and sexually abused by Tupac and 3 of his friends. December 1993: John Singleton is forced by Columbia Pictures to drop Tupac from the cast of his upcoming film, Higher Learning. March 10, 1994: Tupac is sentenced to 15 days in a Los Angeles jail for punching out Director Allen Hughes. Hughes and his brother had earlier dropped Tupac from the film Menace II Society. March 23, 1994: Tupac stars as Birdie, a troubled drug dealer, in a film called Above The Rim. The soundtrack album, featuring the song "Pour out a little liquor," recorded by Tupac's group, Thug Life, sells 2 million coppies. September 7, 1994: Two Milwaukee teens murder a police officer and say that Tupac's "Souljah's Story" is their inspiration. November 30 1994: While on trial for sex and weapons charges, Tupac is shot five times and robbed of $40,000 worth of jewelry in the lobby of Times Square Recording Studios. Tupac later checks himself out of the hospital less than three hours after the surgery. This case still remains unsolved. December 1, 1994: Tupac is acquitted of sodomy and weapons charges but is found guilty of sexual abuse. Febuary 14, 1995: Tupac is sentenced to up to four and a half years in a maximum security prison after been convIcted of "touching her bum." He immediately begins serving his time in the New York Rikers Island penitentiary. April 1, 1995: While Tupac is in prison his third album, ME AGAINST THE WORLD, debuts at No.1 in the USA Billboard pop chart. Fueled by the single "Dear mama" the album goes double platinum in less than 7 months. John Singleton is forced by Columbia Pictures to drop Tupac from the cast of his upcoming film, Higher Learning. April 1995: In a vibe interview from jail, Tupac renounces "Thug Life" persona and commits himself to positive works. He also implicates Biggie Smalls, Puffy Combs, Andre Harrell, and his close friend Stretch, and others in the recording studio ambush. August 1995: Biggie, Puffy and Harrell tell Vibe, they had no connection to Tupac's shooting. October 1995: Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight posts $1.4 million bond to release Tupac, who immediately flies to LA, signs with Death Row and begins recording All Eyez on Me. November 30, 1995: Exactly on year after Tupac's shooting, Randy "Stretch" Walker is murdered execution-style in Queens. February 1996: In Vibe Tupac suggests he's been sleeping with Biggie's wife, Faith Evans. She denies the stories. February 13, 1996: Tupac's Death Row Debut, All Eyez on Me, rap's first double CD, is released. March 29, 1996: Words are exchanged and a gun is pulled when Death Row and Bad Boy employees face off after the Soul Train awards in Los Angeles. April 25, 1996: All Eyez on Me goes quintuple platinum. May 1996: Tupac and Snoop Doggy Dogg release "2 of Amerikaz most Wanted." In the video, caricatures of Biggie and Puffy and punished for setting up Tupac. June 4, 1996: Death Row releases Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up," a brutal diatribe against Biggie, Bad Boy, Mobb Deep, and others. September 1996: The video for "California Love" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video. September 4, 1996: Tupac returns to New York for the MTV music awards and gets into a scuffle. September 7, 1996: After leaving the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight in Las Vegas in Suge Knight's car, Shakur is shot four times in the chest by an assailant in a white Cadillac. Knight, who has connections with the Bloods, escapes with a minor injury. Shakur is rushed to University Medical Center, where he undergoes surgery, including the removal of his right lung. September 11, 1996: A Compton man who police say is associated with the LA Crips is shot to death while sitting in his car, the first in a series of gang related murders. Police begin investigating possible connections to Tupac's shooting. Friday, September 13 1996: After six days in critical condition, Tupac Shakur is pronounced dead at 4:03pm. His body is later cremated. He was only 25. TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR POSTHUMOUS (AFTER DEATH) TIMELINE September 1996: Tupac's last album to be released when he was alive "All Eyez On Me", was certified 6x platinum. November 1996: A posthumous LP by 2Pac under the pseudonym "Makaveli" was released. The album was titled "The Don Killuminati - 7 Day Theory", and became 2Pac's 3rd # 1 album. Don Killuminati - 7 Day Theory topped the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for a week and the Top R&B Albums chart for 6 weeks. Videos released after 2Pac's death ironically show 2Pac focusing on the hardcore lifestyle he lived in, and the deadly results. Tracks such as "White Man'z World" and "Krazy" kept 2Pac's music on radio airways well into 1997. December 1996: Tupac's last album to be released when he was alive "All Eyez On Me" was certified 7x platinum. Don Killuminati - 7 Day Theory topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for 6 weeks. January 1997: 2Pac won an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. 2Pac's Don Killuminati - 7 Day Theory album was officially certified 2x platinum. February 1997: 2Pac was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album with "All Eyez On Me", and Best Rap Performance for both "California Love" and "How Do U Want It" singles from his "All Eyez On Me" album. April 1997: "The Don Killuminati - 7 Day Theory" album was certified as 3x platinum by the RIAA. 2Pac's voice was still heard on many collaborations and unreleased tracks, his persona was still expressed in a few films, and his estate was challenged numerous times in court. A woman who was paralyzed in Arkansas at a club where 2Pac was performing in 1993, won a $16.6 million judgment from Tuac's estate (although the ruling was later over-ruled by a judge. Tupac's biological parents were battling in court to decide who should claim his estate, although Tupac had nenver had a relationship with his biological father, he still wanted a piece of Tupac's estate. Tupac's estate was again challenged as it was sued by C. DeLores Tucker, who claimed that 2Pac's LP "All Eyez On Me" has ruined her sex life. Tucker is a member of the National Political Congress of Black Women and is known for her outspoken protests of what she calls "gangsta porno rap." The $10 million suit contends that the LP's lyrics has caused her "great humiliation, mental pain, and suffering" with the songs such as "Wonda Why They Call U Bytch" and the hit "How Do U Want It" saw 2Pac aiming lines at Tucker personally. May 1997: The film "Gridlock'd" starring 2Pac was released on 30th May. Most critics felt 2Pac's strong performance as a drug addict in the film demonstrated that not only an extremely talented musician had been lost, but also a seriously talented actor had been lost too. August 1997: 2Pac was back in the Top 40 helping out Scarface and Johnny P with the track "Smile" taken from Scarface's album, a track that 2Pac recorded alongisde Scarface before his death. September 1997: Vibe magazine released a "Tupac Shakur" hard-cover collection of essay and photo portraits of 2pac to commemorate the first anniversary of the his death. The profiles look at 2Pac's life, career achievements, and look into his controversial death. 2Pac's name continued to be involved with many lawsuits. The estate of 2Pac and Suge Knight (head of Death Row Records) was sued by a man claiming to be a victim in the Las Vegas casino attack on the evening 2Pac was shot. The alleged victim, now known to be Orlando Anderson, who was also said to be a suspect in 2Pac's murder at the time, claimed he was beaten by 2Pac, Suge Knight, and others of their entourage in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel. Orlando was also believed to be a member of the Los Angeles Southside Crips street gang. Knight had been currently serving a nine-year jail sentence from a previous assault case. Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, won her court case against Death Row Records, Tupac's last record label whilst he was alive, and received at least 150 unreleased songs recorded by her son. November 1997: A new double CD with 24 tracks by 2Pac called "R U Still Down? (Remember Me)" was released and the first single was "I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto." The LP was the first release from the record company started by 2Pac's mother, Afeni Shakur, after she won the rights to her son's unreleased material. The tracks were recorded by Tupac between the years of 1991 and 1994, the time when 2Pac was with Interscope, prior to his involvement with Suge Knight and his Death Row Records. December 1997: R U Still Down? (Remember Me) was certified 4x platinum only 1 month after its release, and also topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for 2 weeks. 2Pac topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Billboard 200 Album Artist - Male and the Top R&B Artist - Male (singles & albums). June 1998: All Eyez On Me, the last album released by Tupac when he was still alive was certified as 9x platinum. July 1998: The LP "In His Own Words" was released in the U.S and included unreleased material including 2 songs with the The Notorious B.I.G. and an interview. However, the release was considered to be a bootleg by Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, and a cease-and-desist order was issued in order to stop sales of the LP. August 1998: Tupac's single "How Do U Want It / California Love" from his All Eyez On Me album was certified 2x platinum. Ocotber 1998: A few court cases against 2Pac's estate were settled during October 1998, one of which saw 2Pac's biological father drop his lawsuit which seeked half of the rappers estate. The case was settled for over $800,000. The lawsuit from a woman hit by a stray bullet at a 2Pac concert was rumoured to have been settled for about $2 million. November 1998: A 2-CD greatest hits collection was released: "2Pac - Greatest Hits" with the hit single "Changes." December 1998: 2Pac hit the Top 40 with his single "Changes" taken from his Greatest Hits album, and the album itself also topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for 2 weeks. February 1999: 2Pac hit the Top 10 with his single "Changes." March 1999: 2Pac: Greatest Hits was certified as platinum. June 1999: The Don Killuminati - 7 Day Theory, Tupac's first posthumous album was certified 4x platinum. September 1999: 2Pac was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and Best Editing for the single "Changes" taken from his Greatest hits collection. December 1999: A new 2Pac LP, Still I Rise, was released on 14th December. MTV's "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" list includes 2Pac's "California Love" at # 9. February 2000: 2Pac was nominated for a Grammy Award for Rap Solo Performance for his "Changes" single. Still I Rise was certified platinum just a few months after its release. March 2000: 2Pac Greatest Hits was certified 5x platinum and the single "Do For Love" was certified as gold. April 2000: 2Pac was featured in a new book, "Static: My Tupac Shakur Story" by Chopmaster J. one of the co-founders of Digital Underground, which was the hip hop group Tupac joined in the first stages of his rap career. September 2000: Court cases involving 2Pac's family and the family of Orlando Anderson, a man 2Pac was accused of assaulting on the night 2Pac died, are settleed. Orlando Anderson was shot to death 2 years after 2Pac died. October 2000: 2Pac Greatest Hits was certified as 9x platinum

Tupac Amaru Shakur, aka 2pac, aka Makaveli, was originally born Lesane Parish Crooks. He was born in New York City, USA, on 16th June 1971 to two political activists, and members of 'The Black Panther Party'. His mother Afeni Shakur, was pregnant with Tupac whilst in jail on bombing charges, and is said to have not known who Tupac's father was at that time. Tupac saw a man named 'Legs' as his father during his early years, who was also the man that introduced his mom, Afeni, to crack. While still a very small child, his mother changed his name to Tupac Amaru Shakur, after an Inca Indian revolutionary: 'Tupac Amaru', meaning 'Shining Serpent', 'Shakur' means 'Thankful To God', in Arabic. From childhood, it is known that everyone called Tupac the 'Black Prince'. When he was aged two, his sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, was born. This child's father, Mutulu Shakur, was also a Black Panther activist who, a few months before her birth, had been sentenced to sixty years for a fatal amoured-car robbery, which took place in 1981. With Mutulu away, the family experienced hard times. No matter where they moved-the Bronx, Harlem, homeless shelters- Tupac was distressed. "I remember crying all the time. My major thing growing up was I couldn't fit in. Because I was from everywhere. I didn't have no buddies that I grew up with." Because of this instability at such a young age, Tupac grew up a troublesome child, he referred to it as "I have to play the hand I was dealt." When Tupac was 10 he and Afeni moved to Baltimore in the hope of giving him a chance in life by enrolling him at the 'Baltimore School Of Arts'. Tupac excelled in every performance as his true talent showed, despite his troubled past. People could see Tupac had true talent as he wrote his fist rap under the alias 'MC New York' in June 1986. Despite this talent and happiness Tupac was showing Afeni again moved, this time away from the Eastside of America, to Marine City, in California, which is on the Westside of America. As many of you will know, the 'sides' or 'coasts' of America would become an important factor in Tupacs life, and death. The 'East vs Westside' feud / beef between rappers and gangsters was already going on, but with Tupac's contributions, it would esculate out of control, resulting in in bloodshed. Tupac said after leaving the school in Baltimore, "leaving that school affected me so much, I see that as the point where I got of track." Shortly after moving Tupac moves in with a neighbour and begins to slang drugs. Tupac's childhood is one of which I would definately never refer to as a 'normal' upbringing, Tupac was forever in the strugle, even through all of his earliest memories. Even today many people don't see him as an influential young black male, because of the influence these bad experiences gave Tupac, nor do they see he went through everything and more, to get where he did, to do what he wanted to do - teach and reach his people. So anyone who tries to diss Tupac Shakur does not know him at all, they do not know the man inside the gangster exterior. It is because of his lifestyle, childhood, the environment around him, and the things he saw, that made him what he was. I strongly believe that Tupac had two sides too him - that he was a divided soul! If people knew him, meet him, or listened to his music they would know that there was another side of him that was vastly different from the Tupac who embraced the gangster lifestyle which he proclaimed as "the way of Death Row," his music label. In 1991 when Tupac was on his first tour with Digital Underground he talked of his "hopes and dreams of using his talents to turn bad to good and become a pro-black revolutionary " He spoke with the wild enthusiasm of a youth who wanted to accomplish everything at once, because he had yet to learn that in life only so much is possible. He wasn't a gangster or a thug, not yet. Tupac tended to attract a lot attention on stage, because of his gift to make people laugh but listen and learn, and also because of his good looks and good nature, it was hard not to like Tupac. But he was deeply affected by what he was seeing around him and what he had seen as a youngster, and later this would reveal the darker side of Tupac. Later on in his career Tupac tended to show more of his darker side, both in and out of his songs, I believe this was because he thought it was his unavoidable destiny. But he still continued to show his lighter side in many of his songs throughout his career, songs released in life and in his death. Both sides of him influenced so many peoples lives for good, inspiring his people to carry on, and to 'Keep Ya Head Up', through the struggle that is life. However his songs also influenced people in bad ways, especially when a murderer blamed Tupac's debut solo album, '2pacalypse Now' for his own urge to kill. Tupac seemed to constantly struggle with these two sides of his soul, switching the sides of his psyche back and forth between the life of a thug and the way of the "revolutionary." In 1990 Tupac joined a rap group called Digital Underground as a rodie/dancer/rapper, and went on tour with them, he was a massive hit and it was clear he was destined for bigger things. However, by this time, Tupac had already been arrested 8 times. Once again showing both sides of his "divided soul." He was even the subject of two wrongful death cases, one involving a 6 year old who was killed in the gunshots between Tupac' people and a rival gang. He was dealt another huge blow as he learns that whilst he is on tour, his mother, Afeni, is addicted to crack. Tupac reacted badly to this, and refers to this moment in many of his songs as an awful time in his life. It is believed that Afeni's partner 'Legs' had earlier introuduced Afeni to crack. Yet Tupac still carried on with Digital Underground, every day learning more, and every day pushing more for his own chance to get on his own stage. He was rewarded on the 3rd of January 1991 when Tupac makes his recording debut on Digital Underground's Same Song. This is an E.P. release. In 1991 Tupac entered his best years, he broke free from the group 'Digital Undergound' and on November 12, 1991, Tupac releases his debut solo album, '2PACALYPSE NOW', the album was an immediate success, with its sales eventually going gold, with the help of its single releases such as 'Breanda's gotta Baby'. The album put him on the high-speed way to stardom. However shortly after this release, Tupac was in trouble with the law again, this time Tupac launches a $10 million lawsuit against Oakland police for 'alleged brutality' following his arrest for jaywalking. In the same year Tupac made his film debut, starring in Ernest Dickinson's film 'JUICE', which brought Hollywood success, and earnt him praise for his portrayel of his character, 'Bishop', for which he is perhaps best remebered for the line, "Im crazy and I dont give a fuck!" However on the 11th April 1992, Ronald Ray Howard, aged 19, shoots a Texas trooper. Howard's attorney claims Tupac's debut album '2Pacalypse Now', incited him to kill, this reflected very badly on Tupac's gangster lyrics throughout the album, and also him as a person, as his lifestyle comes under closer scrutiny and his many run-ins with the law become publicised. However if anything this only helped Tupac as a rap artist as his audiences believed his gangster lyrics to be truthfull, and not fake, which resulted in many more sales and media hype for 2pac! In '93 Tupac then released his second album 'STRICTLY 4 MY N.I.G.G.A.Z.' which went on to go platinum, and Tupac also starred along side Janet Jackson in the movie 'POETIC JUSTICE'. Because of Tupac's repuatation with the ladies, Janet Jackson requested he had a HIV test before she would do any kissing scenes with him. Despite his continued success and rising fame, in this same year he was still in trouble with the law, which included a violent attack on a police officer. Due to his "aggressive" and "anti-police" lyrics, the Vice President of the USA then declared that Tupac's lyrics "promote gang violence and have no place in society." This only made him more popular as he was getting lots of high profile attention, and was seen as a True Thug, and a true representative of his background and upbringings. However Tupac's career and life was put in doubt on November 30th '94. Tupac was shot 5 times and robbed in the lobby of Quad Studies in New York's Time Square. The thieves made of with $40,000 of his jewellery. Tupac later accused fellow rap artist 'The Notorious B.I.G.' of involvement of the shooting. This made the current tension between East and West coast rappers worse as 2pac and 'The Notorious B.I.G.' lyrically attacked each other, as they were each from opposite coasts. The two rappers used to be friends, once even appearing on stage together in their earlier careers, but due to many public feuds over issues such as; Biggie (aka The Notorious B.I.G.) supposedly stealing 2pac's lyrics whilst 2pac was in jail, Biggie and Bad Boy Records supposed act of betrayal in Tupac's attemted assaination, the fact Tupac 'switched sides' as he moved to from Baltimore to Cali, and that Tupac claimed he slept with Biggies wife Faith Evans, the beef between the two got worse. Tupac checked himself out of hospital after the shooting, just 3 hours after surgery and miraculously recovered from the injuries to record some of his most impressive artistic accomplishments. Tupac then hit enough brick wall in the way of his dreams as he was sentenced to four and a half years in jail in New York, after been convicted of weapons charges and sexual assault. The epic '2pac, ME AGAINST THE WORLD' was released whilst he was still serving his sentence but still debuted at No.1 in the USA 'Billboard Chart'. Meanwhile Marion 'Suge' Knight president of Hip-Hop's most successful and controversial label, Death Row Records, had arranged parole for Tupac, who only served 8 months of his sentence, and posted the required $1.4 million bail. The deal was that Tupac signed to Death Row Records when released and recorded 3 albums for them. Newly signed to Death Row a double CD entitled 'ALL EYEZ ON ME' was released by Tupac, the album received supporting and outstandingly good reviews and went over 9 times platinum, selling over 6 million in its first year. The album generated the hit single 'California Love' with 2pac featuring rap legend Dr Dre. Tupac had gained worldwide success and was the "biggest influence to the youth since the great N.W.A." In the same year Tupac received many acting offers and so began to concentrate on his acting career, appearing in films 'GRIDLOCK'D' and 'BULLET'. However Tupac couldn't escape his 'dark side' and carried on getting in a lot of trouble both with the law and many other people, including his rap peers. Tupac continued the East vs West coast beef, and in May 1996 he and fellow Death Row artist 'Snoop Doggy Dogg' released "2 of Amerikaz most Wanted." In the video, caricatures of Biggie and Puffy are punished for setting up Tupac. Then again on June 4, 1996 Death Row released Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up," a brutal attack against Biggie, Bad Boy, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, Lil Kim and Puffy. This 'beef' was now getting very personal and more serios by the day as it looked more and more likely to end in violence. Tupac continues to get himself deeper in trouble on September 4, 1996 as Tupac returns to New York for the MTV music awards and gets into a scuffle. Then on September 7, 1996, to reasons still not known to the police, Tupac got into a scuffle at the 'Mike Tyson vs Bruce Seldon' fight in Las Vegas, and after leaving with DeathRow CEO Suge Knight, in Suge Knight's car, Tupac was shot 4 times, by a still unknown assailant in a white cadillac, in a drive-by style shooting. Knight, who has connections with the Bloods, escapes with a minor injury. Shakur is rushed to University Medical Center, where he undergoes surgery, including the removal of his right lung. On September 11, 1996 a Compton man who police say is associated with the LA Crips gang is shot to death while sitting in his car, the first in a series of gang related murders after the Tupac shooting. Police begin investigating these as possible connections to Tupac's shooting. After 6 days in a critical condition the legendary phenomenon that was 2pac slid out of this world and went on to face his judgement were maybe the "division" of his soul can be resolved. He passed away at 4:03 pm five days after the shooting took place, at the young age of only 25! Yet Tupac seemed to know that because of his lifestyle and the controversy he seemed to cause, that he would die before he was 30 as he expressed this through many of his songs. There are many complications in his death and he often rapped about faking his own death, leading his big fans to believe he was still alive, faking his death to avaid enemies. He had changed his alias to Makaveli, referring to the Italian politician Machiavelli who wrote about cheating death, he also rapped about the death / murder of The Notorious B.I.G., which happened after his death. In a further twist the main suspect in his murder Orlando Anderson was also shot dead, and the only person who said they could and would point out Tupac's assasin in a line up, Yafeu Fula, aka Kadafi, a member of his group 'The Outlawz', was also shot to death. And these, along with many many other suspicious factors which shrouded his death, continued to raise theories of who, why, when, and what happened to Tupac on that night, and the following days he was in hospital. I'll let u decide if 2pac's alive when you read all the facts and theories in our '2pac Alive Theories' Section! Life after Tupac's death was still shooting him to super-stardom as multi platinum albums and films releases was, and are still been pumped out to this day. It is now known that Tupac recorded around as much as at least 12 albums worth of tracks, resulting in many many releases after his death, whcih in turn all resulted in millions and millions of record sales for each release. Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur filed a lawsuit against Death Row records for the ownership of all her sons material to be passed on to herself, on the grounds that Tupac was making plans to leave Death Row for his own company, and he had served his contract to them. The judge saw fit to grant Afeni the ownership of all her sons unreleased material. Afeni set up 'Amaru Records' in order to rework and distribute Tupac's music. Money raised from his posthumus releases would also go to many good causes, most notibely the 'TASF', (Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation), which works towards helping young people from poor area's, giving them a chance to be safe, play, and learn. Tupac's posthumus releases started on November 5, 1996, with his 'MAKAVELI - The Don Killuminati: 7 day Theory' album released on Death Row Records, and this album would be the last to be released from that label. The album was again a violent album in some areas, and lighter in others. The album was very successful and eventually went onto go multi platinum, with the album reaching Chart Positions of: #1 in the R&B chart, aswell as #1 in the Pop chart. The next release did not come until a year later than the previous, and was after Tupac's material was under the ownership of his mother Afeni Shakur. On November 25, 1997 the 'R U Still Down? (remember me)' album was released on Amaru/Jive Records, and was certified platinum under two months of its release on December 15, 1997. The album reached chart positions of, #1 R&B, #2 Pop. November 24, 1998, a year after 'R U STILL DOWN', came the double disc album '2pac : Greatest Hits', released on reocrd labels Amaru/Jive, Interscope and also Deathrow. This album again reached multi platinum level, topped all the charts and again proved that Tupac was becoming even larger in death than in life. The album reached chart positions of, #1 R&B and #1 Pop, and was certified soon after as a massive 9X (times) Platinum. Along with all Tupac's previous albums it continues to sell very well to this day. Much to Tupac fans' delight the massive 'Greatest Hits' album was again followed up just over a year later with the release of 'Still I Rise' again on Amaru/Jive, Interscope and Deathrow record labels. The 'Still I Rise' album featured Tupac's group The Oultawz heavily and contained classic tracks such as 'Baby Dont Cry', showing the lighter side of Tupac, and 'Hell 4 A Hustler' showing a more gangster side. The album was released on December 14, 1999, and reached No.2 in the R&B chart, and No.7 in the Pop chart (USA). The album has since been certified 2X platinum. The next Tupac release, 'The Rose that Grew from the Concrete' broke the mould, it was not his vocal recordings but instead a spoken CD of people reading/performing a collection of his poems, the album was released of Amaru Records with Interscope Records on November 21, 2000. On March 27, 2001, the mould was reformed to its previous state of unreleased Tupac songs, remixed for todays market, with the album 'Until the End of Time', released on Amaru, Deathrow and Interscope Records. Its highest chart position was once more #1 R&B, and #1 Pop, and was again soon after certified 2X platinum. The album featured smash-hits such as 'Until The End of Time' a remix of the song 'Broken Wings', and also 'Letter 2 My Unborn'. By this point Tupac fans, including myself, were still finding it hard to believe that after 6+ years after his death we were still hearing new, orignal recordings that were just as good as the last set! Then, once again on November 26, 2002, another release came our way in the form of the 2pac album 'Better Dayz'. And once again the album exceeded all expectations by reaching chart positions of #1 R&B and #5 Pop. The album has not yet been certified (as of early 2004), so im unable to correctly say how many times the album went platinum or gold! The next album release on 6th October 2003, entitled '2pac: Nu-Mixx Klazzics' was from DeathRow records, who of course lost the rights to Tupacs unreleased work, and so consisted of no previously unreleased material, but modern remixes of previous classic songs such as '2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted', 'How Do You Want It', and 'Hit Em Up'. The next official release from Amaru was on 10th November 2003, in the form of a soundtrack entitled 'Tupac: Ressurection', soundtrack to the official Tupac documentary, also entitled 'Tupac: Ressurection'. The album featured some unreleased vocals, some previously 'leaked' tracks, remixed by Amaru, (probably as a way of selling already heard material), and some early Tupac tracks from the first stages in his career, such as 'Same Song', his debut release with the rap group Digital Undergorund. As with all Tupac products, this soundtrack and documentary were, adn still are, very successful. On the 16 August 2004 another release from his former home and label, Death Row Records, hit the shelves. Again the CD contained old material, but in a different sense these tracks were also new, as all tracks on the album were LIVE performances of Tupac performing his biggest hits at various tours and venues. The release is entitled '2pac - Live On Deathrow'. A few months later on 13th December 2004 Amaru/Interscope release the next posthumus Tupac album, 'Loyal To The Game', again containing nothing but previously unheard lyrics, to the delight of his fans. However the album recieved weak reviews from various sources, mainly due to the fact of the production work by Eminem, who was the producer of around 90% of the tracks on the release. The fact that he, or his team, massively speeded up/slowed down Tupac's vocals to fit new beats was not acceptable to long time Tupac fans, but that coupled with the fact that they also edited Tupac's lyrics to give 'shout outs' to rappers featuring on the album, who he had never met nor knew of, such as Eminem, Obie Trice, and also G-Unit, who many consider as 'fake thug rappers', was just not acceptable. Tupac is heard to say 'G-Unit in the House', 'and ma nigga Obie', and his fans felt that he would have never featured with these artists as they disrespected what he stood for in his life. In the eyes of loyal Tupac fans it was bad enough that these 'fake' and denounced 'non-gangster' artists were appearing on a Tupac album, but the fact that his vocals had been changed to fit with Eminem's beats, and 'cut and pasted' to give shout out to the artists on Eminems record label as if he was still with us, was just too much. Various online petitions to get Eminem of the project and for him to stop messing with his lyrics were posted online and sent to Amaru Records, to let them know that people would not be buying this album in the force they have previously. Despite its weak reviews, the Eminem produced 2pac album 'Loyal to the Game' still debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, perhaps proving that Tupac and Eminem fans are loyal to the name, as the album sold over 300,000 copies in its first week. 'Loyal to the Game' then fell to No. 13 in the chart with sales of 219,000 copies in its second week. Due to the albums first week sales it was soon certified as gold status. Due to the Tupac loyalists protests against the Loyal To The Game album, Amaru knew they had to change their approach on the next posthumus release, in order to keep loyal Tupac fans happy, and in order to attract a new generation of Tupac listeners. Tupac's loyal fans pushed for more "Original" recordings to be used in their true form instead of been remixed, for none of Tupac's recorded lyrics to be edited, and for artists and producers Tupac would of worked with himslef, to work on the album. But on the flipside, the charts listenrs demanded remixes suitable for the ears of todays market, and in order for the album to be successfull it needed to meet demands of the chart, but also needed the massive sales that come from oldskool 2pac fans. Amaru decided to try to meet both demands the best they could with November 2006's release of "PAC'S LIFE", the sixth posthumously released studio album. It featured more of the artists Tupac worked with during his life, and also artists artists from todays Hip Hop world. Artists like Krayzie Bone of the group Bone Thugs n Harmony, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Big Syke, and The Outlawz, and also the return of Hussein Fatal to a Tupac album met the demands of the Tupac loyalists. And with artists like Chamillionaire, Ashanti, T.I., Ludacris, Young Buck, Papoose and Keisha Cole joining the roster that helped Amaru cater for todays market too. They also pleased loyal Tupac fans by the wise decision to include an original, untouched, and un-edited recording of Tupac's, in the form of "Soon As I Come Home" featuring Yaki Kadafi of Tupac's group The Outlawz. The album had chart power, and appealed to the oldskool Tupac fans and this showed in the charts. The most successful single from the album took the same title of the album, Pac's Life. It was produced by L.T. Hutton, with guest appearances from R&B singer Ashanti and south side rapper T.I.. The second 2Pac verse was recycled from a song titled "This Life I Lead" which was released as part of the Better Dayz album from 2002. T.I. said during an interview that working on a Tupac song was an honor, as he idolized him while growing up. The single peaked at #4 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles in the December 2, 2006 issue of Billboard magazine. On MTV Australia, "Pac's Life peaked number 1 spot on the "Hip Hop Countdown", beating new releases from Jay-Z, Eminem & 50 Cent, and Nas. The track samples Prince "Pop Life", and the original version (how Tupac recorded it) features the first 2pac verse and then 2pac singing the hook. This original version is only 1:34 long and many have speculated that it might have been cut off when it was initially leaked. The video to the tracks made its world premiere on the BET music network in the United States on November 22, 2006. The video was featured on BET's Access Granted, where viewers saw the process of filming the video for "Pac's Life". Both T.I. and Ashanti were featured on the long awaited Tupac video, which was filmed at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, in Atlanta. The video premiered on MTV on November 28, 2006. Aswell as these releases during his life and after his death, Tupac appeared on many compilations, mixtapes and soundtracks, including the soundtrack to 'Above The Rim' and on fellow artists albums such as DoggPounds '2002' album. And we still have not reached the end of his unreleased original recordings so we can yet look forward to another, and another, and more releases from Tupac on Amaru Records. FINAL THOUGHT: Love or hate Tupac it's always sad when one so young and talented who changed the world is killed in such ways, as he called "the death of a true thug." Those who knew him would have known the lighter side of his divided soul, his caring side, which is also expressed through amny of his songs. He once talked of his dreams and becoming a "pro-black revolutionary," and he gave it his all...... "I never had shit growing up, so I ad nothing to lose, an I av no regrets." " I aint scared of dying 'cos there has to be a place better than this in heaven," and "my only fear of death is reincarnation."