Tupac Shakur (June 16, 1971 — September 13, 1996) was an American rapper and one of history's most successful both commercially and critically. Also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, Tupac's songs are renowned for describing the violence and hardships in ghettos, racism, problems in society and conflicts with other rappers. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Tupac is the highest-selling hip hop artist in history, with over seventy five million albums sold worldwide, including over fifty million in the United States. 2pac was shot to death in Las Vegas in 1996, and murder which has yet to be solved.