Even though he died in September 1996, Tupac Amaru Shakur is still one of the most talked about rap stars on the planet. 2Pac’s legion of fans around the country continues to purchase and stream his music to this day.
In fact, 2Pac is still charting in 2022. The late West Coast emcee’s 1998 posthumous compilation Greatest Hits has spent a total of 450 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart. It currently sits at #94 on the latest rankings of top-selling music projects.
Greatest Hits is the fourth-longest charting rap album of all time. The Death Row Records/Interscope Records/Amaru Entertainment release only trails Drake’s Take Care (508), Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (526), and Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits (607).
This year has also seen other major Billboard 200 milestones for Hip Hop acts. Take Care earned Drake a placement in the Billboard 200’s 500-week club last month. J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive surpassed the 400-week mark in August. Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ by 50 Cent marked its 150th week on the chart earlier this month.
Tupac Shakur passed away on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25. The rapper/actor, also known as Makaveli, died following a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. That murder case is still officially unsolved.
Prior to his passing, 2Pac dropped studio LPs such as 1995’s Me Against the World and 1996’s All Eyez on Me. The Recording Industry Association of America certified All Eyez on Me as Diamond (10 million units) in July 2014.
Presented as a double disc, Greatest Hits hosts “Keep Ya Head Up,” “Hail Mary,” “Hit ‘Em Up,” “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” “I Ain’t Mad at Cha,” “I Get Around,” “Dear Mama,” and other classic 2Pac singles. The compilation also earned a Diamond Award from the RIAA.