It is a sad reality that an early death can make a star into a legend, and in the case of 2pac, he turned into a martyr.

Love him or hate him, 2pac would become the face of Gangsta Rap and did so not only as a rapper, but also as a very solid actor.  The man born Tupac Shakur, would emerge from being a back-up dancer for the Digital Underground would became the voice of the East Coast Gangsta lifestyle and spent as much time in jail as he did in the recording studio.