HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Wednesday posthumously honoring slain rapper Tupac Shakur for a five-year career in which he sold more than 75 million records and received six Grammy nominations.
Shakur was selected for the honor in 2013, but according to a spokesperson for the Walk of Fame they had to wait for the family to set the date.
Allen Hughes, director of the FX docuseries “Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur,” and Jamal Joseph, author of the 2006 biography “Tupac Shakur Legacy” and a producer of `Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur, were among those taking part in the ceremony in front of Amoeba Music at 6212 Hollywood Blvd. The ceremony was emceed by radio host Big Boy.
Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur accepted the star on behalf of the family.
“It fills my heart with honor to stand here today representing the Shakur family,” she said. “Tupac knew deep down that he was always meant for something great. And as his little sister, I had the privilege to watch that greatness unfold.”
The star is the 2,758th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the initial 1,558 stars.
The ceremony came nine days before the 52nd anniversary of Shakur’s birth in Harlem.
Raised by his mother, Afeni Shakur, a political activist and member of the Black Panther Party, in Baltimore, she was intent on escaping Baltimore’s violence, relocating to Marin City when he was 17.
Shakur connected with the popular Bay Area rap crew Digital Underground, starting as a roadie and back-up dancer, and eventually working his way up to contributing a verse to “Same Song” from the soundtrack for the comedy horror film “Nothing But Trouble.”
Shakur was signed by Interscope Records which released his first solo album, “2Pacalypse Now,” in 1991, which was certified gold by the recording industry trade group the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 923,455 units.
Shakur’s second studio album, “Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z” was certified platinum for selling more than 1 million copies.
Shakur’s third studio album, “Me Against the World” released in 1995 when he was serving a prison sentence for a sexual abuse conviction for forcibly touching a woman’s buttock in his hotel room. It received a Grammy nomination for best rap album, and its lead single, “Dear Mama,” was nominated for best rap solo performance.
“Me Against the World” was certified as double-platinum for selling more than 3.5 million copies.
Shakur’s fourth studio album, “All Eyez on Me,” released Feb. 13, 1996, seven months before his death, also received a best rap album Grammy nomination, while its singles “How Do U Want It” and “California Love” received nominations for best rap performance by a duo or group.
“All Eyez on Me” was the best-selling album in Shakur’s career, selling 5,887,630 units and was certified diamond.
Shakur received a posthumous best rap solo performance Grammy nomination in 2000 for “Changes,” part of his “Greatest Hits” album released in 1998.
Shakur starred in the 1992 crime thriller “Juice,” the 1993 romance film “Poetic Justice,” the 1996 crime drama “Bullet,” the 1997 black comedy crime film “Gridlock’d” and 1997 action crime thriller “Gang Related” and co-starred in the 1994 sports drama, “Above the Rim.”
Shakur was wounded on Sept. 7, 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas and died six days later at age 25. The killing is unsolved.