By 1994, 2Pac rivaled Snoop Dogg as the most controversial figure in rap, spending as much time in prison as he did in the recording studio.
Over the course of one year, his profile rose substantially, based as much on his run-ins with the law as his music. But in 1991, he delivered an acclaimed debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, and quickly followed with a star-making performance in the urban drama Juice. At the outset of his career, it didn't appear that he would emerge as one of the definitive rappers of the '90s - he started out as a second-string rapper and dancer for Digital Underground, joining only after they had already landed their biggest hit. 2Pac became the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap, and a tragic symbol of the toll its lifestyle exacted on urban black America.
