Tupac, named after a South American revolutionary, has the roots for a modern maverick legend.

His mother, Alice Faye Williams, an active member of the radical Black Panther Party, was pregnant with Tupac while awaiting trial in 1971.

She then married Mutulu Shakur, who later spent four years on FBI's most wanted list after helping his sister - Tupac's godmother - escape from prison.

With a cinematic defiance, Tupac became an accomplished performer in Harlem before studying jazz, poetry and acting at the Baltimore School of Arts.

But the hard times had not ended, and when the family moved to Marin City, California, Tupac was forced to live with friends due to his mother's crack addiction.

Read more at BBC News.