Tupac Shakur

Solo Artist

Photo: Unknown author · Public domain
Active 1991-1996
Died September 13, 1996
Origin East Harlem, New York
Albums 5
Tracks 83
Most frequent collaborator Johnny "J" · 12 tracks
Genres Hip HopGangsta RapWest Coast Hip Hop
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 83 of 83 tracks

Did Tupac write his own songs?

Yes. Tupac wrote his own lyrics on essentially every track, so he is credited on close to 100% of his catalogue as a lyricist. Songs like 'Dear Mama,' 'Keep Ya Head Up,' and 'Hail Mary' are his words. What he did not do was make the beats, so his producers and the records they sampled fill the music and composer credits.

By the Numbers

5
Studio Albums
83
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
over 75 million
Records Sold
5
Years Active
207
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 83 / 83 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 83 tracks: how many Tupac Shakur wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Tupac Shakur has a writing credit100%
5%
95%
Sole author4tracks5%
Co-written79tracks95%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Tupac Shakur's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 83 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)0%
Producer7%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Tupac Shakur's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
19912Pacalypse Now
1993Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
1995Me Against the World
1996All Eyez on Me
1996The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
Early · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1990s
2Pacalypse Now, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... +3 more

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Tupac Shakur sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Tupac Shakur
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Aaliyah0%
EXO8%
Salt-N-Pepa35%
Billy Ray Cyrus47%
TLC59%
Destiny's Child69%
Snoop Dogg89%
100%Tupac Shakur
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Brenda's Got a Baby
2Pacalypse Now
Written by 2Pac, Deon Evans
Co-wrote
I Get Around
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
Written by 2Pac, Shock G, Money-B, Roger Troutman, Larry Troutman, Shirley Murdock
Co-wrote
Keep Ya Head Up
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
Written by 2Pac, Daryl Anderson, Roger Troutman
Co-wrote
Dear Mama
Me Against the World
Written by 2Pac, Joe Sample, Tony Pizarro
Co-wrote
So Many Tears
Me Against the World
Written by 2Pac, Gregory Jacobs, Eric Baker, Stevie Wonder
Co-wrote
Temptations
Me Against the World
Written by 2Pac, Osten Harvey, Roger Troutman, Larry Troutman, Shirley Murdock
Co-wrote
How Do U Want It
All Eyez on Me
Written by 2Pac, Johnny Jackson, Bruce Fisher, Quincy Jones, Leon Ware, Stanley Richardson
Co-wrote

Discography 5 albums

Coverage includes the four albums Tupac released in his lifetime plus The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, which he completed shortly before his death. His posthumous studio albums (R U Still Down?, Still I Rise, Until the End of Time, Better Dayz, Loyal to the Game, Pac's Life) are not yet covered; most were reconstructed from unreleased sessions with altered or added production, which complicates per-track credits.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Tupac Shakur83 tracks
J"12Johnny "J", 12 tracks JJ11Johnny Jackson, 11 tracks DE9Deon Evans, 9 tracks BD8Big D the Impossible, 8 tracks 6Shock G, 6 tracks 6E.D.I. Mean, 6 tracks H6Hurt-M-Badd, 6 tracks S5Stretch, 5 tracks RT5Roger Troutman, 5 tracks YK5Yaki Kadafi, 5 tracks DA5Delmar Arnaud, 5 tracks DN5Dat Nigga Daz, 5 tracks D"5Darryl "Big D" Harper, 5 tracks GJ4Gregory Jacobs, 4 tracks LS4Live Squad, 4 tracks RW4Randy Walker, 4 tracks BE4Bobby Ervin, 4 tracks LT4Larry Troutman, 4 tracks TP4Tony Pizarro, 4 tracks D4Dramacydal, 4 tracks MM4Mike Mosley, 4 tracks N4Napoleon, 4 tracks K4Kastro, 4 tracks DB4Danny Boy, 4 tracks BS4Big Syke, 4 tracks YN4Young Noble, 4 tracks DB3DJ Bobcat, 3 tracks SM3Shirley Murdock, 3 tracks MZ3Moe Z.M.D., 3 tracks RR3Richie Rich, 3 tracks HF3Hussein Fatal, 3 tracks GC3George Clinton, 3 tracks S3Storm, 3 tracks TW3Tyrone Wrice, 3 tracks O3Outlawz, 3 tracks M3Makaveli, 3 tracks GC2George Clinton Jr., 2 tracks RG2Ramone Gooden, 2 tracks P2Pee-Wee, 2 tracks HH2Herbie Hancock, 2 tracks DH2Dave Hollister, 2 tracks on Blackstreet's page SW2Stevie Wonder, 2 tracks CW2Christopher Walker, 2 tracks JB2James Brown, 2 tracks JS2Joe Sample, 2 tracks ND2Norman Durham, 2 tracks OH2Osten Harvey, 2 tracks EM2Easy Mo Bee, 2 tracks LW2Leon Ware, 2 tracks TJ2Thomas Jenkins, 2 tracks LB2Larry Blackmon, 2 tracks SD2Snoop Doggy Dogg, 2 tracks ND2Nate Dogg, 2 tracks K2Kurupt, 2 tracks K&2K-Ci & JoJo, 2 tracks WC2William Collins, 2 tracks DR2Doug Rasheed, 2 tracks C2C-Bo, 2 tracks RT2Ricardo Thomas, 2 tracks RR2Rick Rock, 2 tracks DD2Dr. Dre, 2 tracks AY2Andre Young, 2 tracks GB2George Brown, 2 tracks Q2QDIII, 2 tracks DH2Darryl Harper, 2 tracks SA1Sylvester Allen, 1 track HB1Harold Brown, 1 track MD1Morris Dickerson, 1 track LJ1Lonnie Jordan, 1 track CM1Charles Miller, 1 track LO1Lee Oskar, 1 track HE1Howard E. Scott, 1 track RT1Raymond Tyson, 1 track IH1Isaac Hayes, 1 track RB1Ronald Brooks, 1 track DE1David Elliott, 1 track MP1Maceo Parker, 1 track RF1Raw Fusion, 1 track JJ1Jeremy Jackson, 1 track J1J-Z, 1 track AC1Arlester Christian, 1 track RB1Ron Banks, 1 track A1Angelique, 1 track NW1Norman Whitfield, 1 track BS1Barrett Strong, 1 track BG1Buddy Guy, 1 track JW1Junior Wells, 1 track TU1The Underground Railroad, 1 track CM1Curtis Mayfield, 1 track I1Ice-T, 1 track IC1Ice Cube, 1 track DT1Deadly Threat, 1 track EA1Edward Archer, 1 track RW1Ronald Williams, 1 track SE1Special Ed, 1 track A1Akshun, 1 track TJ1Truman Jefferson, 1 track JC1Jake Carter, 1 track JS1Joe Sayles, 1 track KS1Kevin Scott, 1 track DW1Dwight Wyatt, 1 track BB1Bobby Byrd, 1 track DA1Daryl Anderson, 1 track DD1DJ Daryl, 1 track LG1Larry Goodman, 1 track L1Laylaw, 1 track BW1Barry White, 1 track SH1Smead Hudman, 1 track M1Money-B, 1 track TD1The D-Flow Production Squad, 1 track DU1Digital Underground, 1 track WJ1Will Jennings, 1 track W1Wycked, 1 track T1Treach, 1 track on Naughty by Nature's page A1Apache, 1 track JR1Jill Rose, 1 track BW1Betty Wright, 1 track WC1Willie Clarke, 1 track MR1Minnie Riperton, 1 track RR1Richard Rudolph, 1 track BB1Burt Bacharach, 1 track HD1Hal David, 1 track KK1Kenneth Karlin, 1 track CS1Carsten Schack, 1 track SA1Soulshock and Karlin, 1 track EB1Eric Baker, 1 track BS1Big Stretch, 1 track NL1Nathan Leftenant, 1 track CS1Charles Singleton, 1 track LS1Loren Stewart, 1 track LT1Le-Morrious Tyler, 1 track SB1Sam Bostic, 1 track BG1Brian G, 1 track FB1Frankie Beverly, 1 track JB1John Buchanan, 1 track DT1Donald Tilery, 1 track S1Soulshock, 1 track J1Jay-B, 1 track EC1Ezi Cut, 1 track MZ1Moe Z., 1 track DD1Dru Down, 1 track R1Redman, 1 track MM1Method Man, 1 track on Wu-Tang Clan's page TD1Tha Dogg Pound, 1 track BF1Bruce Fisher, 1 track QJ1Quincy Jones, 1 track SR1Stanley Richardson, 1 track DD1Donald DeGrate, 1 track RD1Robert Diggs, 1 track DS1DeVante Swing, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 206. J" Johnny "J" · JJ Johnny Jackson · DE Deon Evans · BD Big D the Impossible

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Tupac is a near-total lyricist in the data: he wrote his own verses on essentially every track, so his lyricist credit approaches complete, while he holds almost no music or production credit. The composer column instead fills with his producers and the records they sampled, a pattern typical of 1990s rap. Because so much of his catalog was released after his death and rebuilt from unfinished sessions, the lifetime albums are the cleanest record of his authorship.

Quick Facts

  • SalesAmong the best-selling music artists, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide
  • Rock HallInducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility
  • All Eyez on MeHis 1996 album was rap's first double album
  • Number ones'California Love' and 'How Do U Want It' both topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996
  • MakaveliReleased The Don Killuminati under the alias Makaveli; five more albums followed after his death

Creative Fingerprint

A pure lyricist: Tupac wrote his own verses on essentially every track, so he is credited on almost all of his catalogue, while the music and production came from a rotating cast of producers rather than from him.

The Story

Tupac Shakur, who recorded as 2Pac, is one of the most influential and best-selling rappers in history, killed in a 1996 shooting at the age of 25. He wrote all of his own lyrics, pairing raw street narratives with social commentary, vulnerability, and political fury drawn from his upbringing among Black Panther activists. Across four albums released in his lifetime and a fifth he completed just before his death, he built a body of work that ranges from the protest rap of 2Pacalypse Now to the sprawling West Coast excess of All Eyez on Me. As a pure lyricist his authorship score is near the top of the scale, while the music came from a rotating cast of producers in the Interscope and Death Row orbits. His enormous posthumous catalog, much of it reconstructed from unreleased recordings, kept him atop the charts for a decade after he died.

Awards & Recognition

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility
'California Love' and 'How Do U Want It' both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996
All Eyez on Me (1996) is regarded as rap's first double album
Ranked among the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 75 million records sold

Frequently Asked Questions Tupac Shakur

Did Tupac write his own songs?
Yes. Tupac wrote his own lyrics on essentially every track, so he is credited on close to 100% of his catalogue as a lyricist. Songs like 'Dear Mama,' 'Keep Ya Head Up,' and 'Hail Mary' are his words. What he did not do was make the beats, so his producers and the records they sampled fill the music and composer credits.
Who wrote 'Dear Mama'?
'Dear Mama,' from Me Against the World (1995), was written by Tupac, with the music produced by Tony Pizarro and built on a sample of Joe Sample. The tribute to his mother Afeni Shakur is one of his most celebrated songs.
How did Tupac die?
Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, and died six days later on September 13, 1996, from his injuries. He was 25. The killing has never been fully resolved.
How many albums did Tupac release?
This catalogue covers the five studio albums tied to his lifetime, from 2Pacalypse Now (1991) through The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), the last of which he finished just before he died and released under the name Makaveli. Many more posthumous albums followed.
What is Tupac's most famous song?
'California Love,' 'Dear Mama,' and 'Hit 'Em Up' are among his best known. 'California Love' and 'How Do U Want It' both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996.
What was All Eyez on Me?
All Eyez on Me (1996) was Tupac's fourth album and is regarded as rap's first double album, released on Death Row Records. It contains 'California Love,' 'How Do U Want It,' and 'I Ain't Mad at Cha,' and remains one of the best-selling hip-hop records ever.
Who is Makaveli?
Makaveli was the alias Tupac used for The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, released weeks after his death in 1996. He took the name from the political writer Niccolo Machiavelli, and the album includes 'Hail Mary' and 'To Live & Die in L.A.'
Was Tupac in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes. Tupac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the earliest solo hip-hop artists to receive the honour.
What genre is Tupac?
Tupac made hip-hop, gangsta rap, and West Coast hip-hop, blending street narratives with social and political commentary on songs like 'Brenda's Got a Baby,' 'Changes,' and 'Keep Ya Head Up.'

Sources

Wikipedia: Tupac Shakur discography Wikipedia: Tupac Shakur