Hip Hop

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor from Detroit, Michigan. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of D12, and with Royce da 5'9" is one half of the hip-hop duo Bad Meets Evil. Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States. Rolling Stone ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him the King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has had ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200. He has sold more than 172 million albums, making him one of the world's best-selling artists. As of June 2014, Eminem is the second-bestselling male artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era, the sixth-bestselling artist in the United States and the bestselling hip-hop artist, with sales of 45.1 million albums and 42 million tracks (including 31 million digital single certifications).

After his debut album Infinite (1996), Eminem achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with his The Slim Shady LP, which earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. His next two releases, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002's The Eminem Show, were worldwide successes, with each being certified diamond in U.S. sales and both winning Best Rap Album Grammy Awards (making Eminem the first artist to win the award for three consecutive LPs). They were followed by Encore in 2004, another critical and commercial success. Eminem went on hiatus after touring in 2005, releasing Relapse in 2009 and Recovery in 2010. Both won Grammy Awards and Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, the second time he had the international best-selling album of the year (after The Eminem Show). Eminem's eighth album, 2013's The Marshall Mathers LP 2, won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album; it expanded his record for the most wins in that category and his Grammy total to 15.

Eminem has developed other ventures, including Shady Records with manager Paul Rosenberg. He has his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio. In November 2002, Eminem starred in the hip hop film 8 Mile. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself", the first rap artist to win the award. Eminem has made cameo appearances in the films The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), The Interview (2014) and the television series Entourage (2010).

Discography:
Main articles: Eminem discography and Eminem production discography
See also: D12 discography
Infinite (1996)
The Slim Shady LP (1999)
The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
The Eminem Show (2002)
Encore (2004)
Relapse (2009)
Recovery (2010)
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013)

Tupac Amaru Shakur born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper, record producer and actor. As of 2007, Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide. His double disc albums All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits are among the best selling albums in the United States. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone which ranked him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers ever, as well as one of the most influential rappers of all time.

Shakur began his career as a roadie, backup dancer, and MC for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground, eventually branching off as a solo artist. The themes of most of Shakur's songs revolved around the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, and other social problems. Both of his parents and several other people in his family were members of the Black Panther Party, whose ideals were reflected in his songs. During the latter part of his career, Shakur was a vocal participant during the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, becoming involved in conflicts with other rappers, producers, and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and the label Bad Boy Records.

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died six days later.


Discography:
Year Name Ref
1991 2Pacalypse Now
1993 Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
1995 Me Against the World
1996 All Eyez on Me
Posthumous studio albums
Year Ref
1996 The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
1997 R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
2001 Until the End of Time
2002 Better Dayz
2004 Loyal to the Game
2006 Pac's Life
Collaboration album
Year Ref
1994 Thug Life: Volume 1 (with Thug Life)
Posthumous collaboration album
Year Ref
1999 Still I Rise (with Outlawz)
Compilation albums
Year Ref
1998 Greatest Hits
2000 The Lost Tapes
2000 The Rose That Grew from Concrete
2001 Makaveli & Dillinger Don't Go 2 Sleep
2003 The Prophet: The Best of the Works
2003 Nu-Mixx Klazzics
2003 Tupac: Resurrection
2004 2Pac Live
2005 The Rose, Vol. 2
2005 Live at the House of Blues
2005 The Prophet Returns
2007 Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2
2007 Best of 2Pac, Part 1: Thug
2007 Best of 2Pac, Part 2: Life