Tupac was an African-American rap artist who came to encapsulate the 1990s gangsta-rap elegance and was an icon of noble struggle after his death. To date, he has managed to sell 75 million records, which means he is among the best-selling musicians in history. Tupac was assassinated near a hotel in Las Vegas in September 1996 and died a week later. The murder remains unsolved. Tupac started out his rap life as a rebellion against society, expressing the hardships and injustices that many people of African-American ethnicity faced. His ability to do so made him a communicator not only for his generation but also for future generations who would undoubtedly come across the same fight for equality. His greatest battle in life was often with himself. As fate led him to the cynicism of gangsta rap and then towards the hotly debated Death Row Records mogul Suge Knight, the lines between Shakur's craftsmanship and his life had become increasingly muddled — with tragic results.