The famous gangsta rapper who mysteriously died at the peak of his career remains to be one of the most respected names in the game. And since he was big during the 90s – a time when information about celebs’ financial status wasn’t as easily accessible – his fans today wonder what Tupac’s net worth was before he died.
Tupac Shakur’s net worth, before his untimely passing at 25 years old, was estimated at $200,000 according to Celebrity Net Worth.
That figure would be $379,491.40 in 2022, based on a US inflation calculator. In this article we’ll take a peek into the rapper’s past work, as well as what happened to his estate after his death.
How many albums did Tupac release?
The New York City born rapper was able to release four studio albums during his life: 2Pacalypse Now (1991), Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993), Me Against the World (1995), and All Eyez on Me (1996). His debut single, “Trapped,” was part of his first studio album. In 1996 alone, he was able to sell $60 million worth of albums.
Posthumously, 7 studio albums are credited to his names (Tupac/2pac/Makaveli), released from 1996 to 2004.
Was Tupac also an actor?
Many may not know this about the hip-hop icon, but he worked as an actor as well. In fact, he attended an arts high school where he was immersed in poetry, acting, jazz, and even ballet.
According to Tupac’s IMDb profile, the American rapper and actor had 12 acting credits to his name. It’s a mix of appearances in music videos, TV shows, and full length films. If anyone’s planning on a Tupac movie night, here are some titles worth watching:
Juice is from 1992 and features Omar Epps as Q and Tupac Shakur as Bishop. The movie tells the story of four teenagers getting caught up in the pursuit of respect within their neighborhood. The cast also features Samuel L. Jackson and Queen Latifah.
Above The Rim (1994) is a high school basketball drama where Tupac played the lead character’s brother (Birdie), a powerful local drug dealer. Marlon Wayans (of Scary Movie and White Chicks) and the late Bernie Mac were also in the movie.
In 1996, Tupac starred opposite Mickey Rourke in action film Bullet. They played nemeses in the movie but were friends in real life. Tupac then appeared in two movies released in 1997, Gang Related and Gridlock’d.
His most well-known acting role was in the movie Poetic Justice (1993) because he played Lucky, the love interest of Justice, which was played by Janet Jackson. Janet was certainly at the peak of her fame at the time and Tupac was quickly rising to his, so naturally, people speculated that the two co-stars were also romantically involved in real life.
The Janet Jackson-Tupac Shakur dating rumors were never confirmed, but according to one of their co-stars in the movie, the chemistry was real between them.
There is not much information available on how much Tupac was paid in the movies he did. All we know is that two of his movies, Juice and Poetic Justice, were box office successes which grossed over $20 million and $27 million respectively.
What happened to Tupac’s estate?
At the time of his death in 1996, Tupac’s fame was at an all-time high but his finances were not doing as well. According to a deep dive Celebrity Net Worth did on the subject, the rapper had very few assets and a huge debt amounting to $4.9 million.
Interestingly, Tupac Shakur has been making money – lots of it – after his sudden passing. His estate, which his mother Afeni Shakur fought hard to take control of for decades, reached $40 million from posthumous album sales and merchandise. Afeni Shakur was worth $50 million when she passed away in 2016.