Tupac Shakur's Top 10 biggest singles on the Official Chart
This week sees the DVD release of Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me; the true and previously untold story of the prolific rapper, actor, poet, activist and hip-hop gamechanger.
The film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac, who, in this exclusive clip below, reveals that he never intended to audition for the film despite his looks baring a strong resemblance to the star. Watch below:
"I don't know who, I just remember in High School, that's when I was getting called Pac every day," he said.
"I didn't even want to audition for the role back in 2011, but [his friend] was adamant that I should do it. I waited until the last day and then did my audition."
21 years after Tupac's untimely death at the age of 25, five albums of the singer's work have been released posthumously, plus countless compilations and collaborative collections, including 2001's Until The End Of Time and 1998 retrospective Greatest Hits.
MORE: See where all of Tupac's singles and albums charted in the UK
To mark the film's home entertainment release, here's a look back at Tupac's biggest selling singles on the Official UK Chart - and which songs continue to make an impact in the downloading and streaming eras.
California Love
Tupac's collaboration with Dr Dre was released as his comeback single following his release from prison in 1995. California Love has his big commercial breakthrough hit, spending two weeks at Number 1 in America and becoming his first Top 10 hit in the UK, where it reached Number 6. The track served as the lead single from his fourth album and last in his lifetime All Eyez On Me.
California Love was nominated for a posthumous Grammy Award in 1997 as a Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It finishes as his third biggest single on the Official Chart with 319,000 combined sales, including 6.4 million streams.
Ghetto Gospel
Originally released as the second single on his posthumous 2004 album Loyal to the Game, Ghetto Gospel samples Elton John's 1971 track Indian Sunset and was produced by Eminem.
The track spent three weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart in 2005 and has shifted 560,000 in the UK, including 229,000 physical singles, 221,000 downloads and 11 million streams.
Changes
Released posthumously on his Greatest Hits album in 1998, Changes is Tupac's biggest selling single in the UK. The song, which interprets the 1986 hit The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby and the Range - talks about racism, police brutality, drugs and gang violence.
The song refers to the possibility of a black president of the United States, claiming "we ain't ready", while the last verse refers to Tupac's premonition about being shot.
Changes peaked at Number 3 on the Official Chart and it has sold 597,000 in the UK, split between 284,000 copies from its physical release, plus 180,000 downloads and 13.3 million streams since 2014.
When it comes to albums, Tupac's 1998 Greatest Hits album finishes top of the pile, logging 619,000 sales despite is Number 17 peak, while All Eyez On Me is second with 338,000 sales.
Tupac's Official Top 10 biggest songs on the Official Chart
POS | TITLE | ARTIST | PEAK | YEAR |
1 | CHANGES | 2PAC FT TALENT | 3 | 1999 |
2 | GHETTO GOSPEL | 2PAC FT ELTON JOHN | 1 | 2005 |
3 | CALIFORNIA LOVE | 2PAC FT DR DRE | 6 | 1996 |
4 | UNTIL THE END OF TIME | 2PAC | 4 | 2001 |
5 | I AIN'T MAD AT CHA | 2PAC FT DANNY BOY | 13 | 1996 |
6 | DEAR MAMA | 2PAC | 27 | 1999 |
7 | DO FOR LOVE | 2PAC | 12 | 1998 |
8 | AMBITIONZ AZ A RIDAH | 2PAC | N/A | YEAR |
9 | HOW DO U WANT IT | 2PAC FT K-CI & JOJO | 17 | 1996 |
10 | LETTER 2 MY UNBORN | 2PAC | 21 | 2001 |
©2017 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
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🗣 The Voice of Reason 👑
IDGAF about which of Pacs songs charted or how long they held a position.
Tupac was the realist MC to ever touch a microphone and made music that will last generations.
RIP 2Pac
Legaultb
Where did this list even come from I doubt Do for love charted higher that dear mama
Dynamitri
"AMBITIONZ AZ A RIDAH" has not charted yet made it to the list? What is going on here.
Official Charts
We were also surprised! It's been featured on things like Grand Theft Auto over the years, which may have contributed. It's the third most-streamed Tupac song with 8.6m plays, behind Changes and Ghetto Gospel.
Yacob Zuriaw
Right? "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted?" is suspiciously absent as well