In honor of Black History Month, each day here at The Source we’ll be chronicling many of the best moments pertaining to Hip Hop that occurred during the meaningful month of February – celebrating the birthdays of now-legendary MCs; highlighting the most impactful album and single releases; even reminiscing on the most obscure, yet culturally-significant footnotes in the genre’s three-decade-spanning history.
Today’s passage takes us on a journey back to February 13, 1996 – exactly 20 years ago – when 2Pac released his magnum opus, All Eyez on Me. The West Coast rapper’s fourth album – widely considered to be his single greatest body of work, and arguably one of the most cherished Hip Hop LP’s of all time – was liberated by Death Row Records just seven months to the day prior to to his tragic – and somehow still unsolved – murder. After debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the project – which gave us classic hits like “California Love,” “Ambitionz Az a Ridah,” “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” “How Do U Want It” and “I Ain’t Mat at Cha” – would go on to sell over 10 million copies in the United States alone, becoming certified diamond in 2014 by the RIAA.
