On this day in 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur died at a Las Vegas hospital six days after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting. He was 25.

Shakur and his contemporary, rapper Biggie Smalls infamously started out their respective careers as friends.

"Their worlds seemed destined to collide," Biography's Rachel Change writes. "They were two of the most talented hip-hop rappers on the scene.

“And they both were dedicated to exposing the truth of the tribulations of life on the streets, social injustice and the racial divide.”

However, Chang adds, “The biggest difference between Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls: They represented different coasts.”

What became arguably the biggest rivalry in music history, Chang explains, “ended up in the death of both artists, just as their careers were skyrocketing.”

Shakur was gunned down on September 7, 1996. He died six days later, while Biggie was fatally shot months later on March 9, 1997. Both murders have gone unsolved.

“But one thing that there’s no question about is that they started off as friends,” Chang writes.

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