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Tupac Shakur, whose real name was Lesane Parish Crooks, was born in East Harlem, New York City in 1971. He died Sept. 13, 1996 when he was gunned down by an unknown assailant in Las Vegas. Reuters

Nearly 20 years after the death of Tupac Shakur, the words of one of hip-hop’s greatest legends haven’t faded from memory. June 16 marks the birthday of the famed rapper who became a fixture on the West Coast rap scene in the early 1990s and found himself at the epicenter of an often violent and highly publicized East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry.

His explicit and sometimes controversial lyrics shaped a generation of rappers and dealt with topics of gang violence, drug use and sex. His poetry had a prominent influence on his music, and he became one of the most prolific performers of his time. His stage name was taken from the South American revolutionary Túpac Amaru, who led the indigenous Inca revolt against Spain in the 16th century.

“Tupac Shakur was one of the most dynamic, influential and self-destructive pop stars of the Nineties,” Rolling Stone magazine described him. “The rapper's husky voice described his stark contradictions, setting misogyny against praise of strong women, hard-won wisdom against the violence of the ‘thug life’ — words he had tattooed across his torso.”

Tupac, whose real name was Lesane Parish Crooks, was born in East Harlem, New York City in 1971. His family moved to northern California when he was 17.

Shakur died Sept. 13, 1996. He was gunned down by an unknown assailant in Las Vegas after he attended the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson boxing match.

Many say he predicted his own death, as his lyrics often dealt with the cryptic topic of his own murder. Here are 15 quotes and lyrics to remember the hip hop legend.

1. “The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.”

2. “I don't see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers.”

3. “My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for.'”

4. “That which does not kill me can only make me stronger. I don’t see why everybody feel as though that they gotta tell me how to live my life.”

5. “Now who’s to say if I was right or wrong?/ To live my life as an outlaw all along/ Remain strong in this planet full of playa haters/ They conversate, but Death Row full of demonstrators.” – from “Until the End of Time”

6. “All I'm trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me.”

7. “They say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice/ I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots.” – from “Keep Ya Head Up”

8. “Dear mama, don’t cry, your baby boy’s doin’ good/ Tell the homies I’m in heaven and they ain’t got hoods/ Seen a show with Marvin Gaye last night, it had me shook/ Drinkin’ Peppermint Schnapps with Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke.” – from “Thugz Mansion”

9. “I am society’s child. This is how they made me and now I’m sayin’ what’s on my mind and they don’t want that. This is what you made me, America.”

10. “If God wanted me to be quiet he would’ve never showed me what he does.”

11. “I just don't know how to deal with so many people giving me that much affection. I never had that in my life.”

12. “All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend/ Down to ride to the bloody end, just me and my girlfriend.” – from “Me and My Girlfriend”

13. “When I talk about money all you see is the struggle/ When I tell you I’m livin’ large, you tell me it’s trouble.” – from “I Ain’t Mad Atcha”

14. “I heard a rumor I died, murdered in cold blood dramatized/ Pictures of me in my final stages, you know mama cried/ But that was all fiction, some coward got the story twisted.” -- from “Ain’t Hard 2 Find”

15. “There’s gon’ be some stuff you see that’s gonna make it hard to smile in the future. But through whatever you see, through all the rain and the pain, you gotta keep your sense of humor, you gotta be able to smile through all this bull----.”