2Pac’s Greatest Hits is now one of fewer than 20 albums to spend 600 weeks or more on the Billboard 200, a milestone these reaches this frame. CHICAGO – MARCH 1994: Rapper Tupac Shakur poses for photos backstage after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in March 1994. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
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It’s been almost 30 years since Tupac Shakur, known the world over by his moniker 2Pac, was shot and killed. Sadly, at this point, he has been gone longer than he lived, as he passed away at the age of just 25. What the hip-hop powerhouse was able to accomplish in such a short time is remarkable, and the fact that he is still regarded as one of the most talented rap musicians ever is a testament to his genius.
2Pac remains a fixture on a handful of Billboard charts as Americans consume his most successful songs, which are gathered together on the compilation Greatest Hits. As that project finds space on multiple lists, it reaches an important milestone on the most competitive of the pair, helping 2Pac reach a special milestone posthumously.
2Pac’s Greatest Hits Celebrates a Major Billboard 200 Milestone
2Pac’s Greatest Hits celebrates 600 weeks on the Billboard 200. The tally ranks the most consumed albums, compilations, and EPs in the United States. For decades, the list was put together by Billboard using only sales, but for years now, streaming activity has factored into where a title lands. That change has helped many greatest hits sets, as people love to press play nonstop on a major star’s most famous songs.
How Many Albums has 2Pac Charted?
Tupac Shakur in a scene from the film ‘Gridlock’d’, 1997. (Photo by Gramercy Pictures/Getty Images)
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2Pac has accrued 21 appearances on the Billboard 200. That is an impressive lineup for an artist who only delivered fewer than half of those efforts during his lifetime, as many live recordings, compilations, remix albums, and even traditional studio projects only landed on the list after his death.
Greatest Hits is far and away the longest-charting 2Pac album, and one of only two to rack up triple-digit stays on the Billboard 200. His classic All Eyez on Me is up to 122 periods on the chart.
2Pac’s Greatest Hits Moved Almost 10,000 Copies
This frame, 2Pac’s Greatest Hits declines more than 10 spaces on the Billboard 200 as the project dips from No. 131 to No. 142. Luminate reports that the compilation shifted 9,800 equivalent units in the past tracking span, with almost all of those coming from streaming activity. Greatest Hits did manage to sell 200 copies during that frame.
Which 2Pac Albums Reached No. 1 in America?
While Greatest Hits is 2Pac’s longest-running win on the Billboard 200, it is not his highest-rising. Five albums by 2Pac — Me Against the World, All Eyez on Me, Loyal to the Game, Until the End of Time, and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory — all hit No. 1. Are You Still Down? (Remember Me) missed out on becoming a champion by just one space, while the Greatest Hits compilation peaked at No. 3. Almost exactly half of 2Pac’s Billboard 200 charters — 10 in total — have reached the top 10.
CHICAGO – MARCH 1994: Rapper Tupac Shakur performs at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in March 1994. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
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How Many Albums Have Spent 600 Weeks on the Billboard 200?
Greatest Hits is one of fewer than 20 albums in U.S. history to spend 600 weeks or more on the Billboard 200. 2Pac’s compilation joins behemoths from musical acts like Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Nirvana, Michael Jackson, and Kendrick Lamar, among others, in this club. In just a few weeks, the group will likely induct its twentieth member, as another Greatest Hits – this time by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – will likely be the next to reach the milestone.
2Pac’s Greatest Hits Lives on Two Billboard Charts
At the moment, 2Pac’s Greatest Hits lives on a pair of Billboard rankings. In addition to the Billboard 200, the compilation can also be found on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, which operates in the same manner as the Billboard 200, but focuses on only a handful of genres. Greatest Hits barely manages to hang on as it drops to second-to-last place, No. 49.
The singles collection has a long way to go before it matches its own tenure on the Billboard 200, as Greatest Hits has lived on the list of the most consumed R&B, hip-hop, and rap releases in the country for 444 frames.
2Pac’s Greatest Hits Was Released More Than a Quarter-Century Ago
Greatest Hits was released in November 1998, a little more than two years after 2Pac’s death. The compilation features some of his most famous songs, such as “Keep Ya Head Up,” “How Do You Want It” with K-Ci and JoJo, “Unconditional Love,” “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” and “California Love” with Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman, among others. The compilation also features four songs that were previously unreleased at that time, with “Changes” and “Unconditional Love” earning single status. “Changes” even scored a Grammy nomination and helped solidify 2Pac’s status as a legend and a powerhouse talent.