Tupac Amaru Shakur was an American rapper and actor who is widely considered as one of the most significant and influential rappers of all time. He was known for his work and his lyrics that spoke about social issues plaguing the communities of inner cities and the plights of inequality.

Born in Manhattan, but relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988, he later moved to Los Angeles in 1993 to pursue his music career. By the time his initial album debuted in 1991, he became a key figure in the West Coast hip hop movement, comprising songs that featured gangster rap.

Sadly, Tupac was murdered by a drive-by shooting in September of 1996. He was shot four times by an unknown assailant in Las Vegas and died six days later. He was one of the best-selling music artists of all time, selling over 75 million records.

With his musical prowess and influence on the injustices of society, he became an influential figure - who also used a variety of vehicles in his daily life and in his musical artistry. I mean, just check out this old BMW. This 1996 BMW 750 iL is even up for sale. In one of his music videos, he used a 1961 Chevrolet Impala, and he also was destined to receive a 1961 Impala as a gift from Suge Knight.

Let's dive a little deeper into the truth behind both of these '61 Impalas...

Music Video

via YouTube

In Tupac's 'To Live & Die in L.A." 1996 music video, he cruised through the streets of Los Angeles in a yellow-colored 1961 Chevy Impala. In the song, he even stated 'cruisin down the street in my '64' lyric. Despite this being a different year than the car he was driving, Tupac's mentioning of this car influenced the sales of Chevrolet vehicles. The peak in US market share of Chevrolet increased by almost 17% in the same year.

RELATED: 7 of Tupac's Favorite Cars (And 11 of Biggie's)

Suge Knight

via NME

Suge Knight is an American former music executive who was a major figure in gangster rap's track to massive nationwide commercialization. He was the cofounder and CEO of Death Row Records, an American record label that released multi-platinum hip-hop albums by multiple West Coast artists like Dr. Dre and Tupac.

In 1995, Tupac Shakur began a prison sentence that was supposed to last four and a half years. Knight was able to strike a deal with him in October, and paid half of his bail money. This allowed Tupac to be freed from prison, while he was pending his conviction's appeal.

Suge's deal included signing Tupac to Death Row Records, helping him to produce one of the greatest commercial successes of the famous rapper. In 1996, the label released Tupac's album, All Eyez On Me.

Unfortunately, since Tupac was now officially associated with Suge, he went to public gatherings and events with him. Both of the men attended a Mike Tyson boxing match in September of that same year in Las Vegas. A group including both Tupac and Suge assaulted Orlando Anderson, a Southside Compton Crips gang member.

The Crips is a gang based in the coastal regions of southern California that were founded in 1969. Orlando was badly beaten, but recovered - and became the prime suspect for Tupac's impending murder.

RELATED: 15 Cars Owned By Suge Knight Before He Got Locked Up (And 10 Owned By Tupac)

Biggie Smalls Case

via Lay it Low

The album artwork on the trunk ended up leading to a huge break in the Biggie Smalls murder investigation case. Greg Kading, an LAPD detective who was in charge of the murder investigation, found that the recently imprisoned Suge Knight used attorney-client privilege to spearhead the murder of Biggie in retaliation for Tupac's death.

The rumor is that Suge used one of his female relationships as an intermediary to hire one of his soldiers to kill Biggie Smalls for a price of $13 grand.

As you can see, the 1961 Chevrolet Impala played a huge role in Tupac's career and life - and, unfortunately, death.

NEXT: 20 Cars Owned By Suge Knight...Before He Got Nabbed