Tupac Shakur was one of music's most successful, controversial, and enigmatic artists.  His untimely passing, however, left many questions unanswered about his life;  the line between the image and the reality of his "thug" lifestyle remains blurred at best to this day.  Yet, the mark that Shakur left on hip-hop culture is indelible, and the popularity among his fans is unquestionable.         From the editors of VIBE magazine comes Tupac Shakura compelling tribute to one of music's most profound talents.  Published in time to commemorate the anniversary of Shakur's death (September 13, 1996), Tupac Shakurtraces the pivotal moments in the artist's short but brilliant life from his tough-love upbringing as the son of a former Black Panther and introduction to rap as a backup dancer and roadie, to his meteoric rise to the top of the rap world and  a turbulent movie career.          Told through VIBE'S most poignant and often prophetic articles on and interviews with Tupac along with more than 100 full-color photographs, Tupac Shakur is a telling portrait of Shakur's mercurial life.  In the book, readers will find extensive interviews with Tupac following his arrests in New York and Atlanta in 1994; a world-exclusive interview from Rikers Island in April 1995; another after his release from prison and being signed to Death Row Records in February 1996; and a final conversation conducted just two weeks before his death in September 1996.  Also published for the first time, is an extremely candid interview VIBEonline conducted with Shakur in June 1996.  With an introduction by Editor-in-Chief, Danyel Smith, memorial tributes from directors John Singleton and Ernest Dickerson, and rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy, and a foreword by Quincy Jones, Tupac Shakur offers an insider's perspective on one of music's most mythological talents from many in the entertainment industry who knew him the best.   Tupac Shakur is a lasting testament to the many faces of this young artist a man who was built, even in death, to last.