Tupac Shakur posthumously given Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Hip-hop legend and rapper honoured just days before what would have been his 52nd birthday

Tupac Shakur's Hollywood Walk of Fame star is unveiled in Los Angeles. EPA

Slain rap legend Tupac Shakur was honoured with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Wednesday, almost three decades after the best-selling artist was gunned down in a drive-by shooting.

The ceremony paid tribute to a rapper who died at the age of 25 after a brief but spectacular career, in which he went from back-up dancer to self-styled gangsta and one of the most influential figures in hip-hop.

"It fills my heart with honour to stand here today representing the Shakur family," said Shakur's sister, Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur, at the unveiling in Los Angeles.

"Tupac knew deep down that he was always meant for something great. And as his little sister, I had the privilege to watch that greatness unfold."

Known for his emotionally intense lyrics and on-stage flair, Shakur sold more than 75 million records, with hits including California Love and Changes.

Shakur also became a key figure in a vaunted rivalry, egged on by promoters, between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop.

Tupac was born in New York but moved as a teenager with his family to California. He became one of the most identifiable figures in the West Coast scene, before he was shot dead in September 1996 in Las Vegas. The circumstances of Shakur's death remain murky.

Wednesday's ceremony came nine days before what would have been his 52nd birthday.

Shakur's identification as a gangsta rapper came towards the end of his brief life, when he had repeated brushes with violence and went to prison on sexual assault charges.

But Shakur – whose mother Afeni was active in the Black Panther movement and named him after Tupac Amaru, a revolutionary Inca chief – also used his lyrics to raise issues facing black Americans, from police brutality to mass incarceration.

He and his mother are the subjects of the TV documentary series Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur.

Director Allen Hughes and producer Jamal Joseph were among those at the ceremony.