The album's non-chronological sequence focuses on the highlights of 2Pac's career. 21 of his tracks are accompanied by four previously unreleased songs: "God Bless the Dead", "
Unconditional Love", "Troublesome '96", and "
Changes". Some tracks have alternate mixes, while the original mix of "
California Love" makes its first proper album appearance after initially only being available as a single.
"Changes" earned 2Pac the first and only posthumous
Grammy Award nomination for
Best Rap Solo Performance. This is one of two 2Pac releases—and one of only nine hip hop albums—to have been certified Diamond in the United States.[1]
Commercial performance
Greatest Hits debuted at number five on the US
Billboard 200 chart, selling 268,000 copies in its first week. In January 1999, the album reached its peak at number three on the chart. It has spent 433 weeks on the Billboard 200.[2] On October 16, 2000, it was certified 9× platinum. Nearly 11 years later, in June 2011, it was certified by the
RIAA for shipments of over 10 million, the late rapper's first RIAA Diamond award.[3][4] With 5.33 million units sold which is 10.66 million in RIAA sales,[5] it remains the best-selling rap greatest hits compilation of all time and the twentieth best-selling rap album since
Nielsen Soundscan began tracking record sales in 1991.[6]
Tupac Shakur's virtual appearance at the annual
Coachella Festival on April 15, 2012, spurred a re-entry for the album on the Billboard 200 chart; it jumped in at No. 129 with 4,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan (a gain of 571% over the previous week).[7]
The album was certified Platinum by the
BPI on 16 August 2002, making it 2Pac's highest selling album in the UK.[8]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
The album's non-chronological sequence focuses on the highlights of 2Pac's career. 21 of his tracks are accompanied by four previously unreleased songs: "God Bless the Dead", "
Unconditional Love", "Troublesome '96", and "
Changes". Some tracks have alternate mixes, while the original mix of "
California Love" makes its first proper album appearance after initially only being available as a single.
"Changes" earned 2Pac the first and only posthumous
Grammy Award nomination for
Best Rap Solo Performance. This is one of two 2Pac releases—and one of only nine hip hop albums—to have been certified Diamond in the United States.[1]
Commercial performance
Greatest Hits debuted at number five on the US
Billboard 200 chart, selling 268,000 copies in its first week. In January 1999, the album reached its peak at number three on the chart. It has spent 433 weeks on the Billboard 200.[2] On October 16, 2000, it was certified 9× platinum. Nearly 11 years later, in June 2011, it was certified by the
RIAA for shipments of over 10 million, the late rapper's first RIAA Diamond award.[3][4] With 5.33 million units sold which is 10.66 million in RIAA sales,[5] it remains the best-selling rap greatest hits compilation of all time and the twentieth best-selling rap album since
Nielsen Soundscan began tracking record sales in 1991.[6]
Tupac Shakur's virtual appearance at the annual
Coachella Festival on April 15, 2012, spurred a re-entry for the album on the Billboard 200 chart; it jumped in at No. 129 with 4,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan (a gain of 571% over the previous week).[7]
The album was certified Platinum by the
BPI on 16 August 2002, making it 2Pac's highest selling album in the UK.[8]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.