It was on this day in Hip Hop history that many may argue that the legend of Thug Life and Tupac Shakur began.
On this date in 1994, the rapper was headed into the building on 7th Avenue in Manhattan that houses Quad Recording Studios with his manager Freddie Moore and friend Randy “Stretch” Walker(RIP) of the Live Squad the day after deliberations for ‘Pac’s rape case. When Tupac and his crew approached the elevator, they were approached by three gunmen who demanded their money and jewelry. Moore and Walker obeyed the commands, but ‘Pac began cursing at the gunmen, resulting in him being shot five times and robbed of $40K worth of jewelry before being dragged into the elevator to safety by Walker.
Many people, including Shakur, have suspected Lil’ Cease, who called ‘Pac from the 8th-floor window before he was shot, Diddy and the late Notorious B.I.G. for the hit/robbery attempt, however, that theory was denied by Cease, Diddy, and B.I.G. and no proof of their involvement has ever surfaced. Others have suspected Brooklyn street legends Jacques “Haitian Jack” Agnant, James “Jimmy Henchmen” Rosemond, and Walter “King Tut” Johnson of being involved in orchestrating the shooting, which hasn’t amount to much more than a great hood fable. One thing is for sure. After the shooting, the relationship between the East Coast and West Coast Hip Hop communities was never the same again.
On this day in 1991, one of Hip-Hop’s brightest stars, Tupac Shakur, released his first studio album 2Pacalypse Now. Although it didn’t take the Billboard charts by storm upon its original release, it was the first of many albums that hold a place in the hearts of almost all fans of Hip-Hop across the world.
As far as content goes, this is easily Pac’s most politically influenced album. From the opening single, “Young Black Male,” the listener can tell how 2Pac felt about the circumstances facing his people in 1991. The rest of the album follows that aggressive poetic style. Although this approach to the industry wasn’t one that gave him a jump start like the radio heavy songs of his competition during that era, it did hold truth and leave a mark on those that heard it. The lack of commercial success of this album came from its lack of a true radio single. The most popular song on the album, “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” did reach a peak position of 11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart in 1992, the subject matter and lack of hook made it a hard song to flood the airwaves with.
This was not an album for the radio; it was an album for the people. It still is. The nearly 20-year-old Tupac Shakur was trying to talk to his bruised and battered people in the ghettos of America. He took the opportunity of his platform to showcase his poetic ability and address a country that he felt still needed to be addressed on the subject of racism and discrimination. This activist mindset became a theme throughout his career as he became more outspoken about the oppression of Blacks in America until his untimely death in 1997. From this project came the career of a man who has been argued to be the greatest rapper of all time. And whether that is certain or not, the fact still remains that this album started a legacy and we should all take some time to pay homage to the Thug who was taken from us too soon.
Actress Rosie Perez recently spilled some fascinating 1990s tea, revealing her unexpected role as the matchmaker for one of the most unlikely celebrity pairs of that era: Madonna and Tupac Shakur. Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show this week, Perez shared how a last-minute mix-up at the 1993 Soul Train Music Awards led to her playing cupid between the pop icon and the hip-hop legend.
Perez explained that her original date had canceled just half an hour before she was set to leave for the awards show, citing concerns over being seen by his girlfriend. Frustrated, Perez was about to leave dateless until her close friend Tupac called. After she explained the situation, the rapper immediately volunteered to step in as her date, even joking that her ex would be filled with regret when he saw them together.
As fate would have it, Tupac’s gallant gesture caught the attention of Madonna. When she spotted the pair at the event, Perez recalled, Madonna approached her directly, curious about her relationship with the “How Do You Want It” rapper. Perez assured her they were just friends, to which Madonna responded, “Hook me up.” Without hesitation, Perez agreed to play cupid.
It’s a little-known Hollywood connection that has fascinated fans for decades, adding another layer to the complex and legendary lives of Madonna and Tupac. Thanks to Perez’s impromptu matchmaking, the two superstars were linked for a time in the early ‘90s, a moment Perez looks back on with fond amusement.
On this date in 1996, Tupac Amaru Shakur posthumously released the final album of his illustrious career.
26 years ago today, just two months after the untimely murder of Tupac on the Las Vegas strip alongside Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, the fifth and final album, Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, was released. Recognized as ‘Pac’s most influential body of work, the Killuminati album was not only his most controversial, but its concept still has many of his fans believing that ‘Pac is still alive. Besides his beef with Nas, Jay-Z, B.I.G., and almost any relevant New York rapper you can think of, the album hinges on the life of Makaveli, a play on the name of Italian writer and philosopher Nicollo Machiavelli, who is believed to have staged his own death.
The album was originally set to be dropped in March of 1997, but after Shakur was killed, Death Row boss Suge Knight released the album four months later. Ironically, Brooklyn rap rival Notorious B.I.G. was shot down in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1997.
The album, recorded in 12 days in August 1996, hosted a list of timeless, classic singles including “Hail Mary”, “Me And My Girlfriend” and “Against All Odds”; all of which were remade by premiere artists after Shakur’s death. The 5X platinum album has been listed as one of the top-selling Hip Hop albums of all time.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ringo H W Chiu/AP/Shutterstock
Elon Musk isn’t happy that Eminem is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the election. With news breaking of Slim Shady introducing former president Barack Obama at a Detroit rally, Musk would levy a wild allegation on Em’s name.
Seeing the message, Musk wrote in regards to Eminem: “Yet another Diddy party participant.”
You can see it below.
Elon Musk calls Eminem “yet another Diddy party participant” after it was revealed that he will introduce Obama at Kamala Harris’ upcoming rally pic.twitter.com/vV2OnoRiiN
As far as the accusations, it’s highly unlikely Eminem was at any Diddy “freak off.” Eminem took some very vicious shots at Diddy on his new album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de grâce): Expanded Mourner’s Edition, where Em recruits Shady Records’ Westside Boogie and Grip while he delves into Hip Hop’s most reputed unsolved murders and he pulls no punches about who the culprit is.
On “Fuel” Shady goes in on the troubled mogul, rapping, “So who’ll be picked next, whose name gonna be next up? / Notorious B.I.G.’s death was the domino effect of Tupac’s murder / Like facial tissue, whose clock should I clean next? Puff’s? / ‘Til he’s in police handcuffs, guilty, will he step up? / Like gee, never turned himself in, who knows all the murders there’ll have been?!?”
The original version of Fuel featured J.Cole’s artist JID, who, among other things, criticized Diddy for the infamous Cassie video.
The Bad Boy founder always denied any involvement in the shooting deaths of either Big or ‘Pac and there’s no evidence that he will be subpoenaed in Duane “Keefe D” Davis’ ongoing murder trial in Vegas.
Eminem fans are actually upset with his latest offering, complaining about the long wait for an album that only contains three tracks.
Adding to his long list of over 100 accusers, another woman has recently come forward to file a lawsuit alleging that Diddy sexually assaulted her over taunts she made about his alleged involvement in the drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur in September 1996 that left him mortally wounded.
Ashley Parham claims that back in 2018, she teased the Bad Boy mogul about being involved in ‘Pac’s death and she claims that because of the verbal jab, he targeted her and eventually sexually assaulted her with a television remote.
Parham claims that the taunt was made in her initial contact with Diddy over FaceTime, to which he replied that she would “pay” for her comments. Parham says that a month later, she was invited to a home in Orinda, California, but contends that the meeting was a set up orchestrated by Diddy. She says that upon her arrival, Diddy held her at knifepoint and threatened to give her a “Glasgow smile” for her Tupac cooments.
A Glasgow smile is where an assailant cuts their victim’s face at the corners of their mouth.
Parham then claims that Diddy took his clothes off, covered her body in a liquid-like substance, then proceeded to sexually assault her with a television remote. She also said that Diddy threatened to make her disappear before he and two other men raped her.
Parham alleged that the mogul told her he “hadn’t had any a*s that tight in a while” and offered to pay her to say their encounter was consensual.
In court docs obtained by TMZ, Parham says that she declined the offer and threatened to go to the police, but Diddy responded by threatening the safety of her family. Parham alleges that she reported the incident to Walnut Creek Police and the Orinda Police Department, however, no investigation was ever conducted into the incident.
Diddy’s reps have yet to publicly address these new allegations.
In an exclusive interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Tupac Shakur’s stepbrother Mopreme says that Diddy’s claim that he was not involved in the rap legend’s death might not be 100% true.
On Friday, Piers asked the elder Shakur about the theory of Diddy’s involvement in his brother’s back in 1996, mentioning that Diddy actually called Mopreme back in 2008 and denied any involvement in his little brother’s death.
Mopreme says that he still isn’t convinced that Diddy is completely in the clear when it comes to ‘Pac’s death, saying he told Diddy back in the day the truth of who did it still has not come out, so they needed to wait and see.
In the murder trial of Duane “Keefe D” Davis, who is currently on trial for Tupac’s murder, alleged Diddy implied he’d pay someone to kill 2Pac in an attempt to get a judge to deny Keefe D bail. Davis’ claims came up in court during his trial, prompting the Shakur family to hire Alex Spiro and Christopher Clore to look into the allegations.
Law enforcement says that Diddy has never been a suspect in the case.
TheSource.com will update this story as more details develop.
Once word was out that a new documentary series, “Tupac: Cover Up,” was released for the late rapper’s death anniversary on September 13, 2024, a panicked group of individuals began to call major platforms, making false claims about the show in an attempt to have it taken off the air.
In fact, the docuseries’ producers were contacted about the matter, and one of the platforms made an unprecedented request: ” Remove certain content, or we will remove the documentary.”
One need only look at the docuseries as a whole- NOW AVAILABLE ON XUMO PLAY to understand why certain groups are creating pressure on these platforms to silence the filmmakers: the documentary focuses on the life and death of the Grammy-winning artist Tupac Shakur, but also focuses on the moments following the unsolved shooting. The series makes the claim that from five minutes after the shooting until charges were returned from a Las Vegas Nevada Grand Jury last year, a group of self-interested individuals, some of which were alleged to be informants for the Federal Government, have carefully planted and cultivated a 27-year narrative that in truth has not one shred of physical evidence attached to it—just “hood lore” which they have perpetuated.
“Tupac: Coverup” features new and unheard interviews with celebrities (Mykelti Williamson, of Heat and Forrest Gump fame) Death Row Insiders (Kevin Black, Mike Nixon), Industry Insiders (Billy Johnson, Jr., Cynthia Horner, Janie Jennings), Law Enforcement (FBI Special Agent Phil Carson, who lead the Tupac/Biggie investigations for the FBI) as well as unheard and unreleased material from former Tupac bodyguards, friends and family. Athena Bond is the Executive producer, and Edna Sims is the film’s producer.
“We have had documented communications with the platforms showing that individuals with- shall we say- clear conflicts of interest didn’t follow the platform procedures for making claims against a show,” says Producer Richard “RJ” Bond, known for his previous works on the matter: 2020’s “Last Man Standing” and the beloved “Tupac Assassination” trilogy of movies.
“They did stupid stunts like calling the platform customer service departments and screaming at the poor representative on the phone. In our current “squeaky wheel” culture, extreme acts and rhetoric get moved to the front of the line. The platforms don’t always want to support Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Speech. This form of “consumer terrorism”- and resulting censorship- is a big problem for everyone.”
The “Tupac: Cover Up” producers took last week to decide: Do they leave the story out—which has received incredible reviews from fans who viewed an estimated 400,000 minutes of the show for its premiere date—untouched? Or do they make politically correct changes to cave to trouble with radical individuals?
“Well, let’s take a look at how Tupac viewed pressure; he went after C Delores Tucker and the entire government over trying to suppress his message. How would we honor him by silencing voices to serve a convenient and popular narrative?” added Bond.
Bond has put together a block-busting list of Former FBI agents, former Vegas law enforcement, Death Row “insiders” and music industry leaders that give credible and damning information regarding the motives behind the “False Narrative”. “Tupac: Cover Up” uses Vegas’ police files, grand jury testimony, and impeachable statements to demonstrate how flimsy the Vegas case is. This is a problem for those with less-than-clean agendas.
“After the documentary dropped, I was contacted by the family of Mr. Davis, the man charged in the murder of Shakur. They are understandably interested in the show’s talking points and feel we adequately addressed the situation. I hope to be in better contact with his defense team, whom I intentionally did not speak to until the show’s release.”
Eminem took some very vicious shots at Diddy on his new album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de grâce): Expanded Mourner’s Edition, where Em recruits Shady Records’ Westside Boogie and Grip while he delves into Hip Hop’s most reputed unsolved murders and he pulls no punches about who the culprit is.
On “Fuel” Shady goes in on the troubled mogul, rapping, “So who’ll be picked next, whose name gonna be next up? / Notorious B.I.G.’s death was the domino effect of Tupac’s murder / Like facial tissue, whose clock should I clean next? Puff’s? / ‘Til he’s in police handcuffs, guilty, will he step up? / Like gee, never turned himself in, who knows all the murders there’ll have been?!?”
The original version of Fuel featured J.Cole’s artist JID, who goes in on Diddy about the infamous Cassie video among other things.
The Bad Boy founder always denied any involvement in the shooting deaths of either Big or ‘Pac and there’s no evidence that he will be subpoenaed in Duane “Keefe D” Davis’ ongoing murder trial in Vegas.
Eminem fans are actually upset with his latest offering, complaining about the long wait for an album that only contains three tracks.
Cultural icon Tupac Shakur was then taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada hospital after being shot several times in a drive-by on a Las Vegas strip on September 7, 1996, and was under a medically induced coma for six days before dying from internal bleeding on September 13, 1996.
After several failed attempts by doctors to revive 2Pac, his mother Afeni Shakur requested for his life support machine to be turned off. What were the events that transpired the days before the September 7th shooting that caused his early demise and why has the mystery of his death never been solved? These are the questions that remain 28 years later. Chris Carroll, a retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department sergeant, told Vegas Seven Magazine in an interview last year that we may never know;
“Shakur’s murder is still considered an unsolved homicide and an unsolved homicide case is technically never closed. But nothing more is ever going to happen with it.”
After all the documentaries that have been put out pertaining to Pac’s death, most fans attempt to put the clues together and create their own hypothesis yet without hard evidence it’s still just an educated guess as to what really happened the night of September 7, 1996.
The only real evidence police had until last year was the witness account from Outlaw member E.D.I Mean, who claimed to have seen all four men in the vehicle and Yaki Kadafi, who was involved in a scuffle with officers two days following the shooting after they pulled over a driver he was with and he protested. Officers did not try to locate Kadafi, who was later gunned down in Irving, NJ two months after the shooting.
Compton investigators assembled mug shots of several gang members, which included Orlando Anderson, the Crip that Tupac attacked in the MGM Grand lobby hours before the shooting. Anderson is the suspect said to have fired the fatal shots that killed Pac. Las Vegas police later discounted Anderson as a suspect and interviewed him only once. He was later killed in an unrelated gang shooting.
Last year, it was revealed that Duane “Keefe D” Davis will face charges related to the death of Tupac Shakur after years of claiming he was directly involved, but avoided prosecution with a immunity deal. It seems 2023 was the expiration date of that said deal. Davis is currently behind bars while going to trial for the murder of Shakur and was given a $750K bond to released during trial, but he has yet to make bail despite being offered the money because the judge has yet to approve the financial arrangement.
