'This was a story about a tragedy that didn’t have to happen,' said Ice-T.
Year after year on September 13, hip-hop aficionados honor the late Tupac for his boundless impact on gangsta rap and his ongoing influence on the genre. This past year marked 21 years since the late rapper passed away in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on that day in 1996, and yet he was just recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the biopic All Eyez on Me debuted at No. 3 in the box office in its opening weekend.
While Pac may be one of the most prolific rappers of all time, there remains one eerie mystery: his unexplainable death.
No one was accountable for the West Coast rapper’s death, but many believed that his feud with The Notorious B.I.G. (originally Christopher George Wallace) may have spiraled out of control, leading many to assume Smalls had some affiliation to the tragedy. Not shortly after, though, Biggie himself was also shot and killed in a drive-by in Los Angeles six months later.
There was a time when both rappers dominated the game, battling it out against each other for the top spot — all while representing their respected coasts. Tupac had that “California Love” and Biggie put East Coast rap on the map when West Coast hip-hop prevailed. Beefs, diss tracks, and rap battles never hurt anybody in hip-hop. In many ways, that's what gave rap its spirit and livelihood, but the rivalry between Tupac and Biggie Smalls ended without redemption.
Now, skeptics may have some answers with Fox’s Who Shot Biggie & Tupac? The 2-hour investigative crime special, hosted by Ice-T and Soledad O’Brien, will tackle their shocking deaths — featuring interviews from Doug E. Fresh, Funkmaster Flex, Suge Knight, Lil’ Cease, and E.D.I. Mean.
In an exclusive teaser clip, Ice-T contemplates the beef between Biggie and Tupac, admitting competition is part of “what built hip-hop” but he never expected it would take a turn for the worse. “This program is about the life and untimely death of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls,” said the “O.G. Original Gangster” artist. “…This was a story about a tragedy that didn’t have to happen.”
Watch the teaser clip below for an inside look at the special.
Marion 'Suge' Knight claims that his ex-wife and former Death Row Records security chief Reggie White Jr killed Tupac Shakur, and insists he was the real target of the 1996 drive-by.
Suge's attorney Thaddeus Culpepper wrote in a signed affidavit, that 'Knight has known for many years that Reggie Wright Jr. and his ex-wife Sharitha were behind the murder of Tupac and attempted murder of Knight.'
He added that Knight also had alleged details of Wright's involvement in the Bigge Smalls murder case.
The rapper, who until now has always refused to identify the shooter, appears to have spoken out after hearing the 'salient points' in the new documentary Tupac Assassination: Battle for Compton.
Marion 'Suge' Knight (left, in court in February in a pretrial murder hearing) has finally he revealed that he was the real target in the drive by that killed Tupac Shakur (right)
Suge claims his ex-wife Sharitha (right) and former Death Row Records security chief Reggie White Jr, (left) were behind the shootings
'When our book,came out and we were working on the movie, we gave the salient points of the book (Tupac: 187 The Red Knight) to Thaddeus Culpepper, who read them to Suge Knight,' said co-director Richard Bond. 'Suge's initial response was, 'Who the hell are these guys?'
'He admitted to Culpepper that the theories in the movie were true,' a source said.
Suge was so intrigued he sent his private investigators, to discover how the writers and directors found out about what happened.
The documentary also claims that Suge had always been the real target of that fatal shooting. Tupac was just in the way.
Who Killed 2pac And Biggie Short Documentary
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The film tells of an attempted coup at Tupac's label Death Row Records - co-founded by Suge and Dr Dre among others - which eventually led to the shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996.
'Culpepper told Carlin individually that not only did Knight confirm the events as portrayed in Compton, which portray Knight was the intended target and Shakur as collateral damage, as true, but also goes on to allege that these 1996 events may have been the first in a history of attempts on Knight's life, culminating in the recent attempted killing of Knight at the 1OAK Club in Los Angeles, where Knight was shot six times,' a film spokesperson told Music News.
Knight was also the target of allegations that he was responsible for the shooting of Shakur's rival Christopher 'Biggie Smalls' Wallace in 1997.
The film features Culpepper's signed affidavit - which was taken by former LAPD detective Russell Poole on July 18, 2015.
The last known photo of Tupac, in the car with Suge, taken in Las Vegas on September 7 1996
Who Killed 2pac And Biggie Entire Show On Fox
Tupac and Suge Knight, pictured together in the 1990s, were friends before Tupac was gunned down in 1996
Suge has also allegedly been accused of shooting Shakur rival Christopher 'Biggie Smalls' Wallace (above) in 1997 - a year after Tupac's death
Poole, who also contributed to the book, appears to agree with Suge's theory.
He told Vice in 2015 that Wright Jr. and Suge's ex, Sharitha Knight orchestrated the murder to assume control of Death Row Records.
'Suge wasn't divorced yet and if he died in that hit, she'd get most of everything,' Poole said. 'So she went to Wright Jr., who was in charge of Death Row and ran it while Suge was in prison.
'[Wright Jr.] has gotten away with it this whole time. They floated a whole lot of propaganda to former LA Times reporter Chuck Phillips—calling in hundreds if not thousands of fake clues.'
White Jr responded to the claims in 2015, after Poole's death, to AllHipHop, pointing out that several people that had accused him of Tupac's murder had died in the past decade.
They include the late rapper's ex-bodyguards Michael Moore, Frank Alexander and Poole.
'I believe in karma,' he said. 'All these people are dropping dead. I keep telling people God don't like ugly. I hope people learn a lesson from this.'
Wright warned that the next person could be Tupac Assassination co-director Bond.
'The next person is probably going to be R.J. Bond. I ain't predicting no death on anybody, but they better get their selves right,' he said. 'They better stop with all this bullcrap they've been promoting, because they're all dying like flies around here.'
Suge's marriage to Sharitha Golden, the mother of his first child, was tumultuous at best.
Just two years before their wedding in November 1989, Sharitha had obtained a restraining order against Suge.
They later reconciled and wed, but got divorced the following year with Sharitha demanding her ex pay $735,000 in unpaid child support.
Tupac Assassination: Battle for Compton (left) based on the book Tupac: 187 The Red Knight (right) claims that Suge had always been the target of that fatal shooting
According to his lawyer, Suge believes both Sharitha and White plotted his death together.
The shooting of Tupac, 25, has been surrounded by conspiracy theories ever since.
They include claims that Tupac faked his own death with the help of the first cop on the scene, Chris Carroll, who is now retired, and fled to Cuba. There were even theories that Suge had ordered an assassination hit on Tupac and that Carroll was involved.
Suge, 50, had always denied he was behind the shooting but until now was unwilling to name who it was.
Tupac's last public photograph was taken as he was riding in the car with Death Row Records co-founder Suge on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.
The pair had just left a Mike Tyson fight held at the MGM Grand, when the 25-year-old rapper was shot as he stood up through the sunroof to talk to a group of women while the car was stopped at a traffic light.
Shakur was hit four times - twice in the chest, once in the arm, and once in the leg.
THOSE TUPAC CONSPIRACY RUMORS
Perennial rumors surface that the rapper - who was shot in 1996 - is in fact still alive.
The emergence of a 'selfie' by a look-a-like last year supposedly showing the rapper was just the latest of many wild stories that the star lives on.
Some say that Tupac grew sick of his fame, faked his own death and moved to Cuba.
Other rumors swirled that police officer Carroll somehow swapped Tupac's body for a double, helping him on the way to starting a secret new life.
And the fires have been stoked by Marion 'Suge' Knight, Tupac's former record label boss, who was next to the star in the vehicle when he was shot.
Knight has said he never saw the musician's body and has repeatedly hinted Shakur is out there somewhere.
'You know he's somewhere smoking a Cuban cigar on the islands,' he said in 2014.
He eventually died six days later on September 13.
Bond believes Suge, who is behind bars awaiting a separate murder trial, is ready to make a statement about Tupac's murder because it proves that he has been a target of gangs out to get him for years.
Suge, who was shot multiple times in 2014, has been in jail since his arrest for mowing down two men in a burger stand parking lot in Compton in 2015, killing businessman and friend Terry Carter and injuring Cle 'Bone' Sloan.
The two men had been working as security on the location set for the NWA movie Straight Outta Compton and had got into a dispute with Knight earlier in the day.
Prosecutors have charged Knight with murder and attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty and claims he accidentally struck Carter as he fled the scene in fear for his life suspecting an armed ambush.
Bond and Carlin insist Knight was a victim in Vegas, which could be evidence of his that he was also telling the truth about his 2014 shooting at One Oak and in the Compton case he is only trial for.
'The hope is Knight's confirmation of the story laid out in Compton (the film) may put a final stamp to close this mystery, after 20 years.'
New of the potential break through in the now decades-old case, come as Tupac is due to be posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday.
The Harlem-born rapper's recording career may have only lasted five years before he was murdered, but it is the rapper's influence from beyond the grave that will be celebrated.
Tupac (left performing in 1994) has had major success, both during his five years making music and after his death. Meanwhile Suge (right in 2011) is behind bars facing murder charges
The black car in which Tupac and record label boss Suge Knight were driving in when the attack by an unknown gunmen occurred
The Las Vegas intersection between the Strip and Paradise Road, where the shooting occurred in 1996
Arguably bigger in death than he was in life, Shakur will be only the sixth rap act to be voted into the Hall of Fame in its 30-year history.
The Hall of Fame described him as 'an international symbol of resistance and outlaw spirit, an irresistible contradiction, a definitive rap anti-hero.
Shakur has sold 75 million albums, mostly from seven posthumous releases, and although his sales figures will never match those of 21st century hip hop kings like Drake, Kanye West and The Weeknd, his influence remains profound.
'For anyone who is serious about learning about hip hop, there are certain people whose music you have to deal with and Tupac is one of those people. You can't say you are knowledgeable about hip hop if you don't know about Tupac,' said Todd Boyd, professor of cinema and media studies at the University of Southern
Tupac Assassination: Battle for Compton is now available on Blu Ray, DVD, and digital download sites.
The mother of Biggie Smalls, aka Notorious B.I.G., has spoken of her anguish on the 20th anniversary of the hip hop legend’s unsolved murder, revealing that the pain of losing her son has never gone away.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Voletta Wallace, 64, admits she hurts 'every single day' knowing that she will never see her son again and that his killer is still at large.
And in a shocking claim, the matriarch of hip hop reveals that she and LAPD detectives investigating the murder DO know who is responsible for her son’s death but a 'conspiracy' prevents the case from ever being solved.
This comes as a source who was in Biggie'sinner circle tells DailyMail.com that the rapper may have been the unintended target of the shooting.
Voletta Wallace, 64, the mother of Biggie Smalls, aka Notorious B.I.G., has spoken of her anguish on the 20th anniversary of the hip hop legend’s unsolved murder, revealing that the pain of losing her son has never gone away
Wallace, 64, claims that LAPD detectives investigating the murder do know who is responsible for the death of her son, also known at Notorious B.I.G., but a conspiracy prevents the case from ever being solved
Biggie, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was gunned down in cold blood on March 9, 1997 in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, aged just 24. Pictured, the car and crime scene where he was shot and killed
Biggie, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was gunned down in cold blood on March 9, 1997 in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, aged just 24.
The ‘Juicy’ singer had earlier delivered his final performance at the Soul Train Awards before he was killed after leaving an after-party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in a two-vehicle convoy.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Wallace admitted she hurts 'every single day' knowing that she will never see her son again and that his killer is still at large
Trailed by fellow artist P. Diddy, who opted to travel in a separate car, his friend could only watch as the Brooklyn-born star was hit by four bullets from a driver in a Chevrolet Impala that pulled alongside his GMC Suburban SUV.
Speaking from her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Voletta choked back tears as she recalled the shooting.
She said: ‘It hurts me every single day to know what happened to Christopher and that I won’t see him ever again.
‘And it’s not just me that is devastated, his sister T’yanna hurts every day because of his loss. As a family, we’ve collectedly grieved and it doesn’t ever get any better for us.
‘Any mother who has lost a child knows exactly the devastation I feel, it’s the worst pain in the world and one that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.
‘He was so young, so talented and his life was taken far too soon. It’s unnecessary that Christopher lost his life at just 24. He was my baby, and I think about him every day.
‘When it comes to the anniversary of the passing of his death, I don’t really like to talk about it. I know there will be a few tributes in honor of Christopher, and that’s great he’s still remembered, but it’s very tough for me and my family.’
The ‘Juicy’ singer had earlier delivered his final performance at the Soul Train Awards before he was killed after leaving an after-party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in a two-vehicle convoy. Pictured, friends and family take Biggie's casket to a waiting hearse at his funeral
Funeral cars filled with floral tributes to rapper Biggie Smalls passed down St James Place, the street in Brooklyn where his mother still lives, in a fairwell drive-by for the Brooklyn native in 1997
Many in the aftermath of Biggie's death claim the bullets were actually meant for P. Diddy (pictured), whose real name is Sean Combs, as a revenge killing six months after Biggie’s rap rival Tupac Shakur was also gunned down
Voletta, who is a devout Christian, admits she has turned to God for answers since the murder.
However, as comforting as the church is, it can never replace her son.
‘I get by, using religion to ease my pain. But that’s not easy. It helps a little, but it’s a far cry from bringing Christopher back to life,' she said.
‘I have had lots of support from friends at church, and I’m thankful for that over the years. People have been very nice to me, and that’s also because Christopher was such a glowing figure in their lives too.’
They claim Diddy is somehow linked to Shakur’s (pictured) murder in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, a theory often rumored in hip hop circles
Voletta blames the LAPD for not solving the crime and claims detectives know exactly who was responsible.
‘I have a very good idea who murdered Christopher and I genuinely believe that the LAPD know exactly who did too,’ she said.
‘They’ve done their investigation, but they just refuse to move forward. I don’t know why they haven’t arrested who was involved.
‘It seems to me that it’s one giant conspiracy, and someone is definitely being protected somewhere down the line.’
The longer the case goes unsolved Voletta, who is executor of Biggie's estate, knows it’s unlikely she will ever be able to put her son’s senseless killing behind her.
‘There’s no closure for me until that murderer is behind bars and sentenced,' she said.
‘That may give me some closure to grab onto, but it sure won’t ever bring my son back.'
Born on May 21, 1972, Biggie was raised in Brooklyn by single-mom Voletta, a Jamaican immigrant, who worked as a pre-school teacher.
It was a tough start to life and Biggie was selling crack on street corners by age 12 landing him with a long rap sheet and a stint in jail aged 17.
But in the late 1980s the troubled teen, who liked to rap as a sideline to dealing drugs, got his big break.
At 6ft 3ins and nearly 400lbs, he used the fitting stage name Biggie Smalls after Calvin Lockhart’s gangster character in the 1975 movie Let’s Do It Again.
One of his mixtapes was sent to an editor at hip-hop magazine The Source and Biggie was soon signed by Sean 'Puffy' Combs, then working for Uptown Records.
‘That soon escalated, and it is known in the circles that Suge (Knight) wanted to get revenge for losing his prized asset. He held Puff responsible and wanted to go after him,' the source said. Pictured, the black car in which Tupac was fatally shot
In September 1994 Biggie released his debut album, 'Ready to Die.' under Combs' newly formed Bad Boy Records.
Backed with hits like 'Juicy' and 'Big Poppa,' the record went platinum selling four million copies and the young hip-hop artist became a full-fledged star.
The album earned several awards including Billboard’s Rap Artist of the Year and Rap Single of the Year.
By then he had dropped his original name in place of The Notorious B.I.G. after Lockhart sued him over 'Biggie Smalls'.
The rapper's career went from strength to strength and he backed several other artists even working with Michael Jackson, on his 1995 album, 'HIStory.'
By the close of 1995, Biggie was one of hip hop's best-selling and most sought after performers.
He was married to R&B singer Faith Evans and they had a son, Christopher 'CJ' Wallace Jr., in 1996.
Biggie already had a three-year-old daughter, T’yanna, with another woman.
Theories around the shooting - now a part of hip hop lore - have reemerged in one form or another over the years as journalists and fans attempted to tackle the case.
But a source who was with Biggie the night he died is convinced the bullets were meant for P. Diddy, not him.
The source says he believes the bullets were meant for Diddy, aka Sean Combs, as a revenge killing six months after Biggie’s rap rival Tupac Shakur was also gunned down.
The claim that Diddy is somehow linked to Shakur’s murder in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 has long been rumored in hip hop circles.
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Earlier this week it emerged that the car in which Biggie was murdered in is now being sold by memorabilia dealer, Moments in Time for a staggering $1.5 million.
It was originally picked up by a woman in an auction in 1997, who had no idea how famous the vehicle was, according to TMZ.
Apparently, the passenger door was replaced after police officers removed it during their investigation.
Ironically, both rappers are still competing posthumously.
Last week, the BMW that Tupac was riding in when he was shot dead also went on sale for $1.5 million.
The Illuminati supposedly killed Biggie and Tupac. This would beeasier to believe if the Illuminati had not vanished ca. 1785. Theyare now just something that conspiracy theorists believe in, theones who think everything is a Illuminati Reptilian Skull and BonesTrilateral Rothchilds Bilderberger CFR Zionist Nazi Mafia CIA NWOStonecutters No Homers plot.
I don't think the media are doing a very good job dealing withthis misapprehension. It is not hard to understand why many peopledon't understand that the Illuminati are long gone-- the Net andthe media are not going to tell them so!
ACCLAIMED rapper The Notorious B.I.G. was shot dead in revenge for his pal Sean 'P Diddy' Combs's contract killing of rap rival Tupac Shakur, according to an ex cop's bizarre theory.
This week marks the 20th anniversary of his death, which occurred at the height of an East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud in the late 1990s. Pcsx2 iso download.
No-one has ever been brought to justice for murdering the rapper - who was also known as Biggie Smalls - sparking a wave of conspiracy theories involving the CIA, the FBI, street gang feuds, police cover-ups and even that he is alive and crashing stag parties in Greece.
Former Los Angeles Police Detective Greg Kading claims Combs was linked to the killing and also that of Tupac which happened just six months earlier.
He told The Sun Online: 'I don’t promote what we are saying it as theory. Some people might use the word theory, because it has never been challenged in court.'
Based on his three years working the cases, Kading claims Combs offered $1million to Crips gang member Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis to kill Tupac and his manager, Marion Hugh “Suge” Knight.
He claims that on that fateful night - September 7, 1996 - Keffe D’s nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson was the trigger man. But only Tupac was murdered.
As retaliation, Kading’s bizarre theory alleges Knight then hired Bloods gang member Wardell “Poochie” Fouse for $13,000 to kill Biggie six months later on March 9, 1997.
Incredibly, Kading maintains he got a confession out Keffe D revealing what happened, but it was then two late as the “trigger men” were deceased and couldn’t be prosecuted.
And due to the way the US justice system works, Keffe D was protected when he allegedly gave his confession.
Kading said: “The American law has agreements. They can tell us everything they know about their own involvement in a crime, but we cannot use their own incriminating statements against them.'
The former cop is now involved in a new television series based on this astonishing theory, starring Hollywood actor Josh Duhamel and Westworld’s Jimmi Simpson.
The series, called ‘Unsolved’, has been optioned by the American TV network USA.
Another astonishing theory regarding the case emerged when Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, sued the department in federal court in a wrongful death lawsuit.
This was centred on a conspiracy theory the police covered up a cop being involved in the murder. A civil suit was going for $500 million which was based on the rapper's earning potential.
Kading claims that once there was enough evidence to stop the case, the investigation was dropped.
He says the detective was taken off the task force in 2009 in relation to another incident he was cleared of, but the label of 'rogue cop' stuck.
A third remarkable twist in the theory comes with Kading's claim the LAPD did not pursue possible leads because the two alleged 'trigger men' were dead.
Despite his detractors, he says he isn’t bothered any more by what has been said about him: I was probably more upset back in 2010 when the Department wasn’t, in my opinion, doing everything it could to further the cases.
'But as time has gone on I have had to accept their decision making.
'I can’t do anything about the departments attitude about these cases. I try not to dwell on the past.'
Combs has always denied any link to the murders - in 2010 radio show host DJ Jojo asked the rapper about Biggie's murder.
He answered it appearing to have some knowledge declaring: 'Those are street issues.'
However the following year, Combs shot down Kading’s claims telling LA Weekly they were 'pure fiction and completely ridiculous'.
Combs' representatives have been approached by The Sun Online for comment. His lawyer said: 'If they are interested in responding they will get in touch.'
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