By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
The moment Tupac Shakur’s death was announced, many did not believe it. There were many who had theories of how and why Tupac Shakur had faked his death. When he was shot in Las Vegas, he was shot while riding beside Suge Knight, the head of Death Row Records. Only one year prior, Knight reached out to Tupac Shakur when he was in prison, agreeing to have him released if he signed to his label, Death Row.
Suge Knight had built an incredible empire with Death Row Records, but was beginning to face competition from New York-based Bad Boy Records. Tupac Shakur was a close affiliate of Bad Boy, at one point coming close to signing with the label. Former friends with Bad Boy, specifically the flagship artist, The Notorious B.I.G., this all changed when Shakur was shot at Quad Studios in 1994. From this point on, the East and West Coast hip hop scenes feuded with each other.
The overall situation still sparks tons of conversation eighteen years after things began. Last summer, the world finally learned who was responsible for the 1994 shooting, James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond. The next mystery was about who actually murdered The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. These debates resurface and grab headlines, from time-to-time. A former detective for the LAPD, Greg Kading, wrote a book about B.I.G.’s murder, and rappers began recounting the roles they played, once again.
Recently, the fifteenth anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.’s death occurred, but it was a celebration of his life and music. At a time when Tupac was out of the headlines, he returned from the dead to perform at Coachella 2012. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg helped plan this, as a Tupac Shakur hologram performed, wowing the crowd. The hologram also played into the theories many had about Shakur being alive. Discussion of Tupac being alive somewhere had started to die down in recent years, as it has been sixteen years. However, Suge Knight, who was supposedly there when Shakur died and has been accused of being involved in the murder, spoke with TMZ, saying he is not convinced Tupac is really dead.
But, if there has been this much discussion about Tupac for sixteen years, a song called “Tupac Back,” and even a hologram performance, yet still no Tupac Shakur, what is the hold-up.
Watch Suge Knight’s interview with TMZ below:
