By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Hip hop was finally ready to let Tupac Shakur rest in peace right before he was brought back to life, performing at Coachella 2012. Because of the way he died, many questioned if Tupac Shakur was truly dead, or if he was in hiding. Many theories pointed toward Tupac Shakur returning to reclaim his spot in 2003, seven years following his death. Some even went as far as to claim 50 Cent was Tupac Shakur.
In the end, 50 Cent proved to be his own man and Tupac Shakur remained dead, or at least this is what the public has believed. Tupac Shakur has been one of the most-popular rappers in the game, despite passing away in 1996. Several posthumous albums were released from Shakur, ending in 2006, with a decision from his estate to no longer release albums from Tupac.
Many of the “Tupac alive” theories ended a few years ago with hip hop accepting Tupac as their own Elvis, the country music star who’s death has always been questioned. However, the Tupac Shakur hologram at Coachella 2012 hit a little too close to home for many Tupac fans. The theories have restarted and today, the former label boss of Shakur’s Death Row Records, Suge Knight, said Tupac may still be alive.
There has been a lot of proof regarding Tupac Shakur’s death, yet there have still been no solid confirmations. In movies and television shows, main characters have been killed off only to return alive months, or even years, later. Very rarely has a person who has been presumed dead in real life turned up alive. The closest thing to happen in real life was Jaycee Dugard being kidnappned in 1991, but turning out to have been held captive in 2009, returning to her life. A similar situation happened with Elizabeth Smart, who was held captive for a year.
While Tupac Shakur is a much-higher profile person than Jaycee Dugard and Elizabeth Smart, it is possible he is being held captive, as there were many who disliked Shakur. Unafraid to speak his mind, no one was safe from a Tupac diss if he felt they deserved it. Due to his criminal record and his activism, Tupac Shakur became an enemy to the public. The government was ready to arrest the rapper and it was revealed last summer James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond was behind his infamous 1994 shooting at Quad Studios.
Throughout the course of 2011, more was revealed about Jimmy Henchman, making it clear there was not much he could not do. Highly unlikely, given the investigation and the way he did business, there is a slight possibility of Jimmy Henchman holding Tupac Shakur somewhere, or Tupac simply hiding out. There are many theories, but if Tupac Shakur were truly alive, one would think he would have surfaced following all of the rumors, imitation rappers, Meek Mill’s “Tupac Back,” and the Tupac hologram performance at Coachella 2012.
