Is Tupac Shakur really dead? On September 13, 1996, the world believed that Tupac waspronounced dead after being a victim of a drive by shooting. But did he disappear between those sixdays of being in the hospital? In years later, people believed to have seen Tupac in Cuba, or didhis manger set him up because he was leaving Death Row record label? There are severalconspiracy theories on this case of Tupac Shakur.
Character Analysis
Tupac was arguably one the most, if not, most influential hip-hop artist in the world. He has recorded songs that predicted the future. He wrote and recorded three songs in an hour (“Tupac Biography”). Which rapper can do this in the twenty-first century? Today rappers release a song and use their money for weeks to party. Tupac, “he was like glue to his studio; it was all hard work, fun, drinking, and a recording in his studio” (Doss).
Tupac was versatile, but remained consistent in his overall mission or objective. He never flip-flopped or recorded an album for commercial sales. While he loved the success he was enjoying and even strived to be a star in Hollywood, he never once collaborated with any unsavory characters in Hip Hop such as, “Eminem and Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, and Soulja Boy” (Doss). He remained consistent in what he did and continually pushed the envelope in regard to serious topics and even political matters.
Tupac recorded more songs than probably any other Hip Hop artist in the history, yet if you ask any of his fans, not one of those songs was a failure in regards to impressing his listeners. It is very rare to find an artist who has written that many songs without ever disappointing his fans. In other words, none of the songs found on any of his albums are filler. They were all potential hits and all carried their own weight: “Tupac'sfearlessness and resilience is what kept the late rapper atop the Billboard charts from the beginning of his career in 1992 until long after his death in 1996 at 25” (“Tupac Shakur's Top 10 Billboard Hits”).
Tupac was the first rap artist to have two number one albums in a row in the Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart. As stated before, many people compare his fame to the Notorious B.I.G.'s fame, but the highest status on the album charts that Biggie ever achieved while alive was number thirteen on the Top 200 Albums Chart, and number three on the Rap and RnB charts. “Tupac did all this before rap was as popular as it is today” (“Why 2pac Is the Greatest Rapper of All Time”).
Tupac’s name was more than just rap and hip-hop, as was his social life and passion of what he believed and wrote. Tupac inspired millions of people his, life was cut too short.
Conspiracy Theories
Let’s look at the conspiracy theories. First, did Tupac fake his death and escape to cuba? On that fateful night of September 7, 1996, Tupac was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with his Death Row family for the Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldom fight. That night Tupac and his entourage approached Orlando Brown, who was a southside crip, after hearing Orlando snatched Suge Knight’s friend’s necklace in the mall a few months earlier. After Tupac walked up to Orlando and punched him, a group of men jumped him. It was caught on camera and showed the entourage running out of the hotel. Tupac proceeded to go change clothes at his hotel room before going to Club 662. He met Suge Knight downstairs and got into his BMW while his security guard followed behind in another car. After strolling down the Las Vegas strip, a fan called out to Tupac and snapped what would be his last picture. A group of females were calling out to him when a white Cadillac pulled up alongside of the BMW. Shots were fired at the BMW and hitting Tupac Shakur multiple times, and the bullets grazed Suge Knight. Suge Knight then sped off down the strip going the opposite way and crashing the car. Tupac and Suge Knight’s car was approached by bicycle cops while waiting on life flight, where Tupac was flown to a Las Vegas Hospital. Where he was in a coma for seven days. He was missing a finger, and had a lung removed. Family and friends visited him and spoke speaking to his unconscious body. His mother, Afeni Shakur, decided to pull the plug on her son’s life after days of being in an induced coma. Tupac did not have a funeral and was cremated immediately the day after his death, which led fans to believe he was still alive.
The second conspiracy involves Suge Knight, manager and of Death Row Records, which Tupac was signed to. The next month Tupac’s albums “Makaveli” was released, which showed him on a cross being crucified. This led many fans to believe he faked his death following the real story of Makaveli, who had also faked his death to escape from his enemies on the east coast. Makaveli made some new friends on the West Coast. His diss track “Hit em up” called out East Coast rappers and humiliated Biggie Smalls because Biggie put the song “who shot you” while tupac was in jail but Biggie said he wrote that song months before any of that stuff went down. When Suge Knight bond Tupac out of it start real big beef with Biggie and Tupac (Notorious). Tupac had a reason to believe his life was in danger after being shot five times in New York city:
They arrived at a studio so Shakur could do some recordings for an acquaintance, Booker, whom he did not quite trust. When they got to the studio, Tupac noticed of two black men, both dressed in army fatigues, hang around in the lobby he noticed because neither of them seemed to acknowledge his presence as of him being famous. He noted that he was less wary of them than he should have been because he had just finished smoking chronic. Shakur simply assumed they must be security for The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie), whom he was still friends with at the time.(“Tupac Biography”)
The two men, whom Shakur described as looking like they were from New York, came at him with identical 9mm handguns, and forced him and his friends to the floor (All Eyez on Me). Tupac was shot in the leg, through his scrotum. “He fell to the floor, and was shot a further four times, which he later claimed not to have realized. He laid silent, pretending to be dead” (“Tupac Biography”). It was discovered “He was shot five times in total and robbed of the gold jewelry he was wearing, which was worth over forty thousand dollars” (All Eyez on Me).
His first words after realizing he had been shot in the head and the scrotum were, “Oh, shit. Roll me some weed. Call my mom and tell her I’ve been shot” (All Eyez on Me). He was also very surprised that none of his other friends, who were also wearing jewelry weren’t robbed (“Tupac Biography”). He survived, and he was also charged with rape in the same month of the shooting. When he went to court him and the judge had difference so “on February 7, 1995, Shakur was sentenced to four and half years in prison for rape, though he vehemently denied any wrongdoing” (“Tupac Biography”). The last shooting in Las Vegas probably made Tupac believe he had to get away. Both events could have been too much for Tupac, which leads to the next conspiracy: is he really in Cuba? If he is not alive then why was his life insurance policy never cashed?
Is Tupac really dead? When Tupac died, his new album, Makaveli, (Tupac) “The seven Day Theory,” was released November 5th, 1996. The album had been finished in seven days during the first week of August 1996. He was shot on September 7,1996, and survived for seven days before he died on the thirteen. Since Tupac's album, “All Eyes On Me” (TUPAC 7 day theory), was released on February 13th, 1996, and he died on September 13th, 1996, it is quite a coincidence that the two dates are exactly seven months apart. Tupac officially died at 4:03 p.m., 4+3 = 7; he also died at the age 25 which 2+5=7. Tupac is surrounded by the number 7; even in the new album there is nothing about his death date. Wouldn't you think they would include something like that in the first album after his death? In the album you notice "EXIT TUPAC, ENTER MAKAVELI"(1) which would make fans further more believe he is alive. The executive producer of The seven Day Theory is listed in the CD booklet of the album as Simon, who is a previously an unknown producer in the rap music industry. In the Bible, Simon was an apostle of Jesus. Simon was one of the first witnesses of the Resurrection listed by Saint Paul (I Cor. 15: 5). The Outlawz Tupac’s group that he brought up with him have confirmed “Simon is a reference to Suge Knight, who was with Tupac the night of the shooting” (2).
Tupac was cremated the day after his death. The man who cremated Tupac, “Suge Knight said he paid him off then he disappeared off the face of the earth” (YourNewsWireOnline.). If you’re the biggest rapper during that time, why wasn’t your body investigated to find out who killed you? Tupac is insurance policy was worth 70 million dollars but was never cashed out. It is illegal for a person who is alive to cash out his insurance policy. Afeni Shakur announced a funeral for fans, but it was cancelled the day before, and eventually she had a private ceremony celebrating his life with close friends and family. Until this day, Suge Knight is still a suspect in fans eyes due to his controlling ways; he was there at every step Tupac made and even at his bedside when took his last breath. Tupac was trying to get his own record company, and he had approached Suge Knight. But Tupac, was told he still had millions to pay back, so instead Suge Knight offered rapper his own label, Death Row East. When Tupac died, he was on the books to pay child support for children he didn’t have, so he didn’t have control over his own money. Instead Suge Knight would just buy Tupac what he wanted.
Tupac was an amazing rapper his life remains a mystery. After having no funeral and being cremated the day after his death, Tupac still has people’s minds wondering. Today, twenty years after his death, people are still saying the late rapper is still putting out hit records. Pictures and videos of him have surfaced in different places. Is Tupac still alive? The world may never know. These their conspiracies remain mysteries today.
Conclusion
After having no funeral and being cremated the day after his death, Tupac still has people’s minds wonder, which leads to the three conspiracies:
1. Did Tupac fake his death and escape to Cuba?
2. Was Tupac set up by his former manager Suge Knight because he was leaving Death Row Record Label?
3. Is Tupac really dead and gone?
Today, twenty years after Tupac the former rapper is still putting out hit records, pictures and videos of him in different places. Is Tupac still alive? The world may never know.
Work Cited
“All Eyez On Me.” Https://Www.amctheatres.com/Movies/All-Eyez-on-Me-52911, www.amctheatres.com/movies/all-eyez-on-me-52911.
Doss, Bran. "Top 10 Reasons Why Tupac Shakur Is the Best Rapper of All Time." Top 10 Reasons Why Tupac Shakur Is the Best Rapper of All Time - TheTopTens®. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Aug. 2017.< https://www.thetoptens.com/reasons-why-tupac-shakur-is-rapper/.
Bible(I Cor. 15: 5).
“Notorious 2009 Movie - Notorious B.I.G.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Apr. 2017,www.youtube.com/watch?v=v96mUA22M18
PacWillReturn. YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 03 Aug. 2017.<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nMAQ2as5lM>.
“Tupac Biography.” Makavelicom Tupac Amaru Shakur Dedication 20 Years Later Tupac Shines Comments, Parallelus, 1998, makaveli.com/?p=416
“Tupac Shakur's Top 10 Billboard Hits.” Billboard, Billborad, 2017, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/467493/tupac-shakurs-top-15-billboard-hits.
"Tupac’s Relationship With Machiavelli." Life Examinations. N.p., 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 03 Aug. 2017.< https://lifeexaminations.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/tupacs-relationship-with-machiavelli/>.
“Why 2pac Is the Greatest Rapper of All Time.” Why 2pac Is the Greatest Rapper of All Time, Venturearticles, 2016, www.venturearticles.com/why-2pac-is-the-greatest-rapper-of-all-time.html.
YourNewsWireOnline. YouTube. YouTube, 23 Sept. 2015. Web. 03 Aug. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmtYk8zp5uU
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