Tupac Shakur Conspiracy Baylee Klingler

               Anyone who is a fan of hip-hop music would be able to recognize the name Tupac Shakur, a multi-talented rapper/actor. Tupac’s career took off in the 1990’s; he quickly became one of the most iconic artists in the music industry. His life came to an end on September 7, 1996, in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas… but did it? Many people would argue that he is still alive and well residing somewhere in  Cuba (Kelly  1-3).

Tupac Shakur was one of those guys that everyone knew. Whether an individual was a  hip-hop fan or not, they knew the mark that Tupac left on the industry. He was a strong personality that took the hip hop world by storm.

Tupac was raised by both his mother and father. Both parents were active members of the  “Black Panther” organization. His  parents fought for civil rights and fought for racial equality. Because of this, Tupac began his own fight at a young age. He stood up for what he believed in and would fight to make sure people understood his views. He began to practice the awareness of racism and very often used this topic as a theme in his songs. By all accounts, he was your stereotypical rapper. He wrote songs of gang violence, and life on the streets. Midway through his childhood, his father disappeared from his life, he was moving all the time with his mother and began to portray a rough exterior. He started to act out as a way to show everyone he was a rough gangster rapper.

However, many people would say they knew Tupac as someone who was more understanding and sensitive. Many people were unaware that he attended a school of art as a young boy where he fell in love with the sound and the making of music which sparked his never ending ambition to be a success someway, somehow in the music industry. (et al A&E Networks TV 1-6).  He made his acting debut at the age of 13. He was in love with the idea of being able to use music, dance and acting to be someone that you imagined. He was an extremely hard worker, but towards the end of his life, many people overlooked that because he became so engulfed in the “gangster rapper life”. He wanted people to believe that the thug person that they viewed him as was what he really was. As a result, he struggled with this more than anyone knew  (Tupac Shakur Bio).

Because he was in a constant struggle with the image he wanted to portray and many of his real traits, he began to make unwise choices. He began dealing crack and becoming increasingly more violent. He was arrested for shooting at two white cops and had several other arrests. He began to get tattoos that portrayed violence. In fact, one was a panther that was about to strike and the other was of a gun (Anson 1). Tupac continued to rap and write music. In fact, in the last year of his life he released 150 songs. Because of the rough lifestyle he was living, Tupac was spent a lot of time in jail. In fact, he is the only artist to have a song number one on the billboards while in prison (CBS News). Although he was in and out of prison, he never really was able to lose the bad boy characteristics. Because he loved rap music and wanted to be successful, he felt the need to keep up with the lifestyle that he portrayed in his music.

Throughout his life, Tupac had an internal battle with himself. And, many people that knew him feel that the internal battle would ultimately lead him down the road that he was not able to make his way back from. He continued to be a hard working and a dedicated individual. He was compassionate and cared about other people, but in order to portray his gangster rap lifestyle he continued to make poor decisions. Shakur was really big on speaking out for what he believed in, rightfully so and that is one of the many things that was most admired about him, he was not known to beat around the bush or fake a friend. Tupac was someone who had something deep and inspirational, or at least real, to say at all times.   

Rumors have been floating around since the death of Tupac that he is still alive and hiding out. But, there are also many theories that point to different people being responsible for his death. Whether you believe that Tupac is still alive or not, there have been some theories that will make even the most strong doubter begin to question their beliefs. There are three theories that I feel have some merit behind them. One  is that Tupac has faked his death and is hiding out in Cuba, the second one is that a retired police officer was paid to help Tupac fake his death, and the last one is that his death was orchestrated by the CIA.

            The first theory states that Tupac is alive and is hiding out in Cuba (Taylor). This theory can be linked to many different events. One event was that a picture came out of Tupac and Rihanna in 2012. Many people questioned where the picture came from if he was dead. Many people say that it was photoshopped. However, when you look at the picture, it looks to be real. There was also another picture that surfaced of Tupac and the date on the bottom of the picture was stamped a day after he had been shot. The picture is of Tupac in a car and the car did not even have keys on the ignition. Also, it is a known fact that Tupac wore a bullet proof vest since he had been shot years before at a recording studio. If that is the case, why would he be out o  a very busy night in Vegas and not be wearing one when it was a common well known fact that he usually had one on. There are also many people who say that if Tupac was really short and killed we would have found the shooters by now. And, there are discrepancies in the coroners report and Tupac’s license as to how tall he was. One big reason that people feel that Tupac might have fled to Cuba is because his Aunt lives there. His Aunt is Assata Shakur who escaped prison and fled to Cuba after she was convicted of murder. She has been in Cuba since 1984 and since that time they have granted her political asylum (Taylor). Since the death of Tupac there has also been any albums released. If someone has passed away, they will usually not be producing any records or songs. Because of the numerous things that could be related to Tupac. There are many people who feel that he faked his death and fled to Cuba to get away from the chaotic lifestyle he was living.

            The second theory is that a retired police officer by the name of David Myers was paid 1.5 million to help Tupac fake his death (Taylor). This theory has been tossed around and many believe it. However, there are many people that feel it is to far fetched to believe. The retired police officer was in critical condition and said he needed to get something off of his chest. He said “The world needs to know what I did. I’m ashamed that I let a price be out on my word and I cannot die without letting the world know” (Wittmer).

He claims that Knight, Tupac’s friend was highly involved and he also said that it took the help of other police officers, medics, coroners etc. to help pull off the plan. Tupac supposedly paid $50,000 to the morgue to have the body taken there so that it would be more believable. However, after this had surfaced, it was said that the police officer and his accomplices were using a fake photo that showed the police officer ion his dearth bed (VH1 Tupac). Although there are some holes in the story of the police officer who claims to have helped Tupac fake his death, many people feel that there has just been to much proof that his story could be true.

            The third theory that has many people believing that Tupac is alive is the one that says that Tupac’s death was orchestrated by the CIA (Taylor). During the time that Tupac was killed, there was an East coast/West coast battle going on. Many people feel that the FBI had Tupac and Biggie (another rapper) killed to stop the production of violent gang rap (Wittmer). There was a book written by John Potash titled The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders. In his book, he presents many facts about the FBI and their history of going after African Americans and their political movements.  “Declassified FBI files reveal that Tupac Shakur had been the target of an extortion scheme by the Jewish Defense League (Et Al). People feel that the FBI targeted Tupac and either had him killed or helped him cover his death and make sure he stayed in Cuba. In fact, many people find that President Obama’s move to open transport and communication with Cuba had to do with Tupac being hidden over there by the FBI.

            So, after looking at these three conspiracy theories, it is easy to see why there are people who still feel that Tupac might be alive. The three theories that I discussed the Cuba theory, the detective theory and the FBI theory all point to Tupac being alive. However, in every story there are people who find bad information and false information in the story. in the end, it all just depends on what an individual believes.

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The legendary rapper may be proclaimed dead but his loyal and hopeful legacy remains… in fact, with three enduring theories

1. Tupac faked his own death
2. Tupac is hiding in Cuba
3. Biggie  Smalls was the mastermind behind the shooting and killing of Tupac

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

 

“A Retired Cop Claims He Helped 2Pac Fake His Own Death.” BET.com, 24 Sept. 2015, www.bet.com/news/music/2015/09/22/tupac-fake-death.html.

 

Anson, Robert Sam. “Tupac Shakur's Sudden Death and the Life He Left Behind.” Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair, 22 Sept. 2017, www.vanityfair.com/culture/1997/03/tupac-shakur-rap-death.

 

Getty), (Image: and (Image: Reuters). “Is Tupac Still Alive? Yes, According to This Retired Police Officer.” Mirror, 19 Sept. 2015, www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/tupac-still-alive-retired-police-6467534.

 

Griffiths and Paul Harper. “The Latest Theories on the Murder of Tupac Shakur, Laid Bare in Two New Films.” The Sun, The Sun, 16 Nov. 2017, www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/1976425/tupac-2pac-killed-murder-all-eyes-on-me-suge-knight-murder-snapped-notorious-documentary/.

 

Kelly, Emma. “Is Tupac Shakur Alive? Here's All the 'Death.” Metro, 23 Sept. 2017, metro.co.uk/2017/09/23/is-tupac-shakur-alive-heres-all-the-proof-that-rapper-faked-his-own-death-6950910/.                                                  

Proof' That Rapper Faked His Own

 

News, CBS. “Forty Facts You Didn't Know about Tupac.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 16 June 2011, www.cbsnews.com/pictures/forty-facts-you-didnt-know-about-tupac/16/.

 

“Tupac Shakur.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 16 Oct. 2017, www.biography.com/people/tupac-shakur-206528.

 

“Tupac Shakur Biography.” Rolling Stone, www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/tupac-shakur/biography.

 

 

VH1. “A Guide to The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur Murder Conspiracy Theories.” VH1 News, 9 Mar. 2016, www.vh1.com/news/249769/notorious-big-tupac-murder-conspiracy/.

 

 

Victoria Taylor, Josie Parham, Jason. “Tupac Is Alive (and Probably Living in Cuba): A Conspiracy, Explained .” Gawker,

 

Wittmer, Carrie. “The Murders of Biggie and Tupac Are Still a Mystery after 20 Years - Here Are All the Theories about Them.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 27 Mar. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/biggie-and-tupac-murder-theories-cases-suspects-2017-3/#puff-daddy-10.