“Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine” (“Tupac Shakur Biography”)? This quote comes from the rap icon, Tupac Shakur (1). Tupac, also known as “Pac” or “Makaveli”, was arguably one of the best rappers of all time. Pac’s life came to an end quite shortly at the age of twenty-five (Lee). There are three conspiracy theories revolving around Tupac’s death.
· The first conspiracy theory is that Tupac was killed by a rival gang member.
· The second theory is that his manager, Suge Knight, set him up and was the reason for Tupac’s death.
· The last theory is that Tupac faked his death.
The theories behind Tupac are still a mystery. Was he murdered? Did he fake his own death? Many sources point to Tupac having the ability to fake his own death.
Lesane Crooks, better known as Tupac, was a talented artist. Not only is he arguably one of the best rappers to ever live, but his talents are also seen on the big screen. Many factors contributed to Tupac's success. Dating back to 1995, Tupac would be recognized for being the first artist to ever have a #1 album while imprisoned (Tupac Shakur Biography). The famous album was called Me Against the World (Ramirez). Following this milestone, Tupac had sold over 67 million copies of his album worldwide, according to Guiness Book of World Records (Tupac Shakur Biography). This resulted in him being the highest selling hip-hop/rap artist of his time (1). In later years, Tupac's career would be brought to attention by Rolling Stones Magazines (1). Upon doing so, Tupac was proclaimed six out of 100 immortal artists and voted the eighty-six greatest Rock and Roll Artist of all time. But Tupac's greatest accomplishment wouldn't be displayed until April 7, 2017. This would be the day Tupac's legacy would forever be remembered, as he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Lynch). With achievements like these, there was no questioning the talent that Tupac possesses.
Along with Tupac being very talented, he also had a strong mentality. He was a troubled child who faced many obstacles that destined him for failure. At points in his life, Tupac was considered homeless and had to often stay in sheltered homes (Lynch). He grew up in poverty, without a father, and with a drug addict for a mother (Tupac Shakur). Not having a positive role model to show him right from wrong, Tupac resorted to selling drugs, as a teenager, to make money (1). The struggle did not stop there; in the year 1993, Tupac was first seen behind bars (Bell). Over the next three years, he was seen in and out of jail for multiple counts of assault and weapon charges (1). Throughout Tupac's life, there is much evidence of how troubled he was. Despite these hardships, he overcame the odds to achieve greatness. He persevered and surpassed his goals, as he is still wildly popular today. Tupac will forever be known in the hip-hop culture, as one of the best West Coast rappers to ever live.
The first conspiracy states that Tupac's death was gang related:
On the day of his murder, Shakur was involved in a brawl with Crip member Orlando Anderson on the floor of the MGM Grand casino. Earlier, at a local mall, Anderson had tried to steal a Death Row Records medallion from one of Shakurs entourage-a Mob Piru member- sparking a fistfight. Spotting Anderson at the casino, the hot-tempered rapper attacked. The LAPD insider says a former leader of the Crips admitted that Shakur's death was revenge for this beating. "It was simple retaliation: you mess with one of ours, we will mess with one of yours," the source says. "If Orlando had never been jumped in the hotel, they never would have killed Tupac that night." (Runtagh)
1995 was the year that Tupac Shakur signed with Suge Knight and Death Row Records (1). This would instantly spark a feud with the East coast, as Tupac now represented the West Coast. This rivalry could have been the death of Tupac Shakur.
The second theory suggested that Suge Knight, Tupac's manager and CEO of Death Row Records, set up a hit on Tupac Shakur (Runtagh). Tupac and Suge had an agreement: "Knight offered to finance an appeal in exchange for a three-record deal" (1). With rumors of Tupac starting his own label, assumptions grew that this would be a threat to Death Row Records (1). With the fear of losing Tupac from his label, Suge could have made the hit on Tupac possible.
The last, and most popular, theory is that Tupac Shakur Faked his own death. In 1995, Tupac Shakur was facing a prison sentence for sexual assault. Tupac wrote a letter to Nina Bhadreshwar, a representative for Death Row Records, while incarcerated: “Thug Life to me is dead,” writes Tupac. 'If it’s real, then let somebody else represent it, because I’m tired of it… Here is what my heart says at this time. It’s long but it’s true'" (Woso). Following this letter, Suge expressed how he felt:
I mean, when I left that hospital, me and Pac were laughing and joking,” he explained. “So I don’t see how somebody can turn from doing well to doing bad.”She then asks the burning question that’s been adamantly debated and theorized for years since Pac’s untimely death: Does he believe Tupac is still alive? “I’m gonna tell you that with Pac, you never know.” (Alexis)
Although 70% of those surveyed on the College of the Mainland's campus disagree with this theory, is it possible that Tupac felt this was his only way of getting away from the gang life?
To this very day, theorists continued to contemplate the mystery of Tupac Shakur.
After investigating the death of Tupac Shakur, three theories are left jumbling the minds of all:
1. Was Tupac killed by a rival gang member?
2. Did his manager, Suge Knight, set up Tupac Shakur?
3. Was Tupac capable of faking his own death?
The mystery of Tupac Shakur, that occurred nearly twenty-two years ago, seems to still be rather obscure. However, there is much evidence pointing towards the ability of Tupac escaping the word and faking his own death.
Works Cited
Alexis, Diamond. “Wait, Did Suge Knight Just Admit That Tupac Is Still Alive?” BET.com, 21 Sept. 2017, www.bet.com/music/2017/09/21/suge-knight-tupac-still-alive.html.
Bell, Chris. “Tupac Timeline.” Donmega.com, 2018, www.donmega.com/2pac/timeline.php.
Lynch, Joe. “Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, YG & T.I. Pay Tribute to Tupac at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017 Induction.” Billboard, 2017, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7752572/tupac-2pac-rock-hall-fame-alicia-keys-snoop-dogg-yg-ti.
Ramirez, Erika. “Tupacs 'Me Against the World' Topped Billboard 200 20 Years Ago Today: A Retrospective.” Billboard, 2017, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6517174/tupac-me-against-the-world-anniversary.
Runtagh, Jordan. “The Truth Behind Tupac Shakur's 1996 Murder: 'It Was Simple Retaliation,' Reveals an LAPD Source.” Yahoo!, Yahoo!, 15 June 2017, www.yahoo.com/entertainment/truth-behind-tupac-shakur-apos-210004574.html.
Wosu, Chris. “Read An Emotional Letter Tupac Wrote In Prison: ‘Thug Life Is Dead.’” Capital XTRA, 6 Oct. 2015, www.capitalxtra.com/artists/tupac/news/letter-in-prison-thug-life-is-dead/.
“Tupac Shakur.” Biography, 21 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/tupac-shakur-206528.
“Tupac Shakur Biography.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 1990, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000637/bio.
No comments:
Post a Comment