Born in Harlem, New York City in 1971, not many people could have imagined the young Tupac Shakur would one day become the king of west coast hip hop, eventually leading to one of his biggest hits, “Dear Mama,” being inducted into the congressional library. Born within a family of Black Panther members, he sought to make a positive difference in the world with his music, utilizing his now famed slogan, “T.h.u.g. L.i.f.e.,” which was an acronym for “the hate u gave little fuckers everywhere.” This acronym acted a justification for his attitude towards the police, and corruption in general, as a sort of proof behind being a product of environment. Through many of his songs, his story becomes easily comprehensible; minorities are victims of the system, and the only way to bring justice is to band together and work in unison for peace.
However, unlike his vision, the end of Shakur was not a happy one. On September 13th, 1996, an ‘unknown,’ shooter unleashed a barrage of bullets at Shakur’s car in Las Vegas, resulting in his death, and the injury of Suge Knight. The murder remains unsolved to this day. However, there are many theories regarding who could have, and who would have wanted the critically acclaimed poet killed. Some suspect rival gangs, a shadow-government known as the Illuminati, multiple record label executives, and his rival the Notorious B.I.G.. Some even suppose he is still alive, and merely in hiding. However, the most likely suspect, the person who would have gained the most out of the artist’s death, would have been the very same person who struggled to get him ‘saved,’ at a hospital, Suge Knight.
Before anyone could understand Shakur’s death, they must first understand Shakur. Who was the real Tupac, behind the performer? He lived in New York until he was almost legally an adult, and after moving to California, he was undeniably emulsified in a huge issue - the issue of police brutality, and the seemingly rigged-system for black Americans. In 1991, the beating of Rodney King occured. (The Beating “Rodney King Beating”) There were witnesses who said he willingly surrendered, however that did not deter the 15 patrolmen, all whom were white even though the department was “fifteen percent black,” from viciously beating King. (1)
While this does not directly correlate to the rapper and is only one incident, that does not imply it was the only issue. California is the birthplace of many gangs, the formation of which was initially to combat the police violence. Throughout American history even, one can understand why someone from the ghetto does not necessarily like the police too much, and thus begin to oppose the system in general. Looking at Tupac Shakur, a lot of people who have yet to hear him out see nothing more than a tattooed gang-banger, however it is not fair to judge a book by its cover. With lyrics such as, “It's time to fight back that's what Huey[Huey Newton, founder of the Black Panthers] said. Two shots in the dark now Huey's dead. I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere. Unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes, learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers. And that's how it's supposed to be, how can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me,” (2Pac. 2Pac Greatest Hits. Changes Interscope, 1998, Compact Disc.) And, “I see no changes all I see is racist faces. Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races. We under I wonder what it takes to make this. One better place, let's erase the wasted. Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right. 'Cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight. And only time we chill is when we kill each other. It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other,” (2). Shakur was definitely not the average simple-minded gang-banging thug, he embodied unity. He did not seek to cause more racial tensions, he hoped for a better future, one where issues got settled by a team effort, where people of all races could stand together against an unjust system, against the war on drugs which did nothing more than put more innocent lives in the ground. Tupac was, and still is to this day due to his legacy, a revolutionary. When people hear some of his music, however, that image of is not the first thing that pops into their minds. He does have music about killing, and even gang-related activities. But, these people also fundamentally misunderstand rap music in general. At the time, that is what was popular. Due to groups like N.W.A., the gangster rap lifestyle exploded. Even today, many rappers with good backgrounds, still rap about selling drugs, and killing people, even though they have done neither. Tupac was not a perfect person; he had gone to jail and killed people, justly so. However, this does not besmirch the positive influence he gave to the youth. When examining complex individuals, it is imperative to remember that in the real world, nothing is black and white.
There are multiple conspiracies regarding the death of world-renowned rapper Tupac Shakur. Of these many, many theories, three of which can be viewed as the ‘most likely’ scenario. The first of these theories of the cause of his death is being marked for dead by a shadow-government commonly known as the, ‘Illuminati.’ The second theory states that he is not in fact dead, rather in hiding somewhere, seeking freedom from the fame possibly. And finally, dictates that the rapper was murdered by record label executive Suge Knight which after a local poll, 85% of people agree with.
It is no secret that Tupac did not agree with the government, nor the police department. This is evident throughout his lyrics. After being freed from jail, his nickname, Makaveli, warranted some attention. This is because it is the same name of the author, Niccolo Machiavelli.
Niccolo wrote the infamous book on how to gain and maintain power, The Prince. It is argued by some conspiracy theorists that because of his antiestablishmentarianism, that the ‘Illuminati,’ had him removed in order to prevent an uprising against the government. This theory actually makes perfect sense if one chooses to believe that the very same theoretical controlling body of the entire planet is able to be tracked and uncovered by teenagers with a working internet connection and free time. This theory, while astoundingly popular, makes no sense whatsoever. Why would a group so unimaginably powerful even care about an entertainer speaking against the government? They would not; Mostly because they do not exist.
Amongst the myriad of theorems on the late rapper’s death, is the idea that he is not even dead at all, rather he is hiding. This theory, purported by clearly faked photographs, and supposed witness testimonials argues he is possibly in Cuba. However, regardless of any so-called ‘evidence,’ the believers of this theory ignore one key piece of evidence. The Outlawz, a group formed by Tupac Shakur, are filmed and admit to smoking the rapper’s ashes after cremation. They did so to honor a lyric in one of his songs. In the song Black Jesus, Shakur wrote, “cremated, last wishes niggas smoke my ashes,” (Shakur).
Finally, the only theory that is likely, as well as cannot be disproved, is that Suge Knight, co-founder and former CEO of the hip hop record label Death Row, had Shakur killed. The aforementioned poll revealed that a whopping 85% of people agree with this theory. The only question, however, is why? The motive for such an act is the same that led Judas Iscariot to betraying Jesus Christ, money. Tupac had enemies from gangsters to rappers, the latter of which, quite possibly led to his death. Another huge star, residing on the East Coast was a superstar just like the late Shakur. His name, was Christopher Wallace, also known as The Notorious BIG, Biggie Smalls. The feud between the two men led to an all out war between East and West coast music. War, which history has proven, is not profitable. So what would an executive do when one of their artists begins to create drama instead of a raising profit margins? The implications are clear. The music business is a cutthroat industry, and that phrase unfortunately can be literal sometimes. The man whose poetry, acting, and music would later inspires countless others, most likely was condemned to die over money.
The prevailing issue in fully determining the truth in this situation is that there is no proof for anything. The body is unable to be autopsied due to cremation, and the police failed to make any arrest. To this day, Shakur’s murder is unsolved. However, if there is money to be made, foul play usually reeks in the air. There is profit in a dead musician. The posthumous compilation albums prove that much. While Suge Knight did not personally kill Tupac, it is incredibly easy to see he was most likely involved in some way or another.
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