Throughout many years, many people don’t want to believe in the deaths of their favorite celebrity, so they assume those deaths are set up. People all around America know about one of the greatest rappers, Tupac Shakur, who “supposedly” died on September 13, 1996. Tupac Shakur was murdered in a drive-by shooting at a traffic light after a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, and before leaving the MGM Arena Tupac was in a conflict with a Crip gang member. Tupac’s partner at the time was Suge Knight and was in the car during the shooting, and it was said that there was thirteen bullets shot at Tupac. There are three conspiracy theories that may possibly be true: Tupac faked his death and has been seen alive, Suge Knight was the mastermind behind the shooting, and Tupac’s cremation does not exist. Which theory could be solved for millions of curious people? We will now see how these theories will be solved.
Character Analysis
Tupac Shakur was a great impact in the 1990’s gangsta-rap society, and his death left a huge mark on his fans and the rap game. Tupac was a talented rapper who had a strong but sensitive and impactful soul which is addressed, “A sensitive, precociously talented and troubled soul” (“Tupac Shakur”). He was a very talented rapper who had many rivals in the rap society, which made him one of the biggest rappers. He was not only a music artist but was also an actor. Tupac had skills in both the music business and the acting business which makes him a very gifted person in our history.
Tupac was an influencer who cared for others, but bad mistakes would make it seem like if he didn’t care what would happen to himself or to the feelings of his loved ones. Tupac grew up in an environment of having to protect which is why he shows love and care. Later in Tupac’s life, his family moved to California which is where he met one of his best friends, which is Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada and Tupac were close friends, and Jada considered him as a brother. That is stated by Jada, “’one of my best friends. He was like a brother” (“Biography.”). Tupac had this close connection with Jada since their childhood and shows how Tupac did have someone there for him. Jada Smith was very important to Tupac and planned on being her friend forever because they had such a strong friendship which is addressed, “’Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life” (1). This portrays how Tupac did care for others and had people that cared for him as well. Even though he had people he cared about he still made a bad decision which made him go to jail for sexual abuse. His bad decision shows how he can sometimes make mistakes that have end in consequences like he did later in his career.
As one of the best music- selling artist, some of Tupac’s actions were not smart decisions but he did these actions to be a powerful figure. Tupac Shakur made many songs that mirrored violence in the society, also talked about other rappers and labels. Rappers such as The Notorious B.I.G. and his label Bad Boy Records were mentioned in some of Tupac’s music. In the article,” Biography.” this is mentioned, “During the latter part of his career, Shakur was a vocal participant during the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry, becoming involved in conflicts with other rappers, producers, and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and his label, Bad Boy Records” (1). Tupac’s reasons for mentioning other rappers created problems because of the rival between the East and West Coast, which is a battle that many rappers had between each other. Tupac’s creation of these songs made him a target for some people which led to his death.
Tupac had so much impact on gangsta-rap and was a rapper who used his voice to speak on the troubles of African-Americans. He started his rapping career as a rebel which is stated, “Tupac began his music career as a rebel with a cause to articulate the travails and injustices endured by many African-Americans" (“Tupac Shakur”). Tupac starting as a speaker with a voice shows how he had the heart of a motivator and took pride in who he was and how he’s seen by others. Tupac classified himself as someone who was a trustful figure among his people and portrayed what his people believed in, “I'm a reflection of the community” (1), this shows how he was the representation of his community and was someone who loved his community. Tupac always had the respect and support because of his courageous speaking on the discriminated. His talents allowed him to become a huge figure in America during the late 80’s and early 90’s. In the article, “Tupac Shakur” this is addressed, “His skill in doing so made him a spokesperson not just for his own generation but for subsequent ones who continue to face the same struggle for equality” (1). His gifts of his voice make him an inspiration of our generations. Tupac’s special presence made a huge impact on American society and history.
Conspiracy Theories
The rapper, Tupac Shakur, was one of the greatest rappers that lived, and many conspiracy theories were created after he died. In the first conspiracy theory, Tupac is suspected to have faked his death in 1996, and it has been believed that he has been spotted in different countries. Tupac has been seen in Cuba after faking his death, and it is said that he moved to Cuba to escape his fame and his problems with bad people. Cuba is where his aunt also lives which gives another reason why he would move or “hide” in Cuba. In the article, “A Reminder That Tupac Is Still Alive and Living in Cuba,” this is mentioned, “Seeking refuge from his immense fame, Tupac faked his own death and moved to Cuba, where his own aunt also lives in exile” (Worthington). A man recorded Tupac hanging out with a group of men in Cuba and the man recording believed that it was Tupac (Reslen). According to another video posted in 2004 on YouTube, there was also a speculation of Tupac being seen with Suge Knight in Cuba (1). This video has three million views, but the video was low quality which makes it hard to determine if it was actually Tupac.
Tupac was said to be seen in Malaysia according to Suge Knight’s son, Suge Knight Jr., and he showed photos of a man who appeared to be Tupac (Reslen). Tupac went to Malaysia to hide from the fame and the threats of other rappers, which he decided to do to save his life and not “actually” die. This gives Tupac a good reason to fake his death and not have to deal with the danger that he would encounter being “alive”. In the article, “Dissecting Every Conspiracy Theory That Tupac Is Still Alive.”, Suge Knight Jr. states, “Tupac has been living in Malaysia to presumably hide from the limelight and the threat of rivals.” (1). Tupac was also reported seen in New Orleans at a bar by TMZ, and TMZ had photos of a man who appeared to look like Tupac (1). TMZ claims that Tupac is alive because of these photos, “Tupac Is Alive!!! Check out the photos” (1). Every spotting of Tupac are either photos or videos of a man that looks like Tupac and are hard to determine if it is actually him. The publishers of these photos are unsure if it’s Tupac which makes the theory of Tupac being alive unsolved.
The second conspiracy theory is Suge Knight being the mastermind behind Tupac’s death. Knight was the CEO of Death Row Records which is the label Tupac was signed to. Knight had rappers, like Tupac and Snoop Dogg, in his label that he controlled which gave him power to do many things (Drake). Knight had power as a CEO to eliminate any issue that came to him even if it was a person, he would have kept his empire as powerful as it could be. In the article, “9 Rap Conspiracy Theories Suge Knight Killed 2Pac, Biggie, and Eazy-E", it claims that Suge Knight was a “mastermind of one of the greatest dynasties in '90s Hip Hop, ruled his empire with an iron fist” (1). Knight being mentioned as a mastermind explains how he could have a high possibility of being the murder of Tupac Shakur. During the time of Tupac’s death, there was a rival against bloods and crips which was one of the possible reasons Tupac died. Suge Knight was known as a blood which brought danger to Tupac.
Suge Knight was the only other person in the car with Tupac at the time of the shooting, making it a coincidence that Knight did not get shot along with Tupac. An investigation team recreated the shooting and the results make it impossible for Knight to not get shot, and the test the investigators ran showed Knight’s dummy get shot three times (Macaluso). It is believed that Suge Knight could be the mastermind behind Tupac’s death because there was mentions of Tupac wanting to leave Death Row Records which gave Knight a reason to kill Tupac (Drake). After finishing his contract, Tupac wanted to leave Death Row Records to make his own label, Makaveli Records. According to the article, “Devil in A Red Suit: Did Suge Knight Kill Tupac?”, Ben Macaluso writes, “Suge owed a large royalty to Tupac in October 1996, a month before Tupac died in September” (Macaluso). This shows that Knight owed Tupac money which means if Tupac left Death Row Records then Knight would have a bad reputation and loose many rappers under his label. There were accusations of Suge Knight stealing money from his rappers and pocketing money from their record sales, giving Knight reason to use violence and fear (1). Since Knight was not hit in the shooting which is a coincidence, and Tupac wanted to leave Knight’s label causing him to eventually loose his best-selling artist, shows how the theory of Suge Knight being the mastermind of Tupac’s death is true. The investigation team and journalist believed that Knight was behind the shooting (1).
The last conspiracy theory is Tupac’s cremation not existing, but it is believed that Tupac was cremated the next day following the shooting. In the article, “All the Tupac Shakur Conspiracy Theories as New Claims Emerge,” Frances Kindon states, “Suge Knight said he paid for the cremation – which for some reason he claims cost him 3 million dollars” (Kindon). After the cremation, the cremator has never been heard of again which is ironic. Suge Knight pays three million dollars for a cremation and all of the sudden the cremator disappears. A group called The Outlawz said that they smoked Tupac’s ashes with cannabis, but a member of the group mentions that it was not Tupac’s ashes they smoked (1). If The Outlawz did not smoke Tupac’s ashes and the cremator disappears, then did Tupac ever get cremated? The theories of Tupac’s cremation not existing seem to be true since no one knows where the cremations can be found.
Conclusion
Tupac Shakur was one of the greatest rappers in the music industry, and it is hard to believe that people who have such fame and talent could die. Unfortunately, Tupac was murdered in a shooting with thirteen bullets shot at him. After studying the murder of Tupac Shakur, there are three conspiracy theories that may be possibly true: Tupac faked his death and has been seen alive, Suge Knight was the mastermind behind the shooting, and Tupac’s cremation does not exist. These three conspiracy theories have evidence that could potentially solve the mystery behind Tupac’s murder, but there is so little evidence that these theories will stay unsolved. Till this day nobody has solved the mystery of Tupac’s murder, and there is a possibility that the theories will stay unsolved for another decade.
Works Cited
Drake, David. “9 Rap Conspiracy Theories Suge Knight Killed 2Pac, Biggie, and Eazy-E.” Complex, Complex, 1 June 2018, www.complex.com/music/2013/11/rap-conspiracy-theories/suge-knight.
Kindon, Frances. “All the Tupac Shakur Conspiracy Theories as New Claims Emerge.” Mirror, 21 Sept. 2018, www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/tupac-shakur-conspiracy-theories-12839571.
Macaluso, Ben. “Devil in A Red Suit: Did Suge Knight Kill Tupac?” What's On Sling, 10 Sept. 2018, whatson.sling.com/entertainment/documentary/suge-knight-kill-tupac/.
Reslen, Eileen. “Dissecting Every Conspiracy Theory That Tupac Is Still Alive.” Esquire, Esquire, 4 Oct. 2018, www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a23595101/tupac-is-still-alive-conspiracy-theories/.
“Tupac Shakur.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 July 2018, www.biography.com/people/tupac-shakur-206528.
Worthington, Clint, et al. “A Reminder That Tupac Is Still Alive and Living in Cuba.” Consequence of Sound, 13 Sept. 2016, consequenceofsound.net/2016/09/a-reminder-that-tupac-is-still-alive-and-living-in-cuba/.
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