Monday, December 10, 2018

Tupac Shakur, Dead or Alive? by Paige Disiere




             “I heard rumors that I died murdered in cold blood, traumatized pictures of me in my final states — you know mama cried. But that was fiction, some coward got the story twisted,” are lyrics from Tupac Shakur's song “Ain’t Hard 2 Find,” released 7 months before his so called murder. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot 4 times while stopped at a redlight. Since this day there have been several conspiracy theories developed:
  1. Orlando “baby lane” Anderson murdered him
  2. Government called for his death
  3. Tupac faked his own death
Let’s examine these theories and the likeliness that Tupac Shakur is still alive.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, New York City, New York. Tupac was born as Lesane Parish Crooks, in which his mother, Afeni Shakur, a member of the Black Panther Party, renamed him after the famous Peruvian Revolutionary, Tupac Amaru II (Ray, Micheal). Tupac later took his last name from his sister, Sekiya's, father, another Panther named  Mutulu Shakur (“Tupac Shakur”). Tupac's birth father, Billy Garland, left Afeni was he was only five years old. The rapper would not see him again until the age of twenty three. Throughout Tupac’s short life, he displayed many attributes.
Shakur always longed for a father figure. In an interview with Vibe Magazine he states, “I thought my father was dead my whole life” and, “I felt I needed a daddy to show me the ropes and I didn’t have one” (“Tupac Shakur”). The absenteeism of his father took an emotional toll on Tupac. In a popular song, “Dear Mama,” he raps, “No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't there. He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger wouldn't let me feel for a stranger. They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along I was looking for a father he was gone. I hung around with the Thugs, and even though they sold drugs, they showed a young brother love” (“Dear Mana”.) Through out the search for a father figure, Tupac erroneously mistook certain people, such as criminals, pimps, and drug dealers, as his role models. These so called “role models” led him down the path of gang violence and drugs.   
In 1985, his family settled in Maryland (Ray, Micheal), where he attended the reputable, Baltimore School for the Arts. At the Arts, Tupac studied ballet, jazz, poetry, and acting (Shakur, Tupac).  This school is where he met Jada Pinkett, who soon became his best friend. According to Pinkett, Shakur was full of charisma, explaining, “as soon as he approached me, he was like a magnet. Once you paid attention to him he kind of sucked you in.” Tupac’s charisma is what made him more effective at spreading his influence. As a leader, Shakur, had the ability to make others feel understood. He showed commitment to the hood after making it big, which inspired others to take interest, and take action.
            One of Tupac Shakur's strongest traits is bravery. In his music, he fearlessly led the black community through the struggles they encountered such as police brutality, poverty, racism. In his most controversal song “Brendas Got a Baby” he explains a story of a young girl who turns to the streets after being molested by a family member and impregnated. Involving realistic circumstances in his songs made it possible for other young kids to relate and maybe change their ways. Tupac speaks his mind and does not worry about what other people think, which in turn, takes a lot of courage. Knowing his life could easily be threathened, he writes a song about “blasting” a police officer. Soon after this song, “Soldier’s Story” was released, it was claimed as the motivation for a real-life cop killing by a teenage car thief, Ronald Ray Howard, and was criticized by Vice President, Dan Quayle. (Tupac Shakur). Tupac Shakur was never afraid to be himself, and he represented the black community so for this reason he knew he had to fight for what was right.


The first theory proposes that Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a member of the Southside Crip Gang, murdered him. This theory came about recently, when his uncle, Duane Keith Davis, or “Keefe D” confessed under immunity (Death Row Chronicles.) The night of the murder, Tupac and other members of Death Row Records, who were affiliated with the bloods,  attended a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. After the boxing match, Tupac and his entourage attacked Baby Lane in the lobby of the Las Vegas Casino after he stole a medallion from one of them (Tupac’s Killer Finally Revealed…). According to Keefe D, him, Orlando Anderson, Terrance Brown, and Deandre Smith all got into their Cadillac and went on a search to find Tupac Shakur. To begin the search, they started at the 662 Club, where Tupac was supposed to be performing that night (BET Networks.) After they realized Shakur was nowhere to be found at the club, they left. Soon after leaving 662, they heard the tumult of girls screaming “Tupac!!!” (Ex-Gangster Keefe D…) so they followed the car in which Tupac was in. Keefe D says that when they pulled up to the red light, the shots “came from the back,” (BET Networks) implying that is was Orlando who had the gun. Two years after Tupac's death, Orlando Anderson was murdered by a member of the Bloods.

The second theory suggests that the government killed Shakur for giving a voice to the street gangs. Tupac’s goal was to make a change, and make a difference through his music. In one of his songs “Trapped,” he states “Can barely walk the city streets without a cop harassing me, searching me then asking my identity. Hands up, throw me up against the wall didn’t do a thing at all…” (“Trapped”). He was brave, and not afraid to speak his mind, in which the government did not like. During a BET interview with Ed Gordon, Shakur expresses, "I had no police record until I made a record. As my video was debuting on MTV I was behind bars getting beat up by the police department,” suggesting he was only on the police's radar once he became famous (BET Networks). Within the beginning of this murder, Las Vegas Police Department blew off the investigation, hinting that something was going on.
            The last theory presents the idea that Tupac Shakur faked his own death and is still alive. One of Shakur’s stage names was Makaveli, after the famous Niccolo Machiavelli. In a book by Niccolo there is a section about “defeating your enemies,” in which Tupac had plenty of, stating that foxes achieve this by faking their death. Shakur's stage name “Makaveli” can be rearranged to spell “Am Alive K”. Many people believe the K stands for Kasanova tha Don (Mystery.) Kasanova is a rapper discovered by, The Outlawz, a hip hop group founded by Tupac. From listening to Kasanova Tha Don, I have noticed his lyrics and rap style are very similar to those of Tupac Shakurs. It is likely that Kasanova could be acting as frontman for Tupac's voice and music. In 2012, Kasanova released a song called “Mystery” and in the beginning he states, “It's been sixteen years, still stuck in a dark cage living in my mind of that fateful day, 9-7-96 I remember like it was yesterday, I got a lot to say” (“Mystery”.) These lyrics seem like something only Tupac would have the right to say, considering 9-7-96 was the day he was “shot.” More lyrics that denote you to believe he is still alive are from Shakur's song, “God Bless the Dead” in of which he raps “rest in peace to my mother f***a Biggie Smalls” (“God Bless The Dead.”) Although, how could he rap this if Biggie was murdered six months after Shakur was supposedly murdered ? Another fact to consider is that Suge Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records, claimed to have paid three million dollars to have Tupac Cremated. However, the person who performed the crematory process disappeared the day after and has never been seen or heard of again (What happened with his cremation.) I believe there is ample evidence to prove the fact that Tupac Shakur is in fact, still alive.
On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot 4 times while stopped at a redlight. Since this day there have been several conspiracy theories developed, including: Orlando “baby lane” Anderson murdered him, the government called for his death, and that Tupac faked his own death. Even now, twenty two years after the so called murder, the mystery remains unsolved. No one will ever know if Tupac is truly dead, or alive, but his music will live forever.

 Works Cited


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Lenthang, Marlene. “Ex-Gangster Keefe D Confesses to Role in Tupac's Drive-by Shooting.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 3 July 2018, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5909857/Ex-gangster-Keefe-D-confesses-role-rappers-drive-shooting.html.

Ray, Michael. “Tupac Shakur.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 9 Sept. 

“Tupac Shakur.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 July 2018,

“Tupac Shakur Dies.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tupac-shakur-dies.

“Tupac Shakur Is Shot.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,

Wosu, Chris. “What Happened with His Cremation?” Capital XTRA, Capital XTRA, 4
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