ALL EYES ON ME

There is no doubt that Tupac Shakur’s death has sparked lots of controversy and debate since the rapper’s still-unsolved murder in 1996. Almost 30 years later, it is still one of the most widely debated homicides in music history, and people still speculate about what exactly happened that night (Chen). One of the theories involves the possibility that Tupac wanted to escape his tumultuous life, thus faking his death. Unfortunately, the other two conspiracy theories involve lies, betrayal, and murder. Examining available evidence and analyzing various conspiracy theories reveals the most plausible solutions and the potential truth behind the mystery surrounding Tupac Shakur's death.

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The first conspiracy theory is that Tupac is still alive. Since Tupac’s death, it has been widely speculated that Tupac is not dead and faked his death to go into hiding. On September 7, 1996, Tupac was involved in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas and died days later in the hospital. Evidence that can’t be ignored is the amount of music produced after his death. While alive, Tupac released four albums, however posthumously, he produced seven. Those works included The Don Killu-minati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), Better Days (2002), Tupac Resurrection (2003), Loyal to the Game (2004), and Pac's Life (2006), which were all collections of his unpublished works; The Rose that Grew from Concrete, a self-produced book of poetry, was also produced after his death (Bracks). In the album Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, the words "Exit 2Pac, Enter Makaveli" were on the cover and featured him as Jesus Christ (Strang). Let’s not ignore the fact that Machiavelli, an Italian war strategist, pretended to fake his death (Strang). Along with his album releases, people noticed the lyrics right away. “Perhaps most notably on Richie Rich's N***** Done Change he rapped: "I've been shot and murdered, can't tell you how it happened word for word but best believe that n*****' gonna get what they deserve” (Strang). "How can a dead person be so successful after their death? Well, it has been rumored that Tupac may be alive possibly recording in Cuba, waiting to surprise his enemies (Parker). Oddly enough, no one other than his mother reported seeing Tupac deceased. Within a day, he was allegedly cremated, paid for by Suge Knight. Unfortunately, the man responsible for conducting the cremation has disappeared and has never been able to be found (Genero). Coincidence?

The second theory points to gang affiliation as the culprit of Tupac’s murder. The incident is believed by many to be the result of an ongoing rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast rap communities (Ray). Tupac became the center of this rivalry as he began a series of feuds and disagreements with fellow rapper and former friend, Notorious B.I.G.; Biggie was from the East Coast rap community of New York. Tupac was no stranger to street violence and, in 1995, he survived an attack after being shot 5 times (Bracks). Tupac believed that Biggie and his record label planned this particular attack. Shortly after, a record was released by Biggie called “Who Shot Ya,” which Tupac assumed was about him, however, Biggie claimed that the song was released before Tupac was shot (Leland). “Biggie seemed to want no part of the battle; he did not rise to Shakur's taunts. Rather, says Rivera, he wondered, "Why does he hate me so much, Un?" (Leland). The drama between the two rappers was a miscommunication on Tupac’s behalf. Granted, a report in the LA Times published that Biggie paid gunman, Orlando Anderson to murder Tupac, however, Biggie gave him his own .40 caliber pistol to commit the murder (Bracket et al). This theory is not plausible. At the end of the day, Biggie Smalls is a man from the crime-stricken streets of New York. Why would he pay someone to kill and give them his own registered handgun to make him the prime suspect? He was later murdered as well because of retaliation. This is speculation as his murder is also unsolved.

The final conspiracy theory involves accusations of a corrupt police force and government and the possibility that Tupac’s death resulted from an inside operation. “Sadly, the drugs and violence Shakur described in his songs (e.g., “If I Die 2Nite” and “Death around the Corner”) also mimicked his own life experiences: He was shot multiple times, jailed and imprisoned, and eventually died as a result of a shooting” (Robinson). What if his death was not from raging gang activity and black-on-black crime, but rather a strategic plan to silence him? Some believe that the government wanted Tupac and his music gone, as his controversial messages threatened the local government, and led to him being assassinated. Tupac's rap lyrics are raw, personal, and autobiographical, and their themes run the gamut from life, death, hatred, sex, women, relationships, and single parents to politics and religion (Samuels). “He had a hard-hitting, lyrical, free-flowing style in which he related the life experiences of a young black man in America who sometimes expressed his anger with a world of injustices” (Bracks).  While the police have always been against gangsta rap's artistic expression, there is not much evidence to prove that they plotted to kill him. During this time, there were other gangsta rap artists and groups in the music industry promoting racially charged lyrics, however, Tupac was the only one they are suspected of murdering. This theory is not plausible.