Tupac Shakur was more than just a name, it became a movement.
The hip-hop icon was equally adored for his flow and his socially conscious lyrics – highlighting racism, police brutality and inequality.
His life and death have shaped the music industry and aspects of popular culture that few could have predicted when he was killed in 1996 at the age of 25.
Shakur – perhaps best known by his stage name 2Pac – was shot during a drive-by in Las Vegas on September 7 1996.
His killing remains one of the most high-profile, unsolved murders in American history.
It’s provided countless theories and conspiracies, but no arrests until 2023, when Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis was suddenly charged with the star’s murder.
Davis is 63 years old and a former gang member, reportedly a very senior one. He is standing trial in Nevada – a US state with no statute of limitations for murder.
He is accused of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.
It’s important to note that prosecutors aren’t saying he pulled the trigger, but rather that he orchestrated the killing and provided the weapon.
Davis has pleaded not guilty. If it’s found that he is in fact guilty, the punishment could be life in prison without parole.
The trial is expected to last about a month and will undoubtedly dig into the East Coast vs West Coast rap rivalry.
This is pretty nuanced and at times convoluted, but in very simple terms the rivalry was represented by two record companies.
On the West Coast you had Death Row Records, which was co-founded by Suge Knight and had Tupac as a signed artist.
On the East Coast you had Bad Boy Records, which was founded by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and had The Notorious B.I.G. as a signed artist.
Let’s go back to the night of the shooting… Shakur and Knight had been at the Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand hotel.
CCTV footage shows the two of them and others attacking a man named Orlando Anderson – an alleged gang member and the nephew of Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis.
Approximately three hours later, Tupac was in the passenger seat of Knight’s car driving around Las Vegas when a white car pulls up close and opens fire.
The rapper died six days later in hospital, after being shot four times. Knight survived the attack.
Duane Davis has in recent years been oddly vocal in public about his connection to Tupac’s death. He shared with police decades ago that he was in the white car in 2008.
He co-wrote a memoir called ‘Compton Street Legend’ which came out in 2019, and explained his motivation behind this admission.
“I sang because they promised I would not be prosecuted,” he wrote.
David also claimed in the book that he was in the car but added that he also ‘tossed’ the gun used to kill Shakur into the backseat for another gang member to use.
He and his lawyers are now saying that parts of the story were fictionalised to make a profit and they shouldn’t be seen as an admission of guilt.
Opening arguments are due to start on Monday, August 17.
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