10 Fascinating Facts Surrounding Tupac Amaru Shakur’s Murder

Debating Pac’s place in rap’s hierarchy of the greatest ever is another conversation for another time. The final moments of his life and the events afterward, however, depict as much confusion as they do tragedy. Seventeen years to the afternoon he took his final breath in Las Vegas’ Bellevue Hospital, questions still linger as to why Shakur had his life ended in such violent fashion.

These next 10 statements provide less-talked about facts in regards to the life and death of Tupac Amaru Shakur.

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Photo: WENN.com

The Death Row Contract — One of the greatest “what if’s” in rap history stands “what if Tupac had just served out his four year prison sentence instead of signing to Death Row?” Perhaps he’s still alive today. Maybe that means Biggie is still alive, too. Unanswerable questions, indeed, but what is etched in stone is that while Pac saw Ruthian success under Suge’s wing, he also traveled down a path of lawlessness and vitriol that would eventually end his life. It has long been an urban legend that, so anxious to get out of prison, Shakur signed his Death Row contract on a piece of toilet paper. Allegedly, the terms of the agreement called for him to release three albums. All Eyez On Me was a double disc (constituting as two) while The Seven Day Theory would be his third. Taking into account the marathon recording sessions he found himself in 1996, pieces to the puzzle start to make sense.

2Pac Nearly Wore A Bulletproof Vest The Night He Was Shot In Vegas — Pac obviously felt trouble was on the horizon. Look no further than the fleet of security guards at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. Yet, following his clash with Orlando Anderson following the Mike Tyson/Bruce Seldon fight, he ignored his fiancé’s request – Quincy Jones’ daughter, Kidada – to wear his bulletproof vest that night because it was too hot. He also advised for her to stay in that night. Only minutes later would Pac’s chest get torn to pieces in a downpour of bullets.

The Rampart Scandal Was Much Deeper Than Anyone Ever Imagined — While not directly tying to Tupac, one of the most infamous examples of police corruption in American history – through six degrees of separation – ties back to Marion “Suge” Knight and his connection to several police offers within the Rampart division of the Los Angeles Police Department – including David Mack, pictured above in the center. With respect due to the depth of this topic, feel free to do research on your own because the web of deceit extends deeper than most will ever imagine. Rapes, robberies and murders (including that of Pac’s former friend Biggie Smalls) all shape the controversy; the full extent of which is still unknown to this very day.

Chuck Phillips’ Career Hit Rock Bottom — For those not in the know, Chuck Phillips was employed by the Los Angeles Times for nearly 20 years. His work detailing the entertainment industry (both the good and bad sides) helped earn him several awards and recognition among his peers and the individuals he made a living covering. However, after publishing an article in 2008 about the murder investigation of Tupac Shakur, his career was erased after the Times learned several facts in his story had holes in them. Seen as an outcast in the field he once championed, it’s baffling to realize how quickly a storied career all came to a screeching halt. If you’re interested in hearing Chuck’s side of the story, he published a lengthy piece last year regarding his career and his take on the article which changed his life.

2Pac’s Murder Could Potentially Have Been Solved Long Ago If Khadafi Had Not Died — When Pac died, the code of the streets – for better and for worse – went into full effect. No one talked to cops and law enforcement gave off the impression they didn’t give a damn; the perfect elixir for an unsolved homicide. Pac’s cousin and member of The Outlawz, Kadafi, apparently knew who pulled the trigger and was willing to testify in court. Unfortunately, two months after the Vegas shooting, Khadafi was killed in a New Jersey housing project, and not in a regular way either. He was shot execution style in with one bullet to the back of the head in an Orange, New Jersey, housing project building. It could have been over random street dealings, but the popular myth is because Kadafi was prepared to blow Pac’s murder wide open.

The eeriest part about his murder? He jokingly wondered to his girlfriend, Lavie Johnson, “What if somebody coming to kill me?” Minutes later, he was dead.

At The Time Of His Death, Pac Owned Basically Nothing (Allegedly) — The only thing Pac reportedly wanted more than being out of prison was being off Death Row, although his actions stated otherwise on occasion. At the time of his death, it has been largely speculated Pac died with just over $100,000 in his account. Given the fact All Eyez On Me was quickly approaching diamond status following its release in February 1996 and the money he amassed in the early stages of his career, hearing he had nothing to his name (not real estate or cars) and he somehow owed the label money for random expenses has always come off as odd. Pac didn’t die broke, but he did leave the world with far less money than anyone could have imagined.

Dexter Issac Could Possibly Hold The Truth — Issac is the inmate who dropped the bomb in 2011 he was the man who robbed and wounded Shakur in the 1994 Quad Studios incident (which ironically was the catalyst for Pac and Biggie’s death). He also claimed to know who the gunman was in the 1996 shooting and would reveal who when the time was “right.” To be fair, Issac could have been just an inmate attempting to get an extra shower or an extra meal. Then again, there’s always the chance some veil of truth is involved in his confession, too.

Pac Had To Be Revived Seven Times In The Hospital — In Las Vegas’ Bellevue Hospital fighting for his life, Pac apparently “died” seven times and had to be revived each instance. Of course, the number seven has fueled a tour bus worth of conspiracy theories, but his mother Afeni has confirmed this. Pac faced death the same way he faced life – a fighter.

Mopreme Says Pac Attempted To Tell Him Something In Hospital — For those who have never seen Pac’s Thug Angel documentary, watch his half-brother Mopreme’s part towards the end. He speaks of visiting Pac on one of the last days of his life. Sitting by his bed, Preme saw Pac was attempting to tell him something and leaned closer. Pac couldn’t speak due of the amount of medication and machines he was hooked to, but he began to shake the bed violently. To this day, Mopreme still wonders what his brother was trying to tell him. It’s one of those little know rap stories that can drive you insane, especially since we’re all aware how the story ended.

About 2,000 People In New York City Saw Jay Z Diss Tupac In 1996.  Camera phones were 10-12 years too late. AOL 3.0 for Windows 95 was all the technology rage in the summer of 1996.

Said fabled event took place in the Apollo Theater and was over the “No Diggity” beat. The only thing is, no footage of it happening exists. In 2006, Jay told XXL that had Pac lived, a beef between the two was inevitable and that he was aware of the Makaveli intro long before the album dropped and even before Shakur died. “They usually tape the Apollo shows, but they just stopped taping for some reason,” Jay said. “We tried to find the tape. It’s 2,000 people that know about it. I did two verses. It’s the truth, that’s the best sh*t. It’s so liberating, when you say what the f*ck you wanna say.”