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These are some explosive claims.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Feb 12, 2020
The unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur remains one of hip hop's most enduring mysteries. His death left a collective hole in the heart of hip hop culture, as a whole, and society in general.
But could it be that we, collectively, got it all wrong?
A new documentary that's just been released suggests that not only is Shakur alive and well — somehow managing to survive all those bullets in Las Vegas, in front of Circus Circus — but he's been living in New Mexico this whole time.
So, we decided to explore the question: is Tupac still alive? Let's look at what we know about these explosive claims.
1. Is Tupac Shakur alive? Rick Boss claims he is.
Documentarian Rick Boss has made a controversial claim in his new documentary, 2Pac: The Great Escape from UMC. According to Boss, Shakur not only survived the hail of bullets aimed at him in Las Vegas but he spent six days in the University Medical Center in Las Vegas before escaping, undetected. He then escaped to New Mexico, where the Navajo nation hid Shakur from the prying eyes of the media. It was a perfect place for the rapper to go into hiding, said Boss, because United States law forbids American officials (including the FBI) to step on tribal land without the tribal council's permission.
2. This is not the first time speculation has arisen about Shakur's death.
Back in December 2018, Michael Nice — who was Shakur's former bodyguard — claimed that the rapper faked his own death. But in a bizarre twist, Nice himself faked his own death just a few days before he was set to release "hard proof" that Shakur was, indeed, still alive. Later, Nice admitted to faking his own death — and apologized for doing so — but claimed that his ability to fake his own death was the proof that Shakur was really still alive.
3. A PBS tweet claimed that Shakur was still alive and living in New Zealand.
The claims about Shakur still being alive go even further back than aspiring filmmakers and clout-chasing former bodyguards. Back in 2011, PBS tweeted out a story that claimed that Shakur was not only still alive, but living in New Zealand. Though the tweet has long since been deleted, a representative for PBS released a statement claiming that their Twitter had been "hacked," and that the story was false.
4. Suge Knight's son claimed Shakur was alive.
In an Instagram post that was subsequently deleted, Suge J. Knight — the son of Marion "Suge" Knight, the embattled former CEO of Death Row Records — claimed that Shakur was not only still alive, but living in Malaysia. He also claimed that Shakur was seen with other celebrities in Malaysia — like Beyonce and 50 Cent — and that the "illuminati" was trying to "silence" Shakur for "speaking the truth."
5. He later walked back on those statements.
In a follow-up interview, the younger Knight ultimately conceded that Shakur was really dead. However, he took the time to promote his new music, and claimed that a "New Death Row" record label was on the rise.
6. What really happened to Tupac Shakur?
On the night of September 7, 1996, Shakur went to Las Vegas to celebrate his business partner's birthday. The group then went off to see Mike Tyson fight Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand. When the fight was over, one of Suge Knight's associates spotted Orlando Anderson — a reported member of the Crips gang, who was rivals with Knight's alleged Bloods affiliation — in the lobby. The group then tussled with Anderson, and Shakur joined the fight. They then went to a nightclub owned by Death Row Records and began traveling down Las Vegas Blvd. At about 11:15 p.m. on the night of September 7, 1996, a white Cadillac pulled up on the car containing Knight and Shakur, and opened fire. Shakur was hit with four bullets. And though he was rushed to the hospital, he ultimately died.
There's little, if any, possibility that Shakur survived, because his body was cremated the next day.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.