The Story of Tupac & Biggie’s Murders

Tupac and Biggie first encountered each other in 1993, in Los Angeles. There on business, the Brooklyn-bred rapper Biggie asked a local drug dealer to introduce him to Tupac, who invited Biggie and his party to his house. There, they were drinking and smoking, and all of a sudden, 'Pac was like, 'Yo, come get it.' And we go into the kitchen, and he had steaks, French fries, bread, and Kool-Aid, and we were just sitting there eating, drinking, and laughing. And you know, that's truly where Big and 'Pac's friendship started.

The pair would occasionally freestyle back-to-back at concerts such as the Budweiser Superfest at Madison Square Garden in 1993, with Biggie wowing the crowds with lines like, 'Oh my God, I'm dropping shit like a pigeon / I hope you're listening / Smacking babies at their christening.' Biggie and other young rappers would assemble in recording studios or hotel rooms to hear Tupac lecture about how to make it in the game. "'Pac could get up and get to teaching," said EDI Mean. "Everyone was transfixed on this dynamic individual and soaking up all the information we could soak up." But Tupac devoted special attention to Biggie, grooming him and letting him perform at his concerts. Biggie even told him he'd like to be a part of another of his affiliated groups, called 'Thug Life.'

"Things all changed between Notorious B.I.G and Tupac in 1994. At this point, Tupac began to feel invincible. On November 30, 1994, Tupac went to Quad recording studio, Times Square. He came with three associates, none of whom were his bodyguards, and encountered three other men wearing army fatigues. That was the fashion from Brooklyn—Biggie's home—so Tupac assumed they were with him. He felt better about the situation when Biggie's affiliated rapper Lil' Cease yelled down to him that Biggie was upstairs recording. Puffy was there, too. But before Tupac's crew could get on the elevator, the men in army fatigues drew 9mm guns and ordered them to the floor. Instead, Tupac reached for his own gun. He was shot, beaten, and robbed of his jewelry. He played dead, and the assailants left, at which time he staggered into the elevator and rode it upstairs. When the doors opened, he saw a group including Puffy, Biggie, and Henchman. Tupac said the crew looked surprised and guilty, but Puffy claimed they showed him 'nothing but love and concern.' Tupac believed the incident was more than a random heist. 'It was like they were mad at me,' he said. He claimed to have taken five bullets, including shots to the head and through his scrotum, though forensic evidence suggested he likely shot himself."

On December 1, 1994, Tupac was sentenced to a year and a half in prison on sexual abuse charges. His bail was set at $3 million. Unable to raise bail, Suge Knight and Death Row Records stepped in. Tupac asked his wife to relay a message to Suge. He was broke and needed help. On top of the lawyers' fees and everything else, his mother was losing her house. Suge sent $15,000 and put it on his books, Death Row then offered him something no one else seemed to be able to deliver: release.

Death Row's lawyer David Kenner pledged to help Tupac with his case and began working to spring him on an appeal bond. Suge didn't just try to recruit Tupac to his label; he offered him a place in his family, the most powerful and out-of-control family in hip-hop.

On August 30, 1995, at The Source Hip-Hop awards, Suge took the stage to accept his label's award for the best soundtrack, for Above the Rim. It was here when the flames of the Biggie-Tupac beef got into full swing. Suge aimed a vicious comment at Bad Boy record label. Suge said: 'Any artist out there wanna be an artist, and wanna stay a star, and don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing—come to Death Row.' Battle lines had been drawn, and the Source Awards were the first shots in what would become known as the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop wars.

Fast forward to September 6, 1996, Tupac and his Death Row entourage entered the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to watch the Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Sheldon fight. After the fight, as they were exiting the arena, they encountered Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson, a rival 'Crip' gang member. A brawl ensued, leaving Anderson injured. After the brawl, Shakur returned to his hotel, the Luxor Las Vegas. He disclosed to his girlfriend Kidada Jones his involvement in the Anderson fight. He left with Knight in a BMW sedan, and at a red light, they were shot at. Tupac sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to the hospital. He was placed in an induced coma but succumbed to his wounds six days later. Tupac Shakur was 25 years old.

When Biggie found out about Tupac's death, he was saddened by the loss of a friend and talented musician. Biggie was still riding the success of his 'Ready to Die' album and was working on his next album, 'Life After Death.' In one interview, Biggie said that when he heard the news, he thought he had been shot like before but would just walk away. Deep down, they were friends before the 'West Coast vs. East Coast' beef.

Fast forward now to March 9, 1997, in Los Angeles, only six months after Tupac's death. Biggie was attending an industry event with his entourage, including P. Diddy. They left the event after it got shut down due to loud music and overcrowding and headed back to their hotel. At 12:45, they stopped at a red light on Miracle Mile District, and a minute later, a dark Chevy Impala pulled up alongside Biggie's Green GMC Suburban and opened fire on the vehicle. Four bullets hit Biggie, and his entourage rushed him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Doctors performed an emergency thoracotomy, but he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. Christopher 'Biggie' Wallace was 24 years old.

On September 29, 2023, after 27 years (and the day of our Biggie/Tupac drop), an arrest was made in the shooting of Tupac Shakur. Duane Keith 'Keefe D' Davis had been arrested. Duane was a member of the California-based gang known as the South Side Compton Crips and uncle to Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson.

"You're nobody 'til somebody kills you.'

Do you believe they were killed off by the Feds, or their gang life went too far?