Like JFK before him, Tupac Shakur is the one conspiracy theory that just won’t go away.
The rapper’s death is shrouded in mystery and many still believe he didn’t die in a hail of drive-by gunfire that fateful night on September 13, 1996. Like Christ, Tupac was said to rise again and live on.
Just recently, the son of Death Row Records founder Suge Knight made the outlandish claim that Tupac is alive and well and having it large in Malaysia of all places.
It’s the latest conspiracy theory in a long line of them surrounding the rap icon. NME recently published a list of all the “Is Tupac still alive?” theories. Let’s saddle up, hit the trail and take a look, shall we?
The latest yarn to hit the barn is, of course, the rumor promoted by Suge Knight Jr. that Tupac is missing in Malaysia. They theory has more holes than a leaky bucket but it seems to revolve around a paranoid and middle-aged Tupac hanging out with the likes off Beyonce and 50 Cent and determined to keep his disapearance under wraps. The question remains – why Malaysia?
Next up we have the rap tycoon who was in the car when Tupac got shot – Suge Knight. In the drive-by-shooting, 14 shots were fired but Suge was only grazed in a very minor way. Some believe this is solid evidence of Suge’s implication in the hit but what they forget is at the last minute, Tupac also requested that his bodyguard and girlfriend were to ride in a separate car to him and Suge. Why?
Knight himself also has doubts about Tupac’s death and said, “When I left that hospital, me and Pac was laughing and joking. I don’t see how somebody could turn from doing well to doing bad.”
In 2014, Knight also made the claim that “Tupac’s not dead. He’s somewhere smoking a Cuban cigar.”
And then we have the “bulletproof vest theory.” After being shot two years prior, Tupac was more than a little insistent on wearing his bulletproof vest. So people have asked why did Tupac visit a high-profile event like a Mike Tyson fight without going gun proof?
The swift cremation of Tupac the day after he was shot is another bone of contention with conspiracy theorists. The private ceremony which Suge Knight allegedly fronted $3 million to ensure went ahead has long been a source of speculation. The devil is in the details and the details are a follows. The cremator listed Tupac’s body as weighing 215 pounds and being 72 inches. Here’s the thing, Tupac’s driver’s license states he was 168 pounds and 5’10. Knight and the cremator were the last people to see Tupac’s dead body and the cremator has long since retired and vanished from view. Until this day, no one has been able to get in touch with him.
There are also those who say Tupac staged his death and fled to Cuba to escape the high-profile life of a rapper. Somehow it doesn’t seem Tupac’s style.
Last but not least, we have the Machiavelli-Kasinova theory. Machiavelli was a philosopher and politician who was around during the Rennaisance. He believed in the maxim of “faking one’s own death to gain an advantage over their enemies.” Tupac was a big fan. Here’s where it gets complex.
Tupac’s final album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released, under his new stage name, Makaveli, which is supposed to be a reference to Tupac’s love of the philosopher’s teachings.
Rearrange the moniker Makaveli and you get “Am Alive K”. Some believe this was a secret message Tupac sent to his fans. This stuff gets even shadier. Apparently “K” is more than just shorthand for “OK” it is believed to be short for “Kasinova The Don.” Kasinova, who has collaborated with members of Tupac’s former rap crew is believed by some to be the new alias for Tupac.
How much truth there is in any of the above you decide. When it comes to Tupac Shakur, it’s probably best to put the needle on the record on and remember him that way.