Tupac Amaru Shakur, born Lesane Parish Crooks, was known to be one of the best rappers of all time. He died on September 13, 1996 in a drive-by shooting after attending one of Mike Tyson’s fights. But did he actually die? Since his death was so sudden and he was such a big celebrity, many of Tupac’s loyal fans entertain the idea that his death was a coverup. There are a plethora of rumors circulating the internet on the status of Tupac, where he is, and what he is doing. Such reports include an attempt to cover-up Tupac’s own death to leave fame behind, multiple hideouts where Tupac may be living, and hidden clues he has left behind. With new reports still coming out after 22 years, information on the conspiracy theory can be found all over the internet, but a specific article written by Tom Connick of NDE compiles all the stories together.
Tupac was known to have a strong personality and constantly clashed with others. He was involved in the East Coast versus West Coast rap rivalry that occurred during the 1990s and had many enemies as a result. He was considered a prominent hip hop artist and is known to be one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with much of his music discussing contemporary issues. Considering he was an activist that also dealt with legal troubles, people assume that his death was strategically planned. One of the most popular theories behind Tupac’s death is the Machiavelli-Kasinova theory, stating that Tupac faked his own death because he was inspired by the philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, who favored the notion of faking one’s death to gain advantage over his or her enemies. The rapper eventually changed his stage name to Makaveli, which references the philosopher and is an anagram of “AM ALIVE K”. The K in this anagram is thought to allude to a present-day rapper named Kasinova The Don, who vocally compares to the likes of Tupac. Furthermore, Kasinova The Don released a song called Mystery that contains lyrics that allude to Tupac and his faked death.
A second mainstream theory is that Tupac is living in either Malaysia or Cuba. Several doctored images, such as Tupac partying with Rihanna, have been released to fuel this rumor. Furthermore, Tupac’s aunt is said to have moved to Cuba after receiving asylum for her political activism in the United States, so he may be living with her. Suge Knight, the founder of Death Row Records, was with Tupac when he died; this man doubts Tupac’s death because he said it seemed like Tupac was getting healthier the last time he saw him, so he must be on a beach “smoking a Cuban cigar” at the moment. Furthermore, Suge Knight’s son used vague evidence to assert that Tupac is currently living in Malaysia, such as screenshots of text messages and an image of Tupac supposedly with 50 Cent and Beyoncé. Though it has been incredibly difficult finding articles attempting to disclaim the conspiracy theories, an article by Gabby Hart depicts an officer’s recollection of the shooting and Tupac’s last words as the officer held him in his arms. It was also said that much of the community knew the culprit behind the shooting was Orlando Anderson, who was murdered shortly after he killed Tupac. In addition, Snoop Dogg answers in an interview that the conspiracy theory claims make for good press and entertaining television, but that his good friend is truly resting in peace. The rapper also believes that Tupac’s prodigious legacy makes people want to believe that he is still alive, so they continue to fuel the theory even though it has been over twenty-two years since his death.
There are multiple cognitive contributions that add to the belief that Tupac is not dead. Firstly, the use of irrelevant conclusions is relevant for a majority of the theories. People assume that because the killer has never officially been identified that one can assume that Tupac never actually died in the first place, which does not make any sense. Secondly, Tupac’s obsession with Machiavelli and the anagram behind Makaveli are used as a basis to sustain the idea of Tupac faking his death and there is no concrete evidence substantiating the significance behind either. Moreover, the media plays a huge role in fueling confirmation bias because they only discuss information that adds to the conspiracy theory, purely because it is more entertaining to read about. Affirming a conclusion from a negative premise is also relevant because one of the main arguments is that the person who was sitting next to Tupac, Suge Knight, did not get hit even though Tupac did, therefore Tupac could not have died. Lastly, cognitive dissonance plays a role in keeping the conspiracy theory alive because fans do not want to believe that the famous rapper could have actually passed away. These people find evidence that strengthens their desire for Tupac to still be alive (the media or sporadic claims that he is living in Cuba or Malaysia) giving them a reason to remove any cognition that suspects his death is real. These people are definitely misinformed because there is no actual physical evidence that would allow people to jump to this conclusion, there are only photoshopped photos, vague elements that are given meaning, and unproven claims made by other celebrities.
The community of believers originates from both fans as well as conspiracy theorists who want to believe in something so extraordinary. Their beliefs are sustained through the use of social media and new articles coming out constantly. In addition, people are easily fooled and are willing to believe anything they read online, such as doctored images. All in all, the Tupac conspiracy theory has been circulating for twenty-two years, but there is no credible evidence that proves it to be true. The reason the conspiracy theory may have been created in the first place is because of the controversy Tupac was surrounded by during his life and his strong fan base creating connections that allude to anything other than death. None of the premises have strong foundations that lead to real conclusions, and both cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias play strong roles in keeping the legend alive.
References
Connick, T. (2018, October 08). Is Tupac alive? A comprehensive guide to the rumours and conspiracy theories. Retrieved March 27, 2019, from https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme- blogs/tupac-still-alive-rumours-2386712
Hart, G. (2018, July 9). First officer on scene of Tupac’s death recalls his last words, speaks on new revelations. Retrieved March 27, 2019, from https://news3lv.com/news/local/first-officer-on- tupacs-death-recalls-rappers-last-words-speaks-on-new-revelations
On the 22nd anniversary of his death, here are the craziest Tupac conspiracy theories. (2018, September 13). Retrieved March 27, 2019, from https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/2pac-shakur-death-theories-suge-knight-diddy- 13108237.php#photo-7256875
Warner, C. (2017, October 31). Snoop Dogg Responds To Rumours That Tupac Is Still Alive. Retrieved March 27, 2019, from https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/snoop-dogg/news/responds- to-rumours-that-tupac-is-still-alive/
Hello!
This was an interesting choice for your blog post! I think this is a popular conspiracy theory as I have heard it many times. I think sometimes fans hold onto big legends and want to hope somehow there still alive. I think with how big he was, why would he want to disappear and disappoint fans? I think overall it would be living a lie. There are tons of celebrities that go off the grid so what is the point of faking a death? I think if it is true he had a strong personality and had conflict with certain groups, than it could make sense he would be a target for a shooting. I think overall it is sad but I would assume he is resting in peace, but his memory lives on!
I find it so interesting how people make some many conspiracies about celebrities. I think this really just has to do with people wanting to believe he is still alive because their admiration for him. So, they make stories hoping he’ll appear one day and be able to show that they were really loyal to Tupac. The whole thing with Tupac and Niccolo Machiavelli, I feel like why could he just no be interested in this topic? What if he took inspiration from this and interpreted it in his own way. It seems people have so little to work with so they gather one “solid” evidence to show case how they are correct.
Almost 23 years is a long time to be “fake” dead and in hiding for so long. For this theory to be true so many people have to be involved. His family, the celebrities who he supposedly hangs out with, the place in which he’s hiding. It just seems like too much. I didn’t know there was rumors and pictures circling around of Tupac with Rhianna, 50 cent, and Beyonce. These are some powerful people in the entertainment industry. I would think by now, if this was true, that someone would have accidentally slipped up or he even showed his face at one point. And at what cost, who would want to be so closed out from the outside world for so long.
People have such a hard time believing that celebrities die. There are so many conspiracy theories surrounding their deaths. For example, you see conspiracy theories surrounding Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Hitler just to name a few. Do you think that one of the reasons that people believe these stories that celebrities haven’t died is because they just don’t want to believe in their deaths? Celebrities hold a very strong presence in the media, so when they are absent it is obviously noticed. I really enjoyed your article though, I had not heard a lot of the reasons you listed as to why people didn’t believe Tupac died.
This is very similar to my post about Avril Lavigne killing herself and being replaced. The theory is perpetuated by social media and people who like to stir the pot by resurfacing with more or “new” info. Also, if he did fake his death to get away from fame, it doesn’t seem to have worked to well because he’s still talked about to this day.
Hello! As soon as I saw this post, I knew I had to read it. I was reading some of the other comments for this post and I find it difficult to imagine that one single person within our society could somehow escape the limelight for the amount of time that he has been deceased. 23 years is a big amount of time, and I believe that with our technology right now, he would’ve been found easily! In my opinion, I feel like this belief is definitely largely fueled by the media. The fact that there is first hand evidence from the police officer’s interaction on the day of the shooting and an actual interview with Snoop Dogg explaining that his own friend is resting in heaven is HUGE! I agree that he was an inspiration to many people, but this denial of his death seems very silly to me. Especially when there are countless primary sources that have spoken out about the events of that day as well as interviews of friends. What a great post! Thank you for sharing.
Interesting topic! I think it’s relevant to the belief like Hitler is still alive. His death is such a shock for his fans and cognitive dissonance happened. They cannot accept his death so that they must ‘make him alive’. And conspiracy theory is so addictive for media and the public.
I love this theory, I think it’s one of pop culture’s most popular debates to discuss. I think one factor that allows this theory to persist is that no arrest was ever made in connection to the murder, therefore people have reason to be suspicious. Especially considering the amount of attention that it would be getting from law officials.
Thank your for sharing this theory. People often overestimate the power of celebrity, thinking them could really hide everything from the whole world. However, it’s really hard to cover tiny facts from media and fans, not mentioned it is about someone’s death. Also, the motivation of this lie is kind of far fetched. If he did fake his own death to show his respect to Machiavelli, he would stand up and declare everything after a few years, not still hide the truth for over 23 years. There’s no reason to really do like this.
I really liked your post! I knew about the whole “Tupac is alive theory” but never really knew the story behind his death and some of the rumors about where he may be. I personally think he is probably dead but can understand why some people might think he is still alive. He was such a beloved musician to so many and maybe for them the thought that he is alive and sitting on a beach in cuba is more comforting that the possibility that he was murdered.
Although Tupac was said to be shot in a drive-by, I know I have heard many theories that he is still alive. The Tupac Isn’t Dead theories are similar to the theories that suggest Hitler was still alive and living in Brazil. The facts are the hospital that performed the surgery to try to save him would not legally be allowed to lie and would have called his time of death. As much of an iconic figure he was, Tupac unfortunately is most likely dead. It is a known fact that artists with relations to gangs or trouble with gangs have been victims of drive-by shootings. Recently, Nipsey Hussle (2019) , Yella Beezy (2018),The Notorious B.I.G. (1997), XXXTentacion (2018), etc, have all died as a result of drive-by shootings while other artists such as Timbaland, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, etc., have survived their drive-by shootings. It is a common phenomenon for some artists involved in shady business and likely to be the reason Tupac indeed died with no chance of survival considering where he was shot on his body.
That is an interesting theory. I think its crazy that some believe he’s still alive only because the shooter never got identified. To this point there are multiple murder cases where the killer hasn’t been found but is does not mean the people did not get killed. Also I am not sure if I missed it but did you mentioned if Tupacs body got found or not? I think that should explain at least something, even though I know you could ‘stage’ that as well.
It’s a really interesting post. I think most of Tupac’s fans can’t accept his death. I can understand he is a really successful rapper, it’s a big depression to the fans. But the extreme sadness will make these people have an illusion that Tupac didn’t die, and the person looks like Tupac will be mistaken. However, I also have an opinion that maybe he is still alive, and he faked his death to stay away from the public and live in somewhere around the world.
I really like the evidence pointing to Kasinova The Don, because I honestly think that is an incredible marketing scheme–I mean think of all the controversy and crazy hype around this song! I’m sure people were all over the song, replaying it over and over just to pick out some suggestive lyrics. From an economic standpoint, claps to Kasinova for deciding to play into this crazy conspiracy in order to make some dough.
This post was really interesting. I’ve heard a lot about this theory, notably on YouTube platforms like buzzfeed unsolved (which I love). I think the idea of him not being dead but just hiding is really interesting, BUT i can’t help but think that someone would have broken the silence by now and told the truth if that was the case. In most cover up situations it comes out eventually I feel like
I think this is a very intersting conspiracy as I have heard many times, mostly through social media, that Tupac isn’t dead. I think Snoop Dog summed up why this belief is so deeply held is Tupac was an influential man and fans do not want to believe that something bad happened to him. As you stated that Tupac had enemies shows an obvious reason that someone could kill him. There is no evidence that he is alive and people make stretching claims as to how he really is alive.