Tupac Shakur was killed aged 25. AP
Tupac Shakur was killed aged 25. AP
Tupac Shakur was killed aged 25. AP
Tupac Shakur was killed aged 25. AP

Why investigation into Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder is being revived


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An investigation into Tupac Shakur’s unsolved murder has been revived.

It took about three decades, but a new twist came when authorities in Nevada served a search warrant this week in connection with the shooting.

Here’s what to know about one of the most infamous assassinations in hip-hop history.

What's new in the investigation?

Las Vegas police served a search warrant in connection to the killing of Shakur, who was shot on September 7, 1996.

The warrant was executed on Monday in the nearby city of Henderson. It’s unclear what they were looking for or where they searched.

Citing the ongoing investigation, a police spokesman said he couldn’t provide further details on the latest development in the case, including whether a suspect has been identified.

What happened the night the rapper died?

Shakur, left, and the founder of Death Row Records, Marion 'Suge' Knight, at a voter registration event in Los Angeles in 1996. AP
Shakur, left, and the founder of Death Row Records, Marion 'Suge' Knight, at a voter registration event in Los Angeles in 1996. AP

The rapper, then 25, was travelling in a black BMW driven by Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight in a convoy of about 10 cars, apparently headed to a nightclub, after watching Mike Tyson knock out Bruce Seldon in a championship fight at the MGM Grand. Police said no one else was in the car with them.

A white Cadillac with four men inside pulled alongside the BMW while it was stopped at a red light at an intersection near the Las Vegas Strip, and one person opened fire, riddling the passenger side of Knight’s car with bullets, police said. Sitting in the passenger seat, Shakur was shot four times, at least twice in the chest. Knight was grazed by a bullet fragment or shrapnel from the car.

Shakur was rushed to a hospital, where he died six days later.

What is the rapper's legacy?

Shakur was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last month. AFP
Shakur was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last month. AFP

Shakur, one of the most prolific figures in hip-hop, is also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli. His professional music career only lasted five years, but he sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including the diamond-certified album All Eyez on Me, which was packed with hits including California Love (Remix), I Ain’t Mad at Cha and How Do U Want It.

Shakur has had five No 1 albums including Me Against the World in 1995 and All Eyez on Me in 1996, along with three posthumous releases: 1996’s The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, 2001’s Until the End of Time and 2004’s Loyal to the Game.

The six-time Grammy-nominated artist was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Snoop Dogg in 2017.

As a rising actor, Shakur starred in popular films such as John Singleton's Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson and Ernest Dickerson's Juice. He also played major roles in Gang Related and Above the Rim.

In April, a five-part FX docuseries called Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur delved into the past of the rapper’s mother, Afeni Shakur, as a female leader in the Black Panther Party, while exploring Tupac’s journey as a political visionary and becoming one of the greatest rap artists of all time.

Last month, Shakur received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“He defied the distinction between art and activism,” said radio personality Big Boy, who emceed the ceremony.

Shakur has been remembered with museum exhibitions, including Tupac Shakur: Wake Me When I’m Free in 2021 and All Eyez on Me at the Grammy Museum in 2015. He’ll soon have a stretch of a street in Oakland, California, renamed after him.

What about his biggest rivalry?

The feud between the Notorious B.I.G. and Shakur was well documented. Photo: Michael Lavine
The feud between the Notorious B.I.G. and Shakur was well documented. Photo: Michael Lavine

Shakur’s death came amid his feud with rap rival the Notorious B.I.G., who was fatally shot six months later. At the time, both rappers were in the middle of the infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry, which primarily defined the hip-hop scene during the mid-1990s.

The feud was ignited after Shakur was seriously wounded in another shooting during a robbery in the lobby of a midtown Manhattan hotel in 1994. He was shot several times and lost $40,000.

Shakur openly accused B.I.G. and Sean “Diddy” Combs of having prior knowledge of the shooting, which they denied. The shooting sparked enough of a feud that created a serious divide within the hip-hop community and fans.

The New York-born Shakur represented the West Coast after he signed with the Los Angeles-based Death Row Records. He often traded verbal jabs with New York natives B.I.G. and Combs, who hailed from the East Coast while representing New York City-based Bad Boy Records.

Diss tracks were seemingly delivered to drive home their ferocious points across. Shakur released the aggressive single Hit ’Em Up, which took aim at B.I.G., who on the other hand returned with Who Shot Ya?, a record that was received as a taunt. However, B.I.G. claimed the song was not directed toward Shakur.

Shakur's life and career

Portraits and quotes from Shakur outside LA's Tupac Shakur: Wake Me When I'm Free exhibition last year. AP
Portraits and quotes from Shakur outside LA's Tupac Shakur: Wake Me When I'm Free exhibition last year. AP

Shakur was born June 16, 1971, in New York City. He later moved to Baltimore and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he began writing raps. He eventually made his way to Marin City, California, near San Francisco, and continued to write and record.

As a member of the Grammy-nominated group Digital Underground, Shakur appeared on the 1991 track Same Song from This Is an EP Release and on the album Sons of the P.

That same year, Shakur achieved individual recognition with the album 2Pacalypse Now, which spawned the successful singles Trapped and Brenda’s Got a Baby.

The album, with references to police officers being killed, drew notoriety when a lawyer claimed a man accused of killing a Texas trooper had been riled up by the record. Then-vice president Dan Quayle targeted 2Pacalypse Now in his 1992 battle with Hollywood over traditional values.

In 1993, Shakur's follow-up album produced songs I Get Around, Keep Ya Head Up and Papa’z Song, and he was nominated for an American Music Award as best new rap hip-hop artist.

Rapper Tupac Shakur performs at the Regal Theatre in Chicago in March 1994. Getty Images
Rapper Tupac Shakur performs at the Regal Theatre in Chicago in March 1994. Getty Images

The next year he appeared with hip-hop group Thug Life on the Above The Rim soundtrack and on the group’s album Volume 1. In a photo on the album liner, he framed his face between his two extended middle fingers.

Over the years, Shakur had some brushes with the law. He served several months in a New York prison for sex abuse.

While in prison, Shakur indicated he was rethinking his lifestyle. He had support from black leaders including Reverand Jesse Jackson and Reverand Al Sharpton, who counselled him while he was locked up.

“Thug Life to me is dead. If it’s real, let somebody else represent it, because I’m tired of it,″ Shakur told Vibe magazine. ”I represented it too much. I was Thug Life.″

Shakur was up-front about his troubled life in the 1995 release Me Against The World, a multimillion-selling album that contained the ominously titled tracks If I Die 2Nite and Death Around The Corner.

“It ain’t easy being me. Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?″ Shakur rapped on the album, which produced the Grammy-nominated Dear Mama and standout singles So Many Tears and Temptations.

The Las Vegas shooting occurred as Shakur’s fourth solo album, All Eyez on Me, remained on the charts, with some five million copies sold.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FINAL RESULT

Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)

Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2

Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
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Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place

192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare

Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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List of officials:

Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

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Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

Results

2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)

3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson

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Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
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Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

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Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

Updated: July 19, 2023, 7:37 AM`