September 7, 1996, remains a pivotal day in hip-hop history as the day Tupac Shakur was tragically shot in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was in town with his label boss, Suge Knight, to attend the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand and celebrate the birthday of his business partner, Tracy Danielle Robinson.
After the fight, a violent altercation took place involving Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a member of the Crips gang, who had allegedly attempted to steal a Death Row Records medallion in a shopping mall. Surveillance footage from the MGM Grand showed Tupac participating in the assault on Anderson, which many believe played a role in the events that unfolded later that night. Following the fight, Tupac briefly returned to his hotel before heading out with Knight in a black BMW 750iL sedan, part of a larger convoy, en route to Death Row’s Club 662.
Photographer Leonard Jefferson captured what would become Tupac’s last known photograph. Jefferson recalls the encounter:
“I came to a light at Harmon Ave. and saw a BMW with shiny rims. I looked over, and it was 2Pac and Suge. I said, ‘Yo, what up, Pac!’ He paused for a second, recognized me, and said, ‘Yeah, what up, man.’ I asked where they were headed, and he said Club 662, told me I should come. I quickly grabbed my camera, took the shot, and then they pulled off. I followed a few cars behind them before they made a right turn.”
Shortly after, at around 11:15 PM, the BMW Tupac was riding in was sprayed with bullets. Tupac was hit four times—once in the arm, once in the thigh, and twice in the chest, with one of the bullets puncturing his right lung. Suge Knight sustained minor injuries from bullet fragments. Earlier, at about 11 PM, bicycle-mounted police had stopped the BMW for playing loud music and lacking license plates, an eerie foreshadowing of what was to come. The white Cadillac that pulled up alongside Tupac’s car and opened fire was never found, and the identity of the shooter remains a mystery.
Tupac was rushed to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he was placed on life support after being heavily sedated. Despite efforts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries on September 13, 1996, at 4:03 PM due to respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest linked to his multiple gunshot wounds.
In 2002, investigative journalist Chuck Philips published a report in the Los Angeles Times after a year-long investigation, claiming Orlando Anderson was the shooter. Anderson had been attacked by Tupac and Suge’s entourage at the MGM Grand, sparking retaliation. Anderson was interviewed once briefly by Las Vegas police before his death in an unrelated shooting, leaving the case unresolved. Music journalist John Leland of The New York Times later called the evidence “inconclusive.”
In 2011, the FBI released documents under the Freedom of Information Act that revealed an extortion scheme by the Jewish Defense League, which had allegedly made death threats against Tupac and other rappers. However, no direct link to his murder was established.
The Legacy of Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur’s influence in hip-hop and culture remains unparalleled. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential rappers of all time. In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked Tupac at No. 86 on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” Rapper 50 Cent, who penned the article, said, “Every rapper who grew up in the Nineties owes something to Tupac. He didn’t sound like anyone who came before him.”
A mural by Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra in Miami, Florida, is one of countless artistic tributes to Tupac. In 2014, BET reflected on his enduring influence, stating, “His confounding mixture of ladies’ man, thug, revolutionary, and poet has forever altered our perception of what a rapper should look like, sound like, and act like.” They noted that Tupac’s style and image have influenced generations of rappers, including Jay-Z, Nas, 50 Cent, Ja Rule, DMX, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and newer artists like Freddie Gibbs. Tupac’s likeness appears in murals from New York to Brazil, Sierra Leone to Jamaica, and even statues in Atlanta and Germany, underscoring his global appeal.
In 2020, Vice President Kamala Harris called Tupac the “best rapper alive,” explaining that “West Coast girls think 2Pac lives on,” further illustrating how deeply his legacy resonates.
Tupac’s revolutionary spirit, poignant lyrics, and cultural impact continue to shape the hip-hop landscape long after his death, cementing him as a transcendent figure whose influence endures across music and society.
