The alleged recording could shed new light on the killing of one of hip hop’s most influential artists
Newly obtained audio tapes allegedly captured the main suspect in the decades-old murder of rapper Tupac Shakur bragging about his role in the killing, the New York Post reported on Thursday.
On September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot four times while stopped at a red light on the Las Vegas Strip and later succumbed to his wounds in hospital. Prosecutors have charged Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis with orchestrating the drive-by shooting. Investigators and legal authorities identify his nephew, Orlando ‘Baby Lane’ Anderson, who was himself shot dead in 1998, as the man who fired the fatal shots.
The Las Vegas District Attorney’s Office believes Davis admitted to his involvement in the murder during a recorded prison phone conversation, the NYP wrote, citing a legal source. He had also discussed his role in the crime and shared “intricate details” while pursuing potential film and television deals, the outlet’s source said.
Investigators have pointed to Davis’ public statements for years. In his memoir, interviews, and recorded conversations before his 2023 arrest, Davis repeatedly spoke about his involvement in the killing. He has pleaded not guilty and now claims his previous admissions were made solely for financial gain.
Prosecutors have described Tupac’s killing, long regarded as one of hip-hop’s most notorious unsolved cases, as the result of a violent feud between East Coast and West Coast rap circles, as well as rival gangs, the Bloods and Crips. They allege Davis served as a senior “shot caller” within the Crips.
At the time of his death, Tupac was embroiled in a bitter feud with New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in a separate shooting in Los Angeles in March 1997. The two artists were seen as leading figures in the infamous East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry of the 1990s.
