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Biggie and Tupac

No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Film Four/Lafayette Films/REX/Shutterstock (5855965a) Notorious Big, Tupac Shakur Biggie and Tupac - 2002 Director: Nick Broomfield Film Four/Lafayette Films USA Scene Still Documentary

Further Reading For Biggie And Tupac

Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases by Greg Kading

Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap by Ben Westhof

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Tupac Shakur and The Notorious BIG were two of the biggest rappers of the 90’s. As of this writing, Shakur has sold over 75 million records, making him one of the best selling musical artists of all time. Biggie, born Christopher Wallace, is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. His record, Life After Death, released only days after his murder has since been certified Diamond status, meaning that it has sold over 10 million copies.

As hip hop music rose in popularity throughout the 90’s, east coast/west coast rivalries developed as a marketing tactic to sell records. Artists also began aligning themselves with actual criminal gangs in order to sell a reputation of being real and from the streets but these deals came at a significant cost which ultimately cost Biggie and Shakur their lives.

Tupac was shot dead in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 in the company of Death Row Records owner and generally bad guy, Suge Knight. It is largely believed that this murder was carried out in the service of Sean “P Diddy” Combs, whose label Bad Boy was in brutal competition with Death Row. A year later, Biggie would be shot dead in Los Angeles in retaliation for Shakur’s murder. Their deaths remain unsolved.

Episodes: 320-322

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