It was on this day in Hip Hop history that many may argue that the legend of Thug Life and Tupac Shakur began.
On this date in 1994, the rapper was headed into the building on 7th Avenue in Manhattan that houses Quad Recording Studios with his manager Freddie Moore and friend Randy “Stretch” Walker(RIP) of the Live Squad the day after deliberations for ‘Pac’s rape case. When Tupac and his crew approached the elevator, they were approached by three gunmen who demanded their money and jewelry. Moore and Walker obeyed the commands, but ‘Pac began cursing at the gunmen, resulting in him being shot five times and robbed of $40K worth of jewelry before being dragged into the elevator to safety by Walker.
Many people, including Shakur, have suspected Lil’ Cease, who called ‘Pac from the 8th-floor window before he was shot, Diddy and the late Notorious B.I.G. for the hit/robbery attempt, however, that theory was denied by Cease, Diddy, and B.I.G. and no proof of their involvement has ever surfaced. Others have suspected Brooklyn street legends Jacques “Haitian Jack” Agnant, James “Jimmy Henchmen” Rosemond, and Walter “King Tut” Johnson of being involved in orchestrating the shooting, which hasn’t amount to much more than a great hood fable. One thing is for sure. After the shooting, the relationship between the East Coast and West Coast Hip Hop communities was never the same again.