It has been 29 years since the tragic death of Tupac Shakur, but the West Coast rap legend’s legacy still resonates deeply in hip-hop culture.
Tupac Amaru Shakur, best known for hits like “California Love”, was one of the most celebrated rappers of his era before he was fatally shot on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas. The killing sent shockwaves through the music industry and remains one of hip-hop’s most infamous tragedies.
On the night of the shooting, Tupac was with Suge Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records, to which the rapper was signed. Knight, now 60, was also wounded in the attack but survived with a graze to the head.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Knight — currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for a 2015 fatal hit-and-run — revisited that fateful night and made a shocking revelation: Tupac’s close friends allegedly rolled his cremated ashes with marijuana and smoked them as a symbolic tribute.
“I was so happy to say I was on probation — I couldn’t smoke,” Knight said. “I told his mother, ‘Moms, I’d love to, but if I hit that, I’ll get in trouble.’ I was probably the only one who didn’t hit him.”
Knight recalled how he managed to drive away from the scene despite bleeding heavily, and later tried to assist Tupac out of the BMW. Tupac succumbed to his injuries on September 13, 1996, at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada.
According to Knight, Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur insisted on a swift cremation, which he claims he paid $1 million in cash to facilitate. That night, Afeni and Tupac’s close associates allegedly gathered for a private tribute.
“A bag with his ashes was passed around,” Knight claimed. “His homies rolled him up. They smoked him… It was symbolic. It’s like you keep part of him.”
Tupac’s murder remains officially unsolved and under investigation, adding to the enduring mystery surrounding the life and death of one of hip-hop’s greatest icons.
