The trial over the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur opened in Las Vegas on Monday, nearly 30 years after his death.
The case concerning the death of the American rapper began on August 10, 2026. According to DR, the killing has been surrounded by riddles and mystery for three decades.
DR reports that one of the men who sat in the car from which the shots were fired is now on trial. As stated by DR, it is still not known who actually shot Tupac.
Reporting by AP identifies the defendant as Duane “Keffe D” Davis, charged over the 1996 killing. Per AP, the case is reaching court after years of investigation. The charge is not the same as a finding that Davis fired the shots.
Reuters has described the Las Vegas case as a murder prosecution tied to the 1996 shooting. As noted by BBC, the proceedings are a major development in a decades-old unsolved killing.
Tupac was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He died of his injuries six days later, at the age of 25. His death remains one of hip-hop’s most famous unsolved murders.
DR writes that Tupac, who performed as 2Pac, has sold 75 million records worldwide, citing official figures and his official website. Several of his albums reached multi-platinum status. According to DR, the streaming service Spotify registers around 28 million monthly listens for the rapper.
He released four albums during his lifetime. DR reports that six further albums with older material have appeared since his death, along with four records where he features on other artists’ releases. His hits include “California Love” and “Hit ‘Em Up”.
Peter Trier Aagaard, a hip-hop commentator who has been active on the Danish hip-hop scene, told DR that Tupac’s emotional range set him apart. As described by Aagaard, the rapper has songs covering the full register of feelings.
DR points to tracks such as “Dear Mama”, about his mother and a childhood marked by poverty, and “Brenda’s Got a Baby”, about a young girl in social distress. In “Changes”, he addressed racism, police violence and inequality. Per Aagaard, this made the music recognizable and relevant to many listeners.
A 2020 article on DR.dk noted that Tupac grew up in a politically conscious environment, and that his mother, Afeni Shakur, was connected to the Black Panther movement. Aagaard says the rapper made social problems human and recognizable for his audience.
Tupac was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame states that he was the first solo hip-hop artist inducted, and that he entered in his first year of eligibility. His official website dates the induction to April 7, 2017.
