On the night of November 30, 1995, shortly after midnight, two or three men in another car chased a minivan through Queens Village and opened fire on it. The driver died of his injuries. It was Randy “Stretch” Walker, according to police, the crime occurred one year and about five minutes after the shots were fired at Tupac. Walker’s violent death marked the endpoint of a story that had begun in 1991 as Tupac’s closest friendship in New York.
From Queens to Tupac’s Side
Randy Walker, born August 21, 1968, grew up in Queens, New York. With his brother Christopher (“Majesty”) and DJ K-Low, he formed the group Live Squad in the late eighties. Because of his height of a good six foot eight, he was called Stretch. In the summer of 1991, he met Tupac through the Digital Underground circle; they quickly became best friends. During the filming of Juice, Stretch and Treach were on set as extras.
Afterwards, Stretch rapped and produced on Tupac’s first albums: on 2Pacalypse Now (1991) he rapped and produced on Crooked Ass Nigga, and for Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993) he produced 5 Deadly Venomz, The Streetz R Deathrow and Holler If Ya Hear Me. He appeared in Tupac’s film Bullet and performed by his side on stage.
The Seed of Thug Life
In 1992, Tupac, Stretch and Big Syke recorded the song Thug Life, the seed of the group that released Thug Life, Volume I in 1994. Stretch contributed raps and beats, many of them together with Tupac. He is often mentioned only as a co-founder of Thug Life who had left the group “for unknown reasons.” In truth, the end of their connection is one of the darkest chapters in Tupac’s life.
The Break in Manhattan
On the night of November 30, 1994, Stretch accompanied Tupac to Quad Studios in Manhattan. In the lobby, they were ambushed by three armed men; Tupac was robbed and shot several times, while Stretch remained unhurt. Details can be found under Shooting 1994.
In prison, Tupac’s suspicion grew. In the April 1995 Vibe interview, he implied that the towering Stretch should have done more: the perpetrators had not touched Stretch, but instead went straight for Tupac. Later, Tupac accused him of never visiting him in prison and instead being seen with The Notorious B.I.G. Stretch countered that, being unarmed, there was nothing he could have done.
On Me Against the World (March 1995), his verse on So Many Tears is missing; he is still credited as co-producer and backing vocalist.
An Unsolved Murder
The crime in Queens Village remains unsolved. Rumors linked it to the break between Stretch and Tupac, others to a dispute in the drug trade; none of these versions has been proven. Some listeners interpret lines on All Eyez on Me as references to Stretch.
Stretch was 27. Live Squad productions still appeared after his death, such as Take It in Blood and Silent Murder on Nas’s It Was Written (1996) and with Nothing to Lose on Tupac’s R U Still Down? (1997).