News of July 7, 1997
"The Takedown of Tupac": The New Yorker on Tupac's Path to Death Row
Visits to Dannemora, a three-page handwritten contract: Connie Bruck reconstructed in The New Yorker how Tupac signed with Suge Knight in 1995.
In its July 7, 1997 issue, The New Yorker published an extensive investigative report by journalist Connie Bruck: “The Takedown of Tupac.” She traces how Tupac ended up at Death Row in 1995 from prison in Dannemora, describing the label as a place where cash, weapon checks, and intimidation were part of daily life.
“I’m Selling My Soul”
According to Bruck, Suge Knight visited Tupac in prison multiple times, accompanied by Death Row attorney David Kenner. Kenner reportedly drew up a three-page handwritten agreement that also made Knight Tupac’s manager and Kenner his attorney. The article clearly points out the conflict of interest. Charles Ogletree, who represented Tupac’s appeal in the New York proceedings, said this was not a legally valid contract. Tupac’s manager Watani Tyehimba recounted that during the last visit, Tupac embraced him, cried, and said he knew he was selling his soul to the devil.
Bruck also describes how Tupac later founded his own production company, Euphanasia, and asked Yaasmyn Fula to organize his business affairs; she reportedly received no accountings from Death Row. More on the contract: From Dannemora to Death Row.