2Pac, his true face (part 1): Tupac and his opponents

On August 3, 2008, an opinion piece appeared on this site’s blog with a clear mission: it was meant to defend Tupac’s “true face” against the image that the media had painted of him. Published on what was then the platform Thuglove.de / United-Tupac.Com, the text formed the first part of a three-part series. This archive note contextualizes what arguments the author made back then, and which of them hold up against documented facts.

A Rapper as a Political Martyr

It was not Tupac who had drawn hatred upon himself, the author argued, but the media that had smeared him. As his first example, he cited former US Vice President Dan Quayle, who had “banned” Tupac’s music, because Tupac had become too big and his lyrics too honest. Tupac had reached people because he spoke openly about his background and his feelings.

The author also suggested that the state had wanted Tupac dead for political reasons. He compared him to Martin Luther King: both were martyrs who had died for others.

Political Criticism Instead of a State Ban

There was no ban. In 1992, Dan Quayle criticized Tupac’s debut album 2Pacalypse Now after the defense attorney for cop killer Ronald Ray Howard argued that the album had influenced his client. Quayle’s statement that there was no reason to release such a record and that it had no place in society was political criticism, not a legal measure. Tupac himself said at the time that he only wanted to write about what affected young Black men.

The incident with police officers mentioned in the post is also documented: in 1993, Tupac was charged in Atlanta with shooting two off-duty police officers. The charges were later dropped. By contrast, there is no evidence for the claim that government agencies wanted or brought about Tupac’s death. It was the author’s personal interpretation.

Late Honors and a Verdict in Las Vegas

The perception of Tupac has shifted since then without any need for conspiracy theories. In 2010, the Library of Congress added “Dear Mama” to the National Recording Registry, followed by induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

The murder was tried in court as an act of gang retaliation: on August 31, 2026, Duane “Keffe D” Davis was found guilty in Las Vegas. As of October 2026: the verdict is not final (Davis announced he would appeal), and sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2026. Continued: Part 2, Part 3.