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Fox to Air Investigative Report on its TV Network Titled "Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?"

The two-hour special will be hosted by actor and rap legend Ice-T and broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien

By Victor TrammellPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
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Photo credits: Clarence Davis/NY Daily News Archive/Getty, Ron Galella/WireImage/Getty

In its own way, the June 15, 2017 release of the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me helped the world revisit the life, trials, and untimely death of one of the most iconic figures in American music history.

However, back on January 16, 2009, Notorious, the biopic of Shakur's friend-turned-nemesis Biggie Smalls (also known as The Notorious B.I.G.) gave fans another straight-to-theater film experience, which chronicled the story of a rap artist whose contributions to the hip-hop genre are still vicariously existent in some of today's most influential rappers.

Both Shakur and Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace came from what many hip-hop purists call the music's Golden Era. Shakur and Wallace had a lot in common when it came to their individual upbringings and when it came to their exposure to the darker side of realities within the street life, which they both experienced in their teen years.

Ultimately, both men did not live long and they both died violently as victims of gun crimes. Their murders remain unsolved. Shakur passed away at 25 on September 13, 1996 after succumbing to injuries he sustained during a shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 1996. Wallace was gunned down at 24 in Los Angeles, California roughly six months later on March 9, 1997.

Prior to the release of the biopics that were based on the lives of the slain rap legends, a sizable amount of compelling documentary films were released by various filmmakers who offered their own spin on the two stories, which have spawned a vast number of conspiracy theories. Authors have also written some great books about the deaths of Wallace and Shakur.

In 2002, British film director Nick Broomfield's widely chided documentary Biggie and Tupac was released. Broomfield's project contained commentary from a handful of notable people who were close to both of the murder cases, including ex-detective Russell Poole, a LAPD officer who was formerly in charge of Wallace's death investigation.

Poole (who is now deceased) was taken off the case when he went to his superiors at the LAPD with his own theories about undercover police possibly being involved in Wallace's murder. These officers were working off-duty as armed security guards for Deathrow Records, the nefarious, California-based music label owned and run by Marion "Suge" Knight.

"You got to think to yourself, 'Who could do this and get away with it? Cops!'" Poole exclaimed in a telephone interview with Broomfield on Biggie and Tupac.

In 2017, the media's infatuation with the unsolved murders of Wallace and Shakur continues over 20 years later. According a recent article in the Rolling Stone, Fox is about to release a two-hour, investigative television special called Who Killed Biggie and Tupac? Rap legend Ice-T and broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien will be hosting the report.

Some big promises have been made about this investigative special, including claims that new information will be revealed when the show finally airs.

"People involved in the investigations – police officers, informants and more – will provide on-camera interviews for the two-hour special, as well as accounts from associates like Doug E. Fresh, Funkmaster Flex, Suge Knight and Lil Cease," wrote Daniel Kreps, a contributor to Rolling Stone Magazine.

It has also been reported that Who Killed Biggie and Tupac? will feature a never-before-seen video, which depicts Wallace giving an interview in which he shares his reaction after hearing of the Shakur homicide in Las Vegas. Fox is not the only television network with an investigative special on the way about the Wallace and Shakur murders.

A&E is preparing for the release of two investigative television specials titled Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. and Who Killed Tupac? Fox's investigative special with Ice-T and Soledad O'Brien is scheduled to air on September 24, 2017.

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About the Creator

Victor Trammell

Mr. Trammell is an award-winning digital media producer, freelance journalist, and author. Formerly, he wrote national radio content for the Michael Baisden Show. He also served as Senior Editor at the Your Black World online news network.

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