Green Day Pours Punk Rock Spirit Into ‘Nimrods’ Film

A trial commenced Monday in Las Vegas concerning the decades-old murder of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur, one of America's most high-profile unsolved homicides. The proceedings are expected to last a month, focusing on the prosecution's attempt to prove that Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, orchestrated the killing and supplied the firearm used in the fatal 1996 drive-by shooting.

Davis, 63, faces a potential life sentence without parole if convicted. The murder of Shakur, also known as 2Pac, has remained a subject of intense public fascination and debate among music fans for nearly three decades. Shakur, who died at age 25, was a pivotal figure in the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry, achieving fame with hits like "California Love" and "All Eyez on Me."

The trial is expected to delve into the intense rivalry between Death Row Records, founded by Marion "Suge" Knight, and Bad Boy Records, led by Sean "Diddy" Combs. Prosecutors contend that Death Row Records was associated with the Mob Piru gang, part of the Bloods alliance, while Bad Boy Records employed the South Side Compton Crips, led by Davis, as security. The alleged motive for the killing stemmed from an incident following a Mike Tyson boxing match, where Knight and Shakur reportedly assaulted Davis's nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a Crips member.

The investigation into Shakur's murder languished for years due to a lack of evidence until the publication of Davis's memoirs in 2019. In the book, Davis described being in the Cadillac from which shots were fired and handing a pistol to others in the back seat, though he did not identify the shooter. These admissions, consistent with earlier statements to reporters, led to his arrest in September 2023. Davis has since recanted, pleading not guilty and asserting his innocence, claiming in a March 2025 interview from prison, "They don't have no evidence against me. They can't even put me in Las Vegas."

“

I'm innocent. I ain't killed nobody. Never did ever kill nobody. They don't have no evidence against me. They can't even put me in Las Vegas.