Current:Home > ScamsWhy arrest in Tupac Shakur's murder means so much to so many-InfoLens
Why arrest in Tupac Shakur's murder means so much to so many
View
Date:2025-01-11 04:54:02
You take notice when voices of a generation leave the world — particularly if those voices are stolen.
For many of the generation that proceeded my own, two of those voices belonged to R&B legend Marvin Gaye and rock musician and peace activist John Lennon.
Marvin Gaye's father killed him during a fight in 1984. Lennon, a member of the Beatles, was murdered by David Chapman, a fame-obsessed fan.
There was resolution in both cases.
Gaye's father, Marvin Gay Sr., pleaded no contest to a voluntary manslaughter charge. Chapman remains in prison for his crime.
For many in my generation, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. were ambassadors of truth who still managed to keep the party going.
What did Tupac Shakur mean to people?
I was, and remain, a fan to be certain but am in no way a hardcore devotee of either.
Yet I remember vividly the sadness I felt when Tupac was murdered in 1996 and Biggie the following year.
Talent, potential and inspiration were ripped from the world. That the murders have remained unsolved is a tragedy and a failure of justice.
What is known about arrest of suspect in Tupac Shakur\'s death?
This is part of the reason it is so significant that Las Vegas police today arrested a suspect in the death Tupac Shakur.
More:Police arrest man in connection to Tupac Shakur 1996 murder: What we know
Duane "Keffe D" Davis has been charged with murder with use of a deathly weapon in Tupac's death. A Nevada prosecutor announced the indictment today.
He has long been known to those working the unsolved murder.
Davis admitted in interviews and in his 2019 tell-all memoir that he was in the car involved in the drive-by shooting that claimed Tupac's life.
What was it about Tupac?
Like Biggie, Tupac's legend has not subsided since the day he died.
Raised by Afeni Shakur — a member of the Black Panther Party in the '60s and '70s — Tupac was the "young, gifted and Black" described in the classic song written by Nina Simone and Weldon Irvine.
The world — particularly the young, gifted and Black in Ohio and around the nation — took note.
And it just was not music. Tupac was part of a Black cultural revolution, appearing in the now classic Black-led films "Juice" and "Poetic Justice" opposite singer and actress Janet Jackson.
Although on the Earth just 25-years, he earned a sort of folk hero status, having used his smarts, troubled background and musical talents to help put both gangsta and party rap on the map.
Through his music he was a force of nature, poet and activist speaking for and to those who often go unheard in a list of songs that include "Out on Bail," "I Get Around," "So Many Tears," "Brandy got a Baby," "Dear Mama" and "How Long will They Mourn me."
To answer that last song title, fans around the world — new and old — have mourned death of Tupac Shakur 27 years.
Time will tell what happens in the case facing Davis, but may the justice humanity longs for and Tupac — and Biggie — deserves finally come.
Amelia Robinson is the Columbus Dispatch's opinion and community engagement editor. @1AmeliaRobinson
veryGood! (15)
Related
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- These 21 Affordable Amazon Jewelry Pieces Keep Selling Out
- Aryna Sabalenka is about to be No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She could be the new US Open champ, too
- Peter Navarro's trial on charges of contempt of Congress set to begin
- Celtics' Jaylen Brown calls Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo a 'child' over fake handshake
- 'You took my world from me': Georgia mother mourns the loss of toddler, father charged with murder
- Linda Evangelista Shares She Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Twice in 5 Years
- Authorities expand search area for killer who escaped Pennsylvania prison after latest sighting
- Deion Sanders says he would prevent Shedeur Sanders from going to wrong team in NFL draft
- Peter Navarro's trial on charges of contempt of Congress set to begin
Ranking
- Trump pledged to roll back protections for transgender students. They’re flooding crisis hotlines
- Biden's new student debt repayment plan has 4 million signups. Here's how to enroll in SAVE.
- The US sent cluster munitions to Ukraine but activists still seek to bolster a treaty banning them
- Jerry Jones speaks on Dak Prescott's contract situation, praises Deion Sanders for CU win
- Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
- Georgia can resume enforcing ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender youth, judge says
- Biden to nominate former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew as ambassador to Israel
- A thrift store shopper snags lost N.C. Wyeth painting worth up to $250,000 for just $4
Recommendation
Kendall Jenner Is Back to Being a Brunette After Ditching Blonde Hair
What to know about acute liver failure, Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth's cause of death
Ex-Italy leader claims France accidentally shot down passenger jet in 1980 bid to kill Qaddafi
23 people injured after driver crashes car into Denny’s restaurant in Texas
Lane Kiffin puts heat on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia. So, who's left out?
In 'The Fraud,' Zadie Smith seeks to 'do absolute justice to the truth'
Google turns 25, with an uncertain future as AI looms
Best time to book holiday travel is mid-October, expert says: It's the sweet spot