A 1994 attack on Tupac Shakur at a New York City recording studio left the rapper fighting for his life and sparked a new level of violence in the East v. West Coast rap war which eventually claimed the lives of both Shakur and Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace. Though rumors had circled the incident for years, no one was found guilty of the crime.
But now, new evidence reported in theVillage Voice is putting the spotlight on James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, a (former) music mogul and drug lord who was recently indicted on a separate murder-for-hire charge. According the Voice's Chuck Philips, Rosemond admitted to orchestrating the Tupac shooting in proffer sessions during a massive drug case last autumn. (At proffer sessions, suspects are afforded the opportunity to confess crimes with the understanding that they won't be charged with those crimes.)
Philips writes that Rosemond's admission came during his attempt to cop a deal that would lead to less jail time.
Tupac himself placed the blame on Rosemond in "Against All Odds," a song he recorded after the incident: "Jimmy Henchman ... / [You] set me up, wet me up ... stuck me up / But you never shut me up."
Interestingly, no one will ever be charged for the 1994 shooting. The crime was classified as a robbery, and the statute of limitations on prosecuting it has passed.
Rap fans (and conspiracy fans) would do well to give Philip's piece a read, as he has been looking into Tupac's murder for quite some time now. Someone should also tell Suge Knight about the developments, so he can tell Pac.
