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**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:24 PM

2012: A Year In Review

World News

2Pac Musical "Holler If Ya Hear Me" - 29-Feb-2012

Casting has officially begun for a musical based on the life and times of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur.

Casting will begin for “Holler If Ya Hear Me” on March 4 in New York.

According to a posting on industry trade Playbill.com, “Holler If Ya Hear Me” is being directed by Kenny Leon and is described as an “American musical inspired by and featuring the music of Tupac Shakur.”

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:24 PM

2Pac Hologram - 16-April-2012

Despite supposedly having been dead for over 15 years, Tupac Shakur joined Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on the main stage at Coachella late Sunday night.

An all-too-realistic hologram of the late rapper rolled through "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and other hits in the California desert. Even more unnervingly, he started his mini-set by shouting out "Coachella" by name.

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:24 PM

Suge Knight Says He Doesn't Believe That Tupac Shakur Is Dead - 20-April-2012

There is a VERY good chance Tupac Shakur is alive and well ... and hiding ... this according to the man who was with him during the supposedly fatal shooting in Vegas, Suge Knight.

Knight just appeared on 93.5 KDay in L.A. with Tattoo and Cee Cee ... and pumped some major fuel into the biggest urban legend in hip hop ... that Tupac FAKED his own death.

Knight says his theory explains why cops never found his murderer -- because there was no murder.

"Maybe the question is ... Pac's not really dead ... pac's somewhere else," Knight says.

When asked if he ever saw Tupac's body following the 1996 shooting, he adds, "Nobody seen Tupac dead. "

Knight explains, "The person who supposedly cremated Tupac ... this guy got about 3 million dollars .. personally from me ... cash ... and next thing I know I never heard from the guy or seen him again ... he retired and left."

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:25 PM

Dexter Isaac Admits Robbing 2Pac - 15-Jun-2012

A man has admitted to shooting rap star Tupac Shakur in 1994 after allegedly being paid $2,500 dollars by James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond inside Manhattan's Quad Studios in November of 1994.

Dexter Isaac, a former friend of Rosemond, is an inmate currently serving life in prison for murder, robbery and other offenses.

Isaac came forward Wednesday (June 15th) with the information on the eve of what would be Tupac's 40th birthday.

He confessed to his involvement in the November 30th, 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur to AllHipHop.com, after Jimmy Henchman identified him in a statement, relating to Henchman's indictment for dealing numerous kilos of cocaine.

"I want to apologize to his family [Tupac Shakur] and for the mistake I did for that sucker [Jimmy Henchman]," Dexter Isaac told AllHipHop.com from prison. "I am trying to clean it up to give [Tupac and Biggie's] mothers some closure."

Henchman, who is currently on the run from Federal officials, claimed that Dexter Isaac, along with other incarcerated inmates were cooperating with the government in an investigation of his alleged drug dealing activities.

"If the government is relying on informants like Winston “Winnie” Harris, a convicted drug dealer and Jamaican deportee, who came to me and motioned via hand signal that he was forced to wear a wire and begged me to skip town or Dexter Isaac who is serving life in prison plus 30 years, then I’m sure I will not be offered a fair trial," Henchman said in a statement released to AllHipHop.com in May of 2011.

Dexter Isaac told AllHipHop.com that he decided to confess to the robberies to prove Jimmy Henchman's involvement, in addition to clearing his conscious for the shooting.

Isaac said he was comfortable going on record relating to the robbery and shooting, since the statute of limitations had expired. Legally, no one can be prosecuted for the assault at this time.

Isaac was a lifelong friend of Jimmy Henchmen, who helped the former mogul set up his first company, Henchman Entertainment, in 1989.

Isaac claims he never cooperated with the government in any investigation, and Jimmy Henchman's allegations infuriated him.

Isaac, who is also from Brooklyn, has long been suspected of being involved in the Quad shooting of Tupac Shakur, along with an associate name Spencer "Scooter" Bowens, who is also serving a life sentence.

According to the confession below, Dexter Isaac not only knows what happened to Tupac Shakur's jewelry, but he claims he is also in possession of the Hip-Hop star's chain that was taken during the altercation on that infamous night on November 7, 1994.

The shooting on November 30th, was the start of a deadly feud that resulted in the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.

Their murders have never been solved.

Isaac was indicted by the government in 1998 and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for murder, robbery, fraud and witness intimidation charges.

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:25 PM

Jimmy Henchman Indicted For Murder, Admits To Role In Tupac Shooting - 25-Jun-2012

By all likelihood, Jimmy Henchman will be buried under the jail. After already being found guilty of operating a drug ring earlier this month, Henchmen was indicted for the murder on Friday. Along with five others, Henchman, real name James Rosemond, stands accused of conspiring with five other men to kill Lowell Fletcher in 2009. Filed in the United States District Court in Manhattan, the indictment alleges that Rosemond and another man hired at least two of the defendants to kill Fletcher in exchange for drugs. Fletcher was shot to death on Sept. 27, 2009 in a Bronx neighborhood.In what may be even bigger news, it turns out that Henchman admitted to prosecutors that he was involved in the infamous Quad City shooting of Tupac in 1994. You know, the shooting that ultimately led to the biggest, most violent rivalry rap’s ever seen. Apparently, Rosemond shared his guilt was trying to cut a deal. Per Chuck Phillips’ article at The Village Voice:
“Rosemond secretly admitted to involvement in Tupac’s ambush during one of nine “Queen For A Day” proffer sessions with the government last autumn, court transcripts show. (In such sessions, suspects under investigation choose to enter an agreement with the government to confess knowledge of certain crimes with the agreement that the information won’t be used to prosecute them.) His confession unfolded as he was trying to carve out a cooperation deal that might lead to a reduced sentence, according to federal prosecutors.
“Rosemond apparently came clean about his involvement in Tupac’s ambush shortly after his former best friend, Dexter Isaac, stepped forward last summer to publicly confess that he had led the attack on Shakur in 1994. Isaac released a statement on June 16, 2011 to allhiphop.com, saying it was Rosemond who had paid him to rob and pistol-whip Tupac.”
Unfortunately, neither Henchman nor anyone else will ever go to jail or even face a day in court for Pac’s shooting. The NYPD classified the case as a robbery and the New York statute for robbery is seven years. Still, two parties gain a bittersweet bit of vindication: Pac, who called it in “Against All Odds,” and scribe Phillips, who originally reported Henchman’s involvement in ’08 only to be forced to later recant parts of history.Spotted: SOHH, Village Voice

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:25 PM

Amaru Ent. Sued and Late Night Pulled From Better Days Tracklisting... - 03-Jul-2012

Esther Williams has claimed that Tupac used lines from her classic 1976 single 'Last Night Changed It All' without permission on a posthumous 2002 release from the deceased star. Williams has filed the lawsuit against Amaru Entertainment, the company which was set up by Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur and
Universal Music Group. Amaru released the posthumous double album 'Better Dayz' which contained the Williams sample on the track 'Late Night'. In 2004, Ghostface Killah's 'Pretty Toney Album' also featured the sample in a skit on the CD titled 'Last Night Skit' which Williams is also seeking damages for.

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:26 PM

Investigative journalist Chuck Philips Interview - 13-Sep-2012

http://chuckphilipspost.com/tupac-speaks1995intervie/

October 2, 2012 in Tupac, Tupac Speaks, Uncategorized

On October 19th, 1995, Tupac Shakur was holed up at Can Am studios in Tarzana, furiously laying down tracks for his soon-to-be hit double-CD, “All Eyez On Me.” Less than a week after Death Row had sprung him from Riker’s Island maximum-security penitentiary on a $1.4 million appellate bond, the 24-year-old rap artist picked me to do his first post-prison interview.

Anyone who mistakenly thought Pac was a lightweight will – after listening to this recording – think again. The interview covers the gamut. He speaks with laser-like precision about everything from inspiring art to political oppression, spitting out complex thoughts like raps: analyzing the plots of Shakespeare, dissecting the roots of gang warfare and government corruption, as well as his own insecurities.

At the time of this interview, I was clueless as to what actually happened to Tupac 11 months earlier in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan, mistakenly perceiving his ambush to be a record company publicity stunt – instead of the first shot fired in what would prove to be a deadly bi-coastal rap war. Even Vibe magazine’s powerful April 95 prison interview (following the release of Bad Boy’s taunting “Who Shot Ya?”) did not wake me up.

In Vibe, Pac singled out the individuals he suspected of setting him up in that near-fatal November 94 encounter, during which he was shot, pistol-whipped, beaten, kicked, and robbed of $40,000 in jewelry. The assailants ripped every ring from his fingers and a fat gold chain and jeweled medallion from his neck, but did not touch the diamond encrusted Rolex on his wrist – a veiled threat to ensure he not mistake the calculated beat-down as a random robbery.

Five months before Pac sat down with me, he called out Sean “Puffy” Combs and Christopher Wallace, AKA Biggie Smalls, in Vibe, accusing them of either setting him up, or having advance knowledge of the brutal ambush he was about to endure, and not warning him. He also boldly singled out aspiring Brooklyn talent agents James Rosemond, AKA Jimmy Henchman, and Jacques Agnant, AKA Haitian Jack, of masterminding the assault.

Indeed, Henchman had lured Pac to the studio that night with a promise of $7,000 to guest-rap on a song with Lil Shawn, a fledgling rap act Henchman represented at the time. Pac recounted the true names of his alleged conspirators to journalist Kevin Powell, but Vibe chose to conceal their true identities, referring to Henchman as “Booker,” and Jack as “Nigel” in the published interview. Sources familiar with the incident say Vibe changed the names after receiving threats from Henchman. A former editor at the magazine denied receiving threats, but could not explain why Vibe substituted aliases hiding Henchman and Haitian Jack’s names.

In October of 95, I was so unaware of the bi-coastal rap war that I suspected nothing when Faith Evans appeared with Tupac at Can Am. Biggie’s estranged wife was recording background vocals for a new Pac song, “Wonder Why They Call U Bitch.” You can hear her singing and talking on the tape.

Sources at Can Am told me Faith also laid down background vocals for “2 Of Amerika’s Most Wanted,” a duet between Pac and Snoop, for which he later concocted a music video mocking Faith’s estranged husband and the head of her record label, using look-alike actors named “Piggie” and “Buff Daddy” in a spoof in which Pac avenges the Quad ambush.

People at the sessions told me one juicy, little known detail about Faith’s Can Am contributions. They said the R&B chanteuse also recorded at least one version of the “Take Money” background vocals that later appeared on Pac’s most inflammatory single, “Hit Em Up” – a caustic anti-East Coast jihad in which the rapper threatens to eliminate Biggie, Puff and a slew of Bad Boy artists and other New York acts.

While listening to this interview, you’ll notice that I barely touch on the Quad ambush, or the East Coast/West Coast War. Not because I was afraid to broach a touchy subject, but because, at the time, I was ignorant of how important the incident truly was – or the fallout it would cause. I neglected to ask Pac a single question about Puff or Big, or anyone he had previously blamed for setting him up. I still wince when I think about this omission.

I did not, however, squander the opportunity to draw Pac out on other topics. The conversation goes all over the map. As always, Pac was witty and perceptive, his train of thought compelling, his insights strikingly original. At one point, he compares the fight between the Bloods and the Crips to the feud between the Capulets and Montagues in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:26 PM

Dr. Dre Recalls Recording With Tupac Shakur - 13-Sep-2012

Dr. Dre worked closely with Tupac Shakur during his lifetime, knocking out numerous classic records. During an interview with Ice-T for his documentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, the West Coast veteran recalled hitting the studio with 'Pac, explaining that he would write his lyrics in the booth and lay down song after song.

"It was incredible. I remember being in the studio with Pac and he actually went into the mic booth to write, and I was like, OK, that's different. So I'm in the control room and he writes the lyrics, 'Aight, I'm ready!' He spits 'California Love,' one or two takes. Like, 'Aight, put the next thing up.' And he would just sit in the booth, like 'Put the next thing up!' I think that's why he has so many songs and so much material. He was incredible. A serious machine, a serious talent."

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:26 PM

Tupac hologram makers Digital Domain declared bankrupt - 13-Sep-2012

When a hologram slightly resembling the late Tupac Shakur popped up at this year's Coachella and started rapping along to "California Love," people everywhere thought they were glimpsing into the future.

Imagine a world in which you can buy tickets to see the hologram John Lennon sip sizzurp and play the sitar with the hologram DJ Screw. Or how about a hologram Rocky Marciano fighting the hologram of Mike Tyson from 20 years ago? The Republican National Convention had even planned on unveiling a hologram Ronald Reagan at its convention last month, but it decided to drop the stunt at the last minute because GOP leaders thought Holoreagan would overshadow Mitt Romney's speech.

Alas, those holographic events will now probably never come to pass, because the Digital Domain Media Group, the company behind the Tupac and Reagan holograms, is filing for bankruptcy.

It's an abrupt end for the nearly 20-year-old company, whose founders include director James Cameron. Before its IPO and Tupac tricks, Digital Domain worked on special effects for scores of big movies including "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Transformers" and Cameron's "Titanic." The company won an Oscar for its work on reverse-aging Brad Pitt's character in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

But Digital Domain's financials have long been a concern. Since the company was typically hired by Hollywood studios on a contract basis, its revenue stream was pretty small. Digital Domain expressed hope recently that expanding the virtual performer business beyond Tupac would be lucrative, as it would be able to get a cut of the ticket sales for such events.

Digital Domain wasn't able to get out of the hole quickly enough. As of June 30, the company had assets of $205 million and debts of $214 million.

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:27 PM

Ghetto Gospel CD - 31-Oct-2012

Track Listing is:

Soulja's Revenge
What Goes On (In The City)
Don't U Trust Me?
Resist The Temptation
Changes Feat. Roniece
Black Cotton (Feat.Mouse Man)
Flex (Feat.Thorough Heads)
Ghetto Gospel
Dope Fiend's Diner
Cn2
N.I.G.G.A (Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished) (Feat. Mouse Man & Mopreme Shakur)
Break Em Off (Feat.Dub C,Money B & Deb)

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:27 PM

2013 Ford Fusion commercial using 2Pac's "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" - 22-Nov-2012

**007** · 12-31-2012, 03:27 PM

Wideawake Being Sold - 7-Dec-2012

WIDEawake Death Row and its catalog is reportedly being sold to a publicly held company, HipHopDX has exclusively learned.

According to former Hoopla president and former Death Row publicist Jonathan Hay, New Solutions Financial Corp., a Canadian company that owns WIDEawake Death Row, has gone bankrupt and is selling both the label and catalog to a publicly held company. The deal is set to be closed on December 10th.

Hay explains that the label tried to release remastered and remixed versions of albums from the catalog over the pst four years but were not satisfied with the end results. He said that many of their ideas were shot down and was unhappy with the decisions of the staff at WIDEawake Death Row "across the board," blaming it on "inexperience."

The future of the label's distribution deal with eOne will be addressed in the forthcoming weeks. Read the full statement below.

New Solutions Financial Corp., the Canadian umbrella company that currently owns WIDEawake Death Row, is bankrupt. The historical record label and catalog is being sold to a publicly held company. Being on the inside, we are hearing that the deal will be closed on December 10th. Honestly, we are not surprised by the bankruptcy as we have been actively involved with eight of the Death Row Records' releases over the last four years and have seen the problems firsthand. Time and time again we tried to use our influence to get new mixing and mastering for these re-releases because we knew the albums sounded piss-poor from a sonic standpoint. Even though we helped put together a lot of the artwork over the years, we were never happy with the end result and how it looked, as most of our visual ideas weren't executed as we requested. We wanted every Death Row release to look and feel like a box set with the highest quality of work because we felt that every project deserved that kind of treatment. Most of our ideas for publicity and marketing were shot down, even though we were paid to do the job. Over the years, we have argued, fussed, kicked and screamed with the staff of WIDEawake Death Row over the decisions being made, all across the board. In my opinion, the fatal problem of the company was the inexperience of the people involved, who at times seemed to prideful to accept direction. It was around this time last year that we had Snoop Dogg, with the help of Big Holis, willing to sit down with WIDEawake to discuss the possibility of becoming the face of Death Row Records again. As exciting as this could have been, WIDEawake rejected the idea. With this new company taking over Death Row, hopefully some of our ideas will finally be implemented to help preserve the Death Row Records catalog and legacy. As far as our own distribution deal through WIDEawake Death Row and eOne, we will speaking with everyone about this transition after the holidays.

**BayAreasFinest** · 12-31-2012, 11:57 PM

one of my best ideas yet lol

**john doe** · 01-01-2013, 12:12 AM

no new leaks tho! great post & info

Announcement

2012: A Year in Review - 2Pac-Forum.com

2012: A Year in Review - 2Pac-Forum.com

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