The Killing of Tupac Shakur (32 page)

“Love always,

“Your father, friend, comrade, Mutulu.”

Billy Garland, Tupac’s biological father, said in an exclusive interview with Kevin Powell for
Rolling Stone
that his son did not deserve to be criticized.

“My son is dead, and he don’t deserve to be talked about like some common criminal,” Garland said. “He wasn’t perfect, but he did do some great things in a little bit of time.”

After Suge Knight’s release from prison, nearly five years after his star performer was killed, Suge had this to say, to the BBC: “Tupac is what you call a superstar. There’s a difference between being an artist and a superstar. You get guys on other labels [who] could probably go and sell some records, but they’re not a star. Tupac was a star. When he walked in a room, the room lit up. He could still be a thug and still talk about thuggish things, but he can still take his shirt off and be a pillar to the women. There’s a difference between being a thug and a street punk. Tupac is and always will be a legend. Even when he was alive he was a legend, because he had his own spiritual flava, his own vibe, and that’s one of the best things you can look for in a guy like Pac.

“There isn’t ever going to be another Tupac. There will be a lot who imitate it, but not duplicate it. He’s in a class by himself.”

And, finally, Tupac Shakur’s mother Afeni spoke about her only son.

“Tupac has always been the person who’s made up the game—always,” she told
Vibe
magazine before his death and after one of Tupac’s many court arraignments. “He would have make-believe singing groups, and he would be Prince, or Ralph in New Edition. He was always the lead.”

And after his death, she told a
Vanity Fair
magazine reporter, “From the moment he was born, I measured his life in five-year periods. When he was five, I was so grateful. When he was ten, I thanked God he was ten. Fifteen, 20, 25. I was always amazed he’d survived. He was a gift.”

The killing of Tupac Shakur remains unsolved.

And the retaliation killings continue.

Cathy Scott was a full-time police reporter for the
Las Vegas Sun
. A reporter for over a decade, Scott has received more than a dozen journalism awards. Her articles have appeared in the
Los Angeles Times
and the
New York Times
. Scott covered the Los Angeles riots, Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, and the Republic of Panama’s drug interdiction program. She holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Redlands. Other books by Cathy Scott include:
Murder of a Mafia Daughter: The Life and Tragic Times of Susan Berman; The Murder of Biggie Smalls; Death in the Desert: The Ted Binion Homicide Case; Seraphim Rose: The True Story and Private Letters.

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