
Theory: Marion “Suge” Knight and the LAPD Were InvolvedĪnother widely reported conspiracy theory, first spread by former LAPD detective Russell Poole, claimed Knight recruited corrupt LAPD authorities to kill Wallace as an act of retaliation for the death of his protégée Shakur. In late 1997, Combs teamed up with Wallace’s widow, singer Faith Evans, and R&B group 112 to record the Grammy-winning song “I’ll Be Missing You” in memory of the late rapper. Kading alleged that Knight retaliated by hiring a member of the Bloods to kill Wallace for $13,000.Ĭombs and Knight have both vehemently denied claims about their involvement. Kading claimed Combs - the mastermind behind Bad Boy Records, Wallace’s record label - paid a Crips gang member $1 million to kill Shakur and his manager, Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight. Retired Los Angeles Police Department detective Greg Kading, who led a special task force investigating Wallace’s and Shakur’s murders, alleged that Sean “Diddy” Combs was involved in Shakur’s death in his 2011 book Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases and its accompanying 2015 documentary.

'90s Pop Stars, Then and Now Read article As we remember Wallace’s short but triumphant life, here are four unproven conspiracy theories about what might have happened on that fateful night 20 years ago: Many fans wondered if the rappers’ murders were linked because of their embroilment in the East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry, a conspiracy that still prevails today. Almost immediately after the shooting occurred, reports pointed out the eerie similarities and the short time frame between Wallace’s and Shakur’s deaths. Two decades later, Wallace’s murder remains unsolved. Wallace was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to undergo emergency surgery, but soon after, he was pronounced dead at the age of 24.
B I G NOTORIOUS DEATH DRIVER
The driver of the Impala, an unidentified black male dressed in a suit and bow tie, rolled down his window and fired a 9 mm pistol at Wallace, wounding him with four bullets. The Brooklyn native had just left a Soul Train Music Awards afterparty on March 9, 1997, when a Chevrolet Impala pulled up beside his green GMC Suburban SUV at a red light. Valuable? You bet (on the right market).Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths of All Time Read article So, if you have money to throw around, here’s an item that’s tied down directly to what many rappers call “nearly the end of rap.” Morbid? Sure. It used to belong to a family friend of the owner of the rental company that owned the Suburban, and there’s an implication that it’s been part of several private collections. TMZ reports that the hubcap has “been around” before this public offering. The cost: a whopping $150,000, but the memorabilia dealer stresses that it comes with a “lifetime certificate of authenticity.” MARCH 25 1997,” which was used to promote his upcoming album, Life After Death, that was coming out later that month.


The hubcap now being sold still has part of the ad sticker that reads “THINK B.I.G. Four bullets hit the rapper, and one proved fatal: he was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital. Another Suburban and a Chevrolet Blazer were part of the convoy, and neither was shot at. The murder hasn’t been resolved to this day, but authorities know that the shooter was traveling in a dark-colored 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS.Īs for Biggie, he was seated in the front passenger seat of the Suburban. Biggie Smalls) was gunned down while stopped at the lights in an intersection not far from the venue.

On March 9, 1997, as he was driving away from the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles with his crew, rap icon Biggie (Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. It is currently listed with Moments in Time memorabilia dealer, and it is one of the four hubcaps on Notorious B.I.G.’s “death car.” That is the only way you can explain how a Chevrolet Suburban hubcap is on sale for $150,000 on the collector market. The more controversial the star’s passing, the higher the value of the collectible. Humanity has always been fascinated by its own mortality, but death seems to exert an almost irresistible pull where a celebrity is concerned.
