I'm a "details" person. Perhaps that's why I'm a journalist. I'm captivated by the information that connects the dots that explain why things happen. The more bizarre the information, the more interested I am.
There’s an interesting article in today’s Los Angeles Times that's full of never before released details about the so-called war between east coast and west coast rappers. It uses FBI records and interviews to shed new light on what may have precipitated the deaths of two off the industry’s most prolific figures, Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G. It even implicates associates of entrepreneur extraordinaire Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
Tupac Shakur 
Notorious B.I.G.
The LA Times says the feud began over a perceived diss by rapper Tupac. The article focuses on the night of November 30, 1994. The night Shakur was shot in a New York City recording studio.
Now, newly discovered information, including interviews with people who were at the studio that night, lends credence to Shakur's insistence that associates of rap impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs were behind the assault. Their alleged motives: to punish Shakur for disrespecting them and rejecting their business overtures and, not incidentally, to curry favor with Combs.
Some of the more interesting tidbits about that night include the details of the shooting.
As the rapper and his crew walked toward the elevator, the two other assailants rushed in from outside and demanded that Shakur and the others turn over their jewelry. When Shakur refused, all three attackers began to pistol-whip him.The rapper surprised them by drawing his own weapon. Gunfire erupted, and Shakur accidentally shot himself in the groin. The assailants shot Shakur four times. He sustained injuries to the head, hand and thigh -- serious but not life-threatening.
The men beat and kicked the rapper as he lay bleeding on the ground. Then, ripping a $40,000 gold medallion and chain from his neck, they escaped into the night.
In a bizarre twist, Shakur, bleeding badly, sat on a couch and rolled a joint, witnesses said. Then he phoned his girlfriend, who contacted his mother, former Black Panther Afeni Shakur.
Shakur went on to record a few more albums and even serve time for a sex assault case before being killed in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting almost two years later. Despite witness accounts, no one has ever been charged in the attack on Shakur at the New York City music studio.
For those of you not familiar with this intriguing piece of pop culture, the article is an interesting crash course. It also offers insight into the seedy side of the music industry and the violent nature of hip-hop and rap music.
