Gawker
An exclusive story in the LA Times today says that P. Diddy, aka Puff Daddy, aka Sean "Puffy" Combs, the hip hop superstar and head of Bad Boy Records, knew in advance about a 1994 ambush in which rap icon Tupac Shakur was shot five times and robbed in a New York recording studio. According to the story, a promoter and talent manager who were friendly with Puffy set up Tupac because they were angry about his insolent posture towards NYC and its hip hop heavyweights. The key facts:
The Times obtained FBI records that say the attack was masterminded by manager James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond and promoter James Sabatino. Rosemond was a thug-turned-music businessman, and Sabatino was a young promoter whose father was in the mob. They offered Tupac $7,000 to record a track at the studio—where Puffy and dozens of Bad Boy associates were also recording that night—and then hired some guys from Brooklyn to beat and rob Tupac. He pulled a gun, and ended up getting shot, but surviving.
On Nov. 29, 1994, two dozen Bad Boy executives and associates gathered on the 10th floor of the Quad to record songs for a debut album by Junior M.A.F.I.A., a group formed by the Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy's leading artist.On hand were Combs, B.I.G., Rosemond, Agnant and Sabatino. Also present, among others, were rapper James "Lil' Cease" Lloyd and music executive Andre Harrell.
Rosemond had booked an adjacent studio to produce a recording by rapper Little Shawn, whose career he managed. This was the session at which Shakur was to be paid $7,000 for a guest vocal.
In fact, Rosemond never intended to record the session, according to the FBI informant and the other sources.
He had enlisted a trio of his friends from Brooklyn to ambush Shakur in the lobby of the Quad, the sources said.
Agnant and Sabatino helped plan the attack, working out the timing, arranging for the three assailants to be driven to the studio and mapping out their escape route, according to the informant and the other sources. Sabatino informed Combs and Wallace in advance that a trap had been laid for Shakur, the sources said...
The FBI informant said the shots were audible in the 10th-floor studio. "Sabatino, Rosemond and Combs did not seem concerned about this," the informant told the FBI, though others in the studio "were very upset."
The Times contacted the three guys who sources told them did the crime, all of whom are in prison on unrelated charges. One denied it; "one of the men said that Rosemond orchestrated the ambush. Another was cryptic. He wrote that the statute of limitations for the assault had expired, and he offered to produce, for an unspecified fee, the medallion stolen from Shakur."
Puffy declined to comment. Tupac was murdered in September of 1996; Biggie Smalls, Puffy's greatest rapper, was murdered the following March. Puffy is now a mainstream star; needless to say, this could further complicate his already complicated image.
Comments
Yo, comma, dog.
God, if you exist -- and, for the purposes of this prayer, I'll assume you do -- PLEASE let Puffy be implicated for conspiracy. PLEASE. God, I hate that no-talent fucker, and I know you do too!
P. Diddy doesn't deserve to share the same sentence as Tupac, let alone Biggie.
P.Diddy is still rich and Tupac is still dead.
Diddy rips off The Police. Again.
Maybe the FBI should release their version of "I'll Be Watching You."
@Furious George: But God, please, whatever fate you choose for your servant Puffy, don't let his dream of a taxi service for drunken A-listers and big-assed hoochies die. In the coming days and weeks, I have a feeling I will need the strength and entertainment provided by the inevitable cellphone videos more than ever.
This story is the only way I will know that Diddy has a new album, clothing line, hair-care product or haberdashery coming.
I wonder what Oprah would say about this? She recently had him on her show praising his upstanding behavior and stongly ENDORSED his role model qualities.
Ahhh. A simpler time when I was afraid of rappers instead of terrorists. You can't go back, friends. You can't go back.
Oh, Diddy?
GET IT??
I think I meant "Every Breath You Take." Fucking execute me.
@mathnet: I celebrate this comment.
Tupac died over 13 years ago, but his legacy will never, ever, ever, ever stop being discussed incessantly. Sorry, not a fan of the rip-rap-rip-rap-rippidy-doo.
@mathnet: Oh you turd. I'm ending my day on that one.
@Jenniferhdaniel: In fairness to you, Diddy's cover was called "I'll Be Missin' You" (I think). So he messed up the title, too!
Doesn't the LA Times write some version of the Puff Done Tupac Wrong story every few years? And do they ever yield real results, in terms of re-igniting the investigation and/or arrests? As much as I dislike that Puffed Up Public Nuisance, I've just never pegged him for setting Tupac up. Of course, if these column inches the LA Times insists on devoting to this ever amount to anything, I'll happily eat those words.
Wait, so you're saying "Who Shot Ya?" wasn't about a video shoot? All this time I thought the answer was Hype Williams. Damn you Diddy and your cryptic lyrics!
I think people would be happy just to have one single crime involving a murdered rapper get solved, for once. The list of unsolved hip hop murders is freaking ridiculous. In that sense, the LAT is doing a public service.
He knew not cuz of conspiracy. It's cuz he is teh prophet and he has the burden of a future knowledge but it's not his place to interfere with the lord's mysterious rapper killing work. Puffy is indeed a mystical being and this report only confirms that.
If you haven't seen Chris Rock on this...
+ Watch video
everyone knows that Suge Knight was behind this but no one wants to say it b/c he's 500 lbs, 7 ft of solid muscle meat while P.Diddy has the physique of Lil Bow Wow. Or Bow Wow. Or Wow, whatever it is now.
In any case Suge Knight almost paid his debt back to society when he dangled Vanilla Ice off of a hotel balcony. It's a cruel god that lets Tupac die but lets Rob Van Winkle live another day...
@fiveinchtaint: Thanks Merritt!
Does anyone else think that Sean Combs' biggest crime was the CCNY concert he promoted where NINE people got crushed to death in a stampede?
You can look it up.
@fiveinchtaint: Wow, you're awfully sensitive. I mean, I'm no fan of borrowed blues licks, but it doesn't trouble me that some folks find Mick amusing.
@mathnet: Ouch.
Two dozen "executives"?
Now there's a euphemism. Like Bad Boy was General Motors.
I guess back in the 80's, I was beaten-down in front that Times Square arcade by a half-dozen vice-presidents and a couple co-chairmen.
If he's guilty of nothing else it's the copious pandering to the scions of talentless youngsters (and those of us of the MTV viewing public) that he's found the next big band, but yet, after much hype, he grows bored, and they're simply not. So those of you who are about to audition for Making the Band part 7, please take a look at this list:
Biggie (Dead on Puffy's watch)
Craig Mack ( one song )
Shine ( Arrested for that other Puffy mess )
Total ( Um... )
The Lox ( Never found footing after Puffy took them on )
112 ( Had a few R&B hits...in the land of obscurity now)
New Edition (left hanging after the third comeback attempt)
Da Band (Who, what, where did they go?)
Danity Kane (Someone tell me when they're hot)
Donnie What's His Face ( I predict one single, then the inevitable crash and burn)
Day 26 ( The clock is ticking)
[Standing in solidarity with my starless brethren; until there are stars for all or stars for none, equality cannot be had.
Spirit for the Emancipation Starization act of 2008
-Spirit Fingers approves this message.]
@CleophusWayne: ?
@donmiguel: I'm not sure where I was being sensitive. And I didn't mean to offend either - I'm just not a fan of rap in general. The last bit of my comment was from an SNL sketch, if that means anything.
Don't you love the way Anna Wintour luvs Puffy too? These people have no idea who they are dealing with... He is laughing at all of them.
@Spirit Fingers: May I offer a solution?
@Furious George: Dude, I hear ya, Puffy's only talent is stealing the thunder from his stable and throwing his voice over some of their better stuff. "ye yea yea yea"...total jackass.
Appearance wise, I would love to smack his mouth with a two by four to hopefully slam his lips over his overbite. Hey Sean, see a dentist for chrissakes.
I'm going to get a drink....
I get how he hustled hard to get where he is. But his only talent is self promotion. Invented the remix my butt.
Puffy was/is a shady character "back then." I'm sure some might remember his attitude during the 1994 shooting or at least seeing video from the time.
It should be known that Suge Knight was responsible for Tupac's death. Doesn't make sense that both Tupac and Suge was in the car when the drive-by happened and only Tupac got shot. All those bullet marks on the car and Suge escape without a mark?!?! Tupac was shot many times before that and he survived because he wasn't finished yet. Now that he's gone, people should just let the man's name RIP and just let his legacy live on through his lyrics and poetry.
Tupac knew what he was rapping about and he stayed true to his self not following the image that others wanted him to follow. Rapper these days are TRYING to follow in his footsteps, but they can never come close. Rapping bout what they 'got' instead of what they can give.
As for P.Diddy, he's just a little 'smarter' version of Kanye West. All he's doing is trying to keep his face in the papers by using talented people. As for him, I still don't see his talent
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