WHO SHOT BIGGIE AND TUPAC?
US, 2018, 84 minutes, Colour.
Soledad O’Brien, Ice T.
Directed by David Metzler.
For 25 years, Americans have been intrigued by the drive-by shootings of rap singers, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Both were recording artists, Tupac noted for his gangsta rap lyrics and associations. There were rivalries between record companies, especially Death Row, managed by Suge Knight. Despite investigations, no one has been charged. A number of those associated with the deaths, including Knight, are in jail. There have been many criticisms of the LA police force, individuals, allegations of being on the payroll for Knight and his security team.
In 2009 there was a feature film interpretation of the events, Notorious. Over the decades there have been many documentaries. In 2018, there was a feature film, City of Lies, taking up the case again, especially the killing of Biggie Smalls in Los Angeles, 1997, and the role of the detective, Russell Poole, involved initially, sidelined by the police force, personally discredited, yet pursuing his investigations for 20 years. In this film he is played by Johnny Depp. Forest Whitaker plays a journalist who collaborates with Poole, their investigations bearing down on Los Angeles police members and shooters associated.
This documentary was produced by HBO and bears disclaimers at the beginning of the film as well as the end, that these are particular scenarios, plausible, unproven, but for the consideration of the audience.
This time the cases are investigated by actor/ journalist Soledad O’Brien and veteran rap star, Ice T. 20 years after the events, they team together, track down quite a number of the people involved, interview them, record them, have a number of meetings throughout the film to discuss the data that they have, speculations about responsibilities, phone calls to Suge Knight in prison (and his disclaimers of all knowledge and connections), Reggie Wright Jr, in charge of Knight’s security (and under house arrest during the interviews). They are evasive, to say the least.
The investigations, and discussions with other journalists, mention of the investigations by Russell Poole, 9 number of names of corrupt police in the LA force, targeting some in particular, and getting information about possible shooters.
The case has intrigued the American public for a quarter of a century – and, on the evidence of this film, will continue to do so. There was a television series, Unsolved, in 2018, In 2021, a documentary, Biggie, I Got a Story to Tell.
