The New York Police Department are pursuing new evidence provided by convicted murderer Dexter Isaac that he was one of the parties that robbed and shot the late Tupac Shakur in November 1994.
Isaac, who is currently serving a life sentence of murder, wrote a one page confession to AllHipHop.com detailing the infamous robbery at Quad Studios in Manhattan. Isaac claims he was paid $2500 by Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond for the crime. Shakur would later accuse Henchman and other well-known members of the NY Hip-Hop scene with being complicit in the shooting, including former close friends The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Shakur’s feud with Bad Boy Records and other prominent rappers would continue until his 1996 murder in a still-unsolved Las Vegas Strip shooting.
Rosemond is wanted for unrelated cocaine conspiracy charges. His attorney, Jeffrey Litchman, released a short statement refuting Isaac’s claims as a last-hope attempt to lower his sentence.
“This is not him being a good soldier or clearing his conscience. It’s a desperate 17-year-old attempt to reduce his sentence,” he stated.
At press time, New York detectives are planning to meet with Isaacs to verify his story.
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Gangsters and the music industry have had a chaotic marriage going back to the Mafia in the 40 and 50s. The Hip-Hop industry is littered with figures that sought to “legalize” or front their street hustles through music. The problem has always been that some of these figures also bring the violence from the streets with them. It’s got them this far, so many don’t feel the need to change. With Shakur’s shooting, it’s a case of how deep does the rabbit hole go? Did Pac wrongly assume Biggie and Diddy knew beforehand about the setup? Was Bad Boy truly being extorted by street figures Pac named like Henchmen and Haitian Jack? Does Dexter Isaac have the answer to all these questions, or is he simply a man trying desperately to reduce his prison sentence or get attention?
The most interesting thing about that confession is Isaacs taunting Henchmen about if he’ll give up Diddy now that he’s facing serious time. That implies Diddy’s involvement in the Quad shooting. I’ve spoken to Diddy on a few occasions and don’t have a bad word to say about him. Nonetheless, I’m not naive. He’s employed Crips before for protection (which some theorize may have led to Biggie’s death), and had men like Anthony “Wolf” Jones on his payroll (the man most believe killed Suge Knight’s best friend Jake Robles at a 1995 party in Atlanta). The main difference between Suge and Diddy is that Combs was much smarter and never glorified or put his street ties on front street. As he said numerous times about his company, “Bad Boys move in silence.” These ties are likely the reason Pac blasted Bad Boy on “Hit ‘Em Up” by stating “fuck Bad Boy as a staff, record label and a motherfucking crew,” the last part “crew” implying the street element in the company.
While it would be great for the families and fans of these artists to get closure, I doubt we’ll get anything conclusive. Only those involved truly know went on. The rest of us are left to speculate with theories that try to sift through the heresy, rumors and other assorted disinformation.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 