Photo — Tupac Shakur: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1711337665841316&set=a.1440766536231765 (Public domain)
The Short Version
Initially friends and collaborators in the early 1990s, rap icons Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) became bitter rivals following a 1994 shooting in New York City. Shakur publicly alleged that Wallace and Bad Boy Records associates had prior knowledge of the attack, igniting an East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud that escalated through diss tracks and ended tragically with both artists killed in separate drive-by shootings in 1996 and 1997.
Latest Development
Tupac Shakur's family files civil conspiracy lawsuit
Attorneys representing Maurice Shakur, stepbrother of Tupac Shakur, filed a wrongful death suit alleging that Tupac's 1996 murder resulted from a coordinated conspiracy involving multiple co-conspirators.
April 30, 2026 · Legal filing
The Beef
Chronological, newest first. Every entry cites a source.
Beef timeline
April 30, 2026
Tupac Shakur's family files civil conspiracy lawsuit
Legal filingAttorneys representing Maurice Shakur, stepbrother of Tupac Shakur, filed a wrongful death suit alleging that Tupac's 1996 murder resulted from a coordinated conspiracy involving multiple co-conspirators.
Source ↗September 28, 2023
Duane 'Keffe D' Davis indicted for Tupac Shakur's murder
Legal filingA Clark County grand jury indicted Duane 'Keffe D' Davis on one count of open murder with a deadly weapon and gang enhancement in connection with the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
Source ↗March 9, 1997
The Notorious B.I.G. killed in Los Angeles shooting
Verified eventChristopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles six months after Shakur's death.
Source ↗September 13, 1996
Tupac Shakur dies from shooting injuries
Verified eventTupac Shakur died at the hospital from internal bleeding six days after the Las Vegas drive-by shooting at the age of 25.
Source ↗September 7, 1996
Tupac Shakur shot in Las Vegas drive-by
Verified eventTupac Shakur was shot multiple times in a drive-by attack on the Las Vegas strip while sitting in a vehicle driven by Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight following a boxing match at the MGM Grand.
Source ↗April 1995
Tupac suggests Biggie and Sean Combs had prior knowledge of studio shooting
AllegationIn an interview with Vibe magazine, Tupac Shakur intimated that producer Sean Combs and Christopher Wallace were aware that the robbery at Quad Studios was a setup, sparking a severe rift between the former friends.
Source ↗1995
Musical diss tracks escalate East Coast-West Coast tension
Public statementBiggie released the song 'Who Shot Ya?', which Shakur interpreted as a provocation regarding his 1994 shooting. Shakur subsequently joined Death Row Records and released the diss track 'Hit 'Em Up', claiming among other things that he had slept with Biggie's estranged wife Faith Evans, an assertion Evans denied.
Source ↗November 30, 1994
Tupac Shakur shot during Quad Studios robbery
Verified eventTupac Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Times Square, New York City. Sean Combs and Christopher Wallace were present in the building at the time of the incident.
Source ↗1993
Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls form an early friendship
Verified eventAfter meeting at a party in Los Angeles, Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) built a close friendship, frequently socializing, sharing advice, and performing freestyles together onstage at events such as the Budweiser Superfest at Madison Square Garden.
Source ↗
Where It Stands
Historical. Both artists were fatally shot in drive-by attacks in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Though the active conflict ended with their deaths, legal and criminal proceedings tied to Shakur's murder continue, including a 2023 murder indictment against Duane 'Keffe D' Davis and a 2026 wrongful death lawsuit filed by Shakur's family.
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Sources
- 1.SourceTupac Shakur's family files civil conspiracy lawsuit · Apr 30, 2026
- 2.SourceDuane 'Keffe D' Davis indicted for Tupac Shakur's murder · Sep 28, 2023
- 3.SourceThe Notorious B.I.G. killed in Los Angeles shooting · Mar 9, 1997
- 4.SourceTupac Shakur dies from shooting injuries · Sep 13, 1996
- 5.SourceTupac Shakur shot in Las Vegas drive-by · Sep 7, 1996
- 6.SourceTupac suggests Biggie and Sean Combs had prior knowledge of studio shooting ·
- 7.SourceMusical diss tracks escalate East Coast-West Coast tension ·
- 8.SourceTupac Shakur shot during Quad Studios robbery · Nov 30, 1994
- 9.SourceTupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls form an early friendship ·
Allegations are attributed to the party that made them and are not statements of fact.