All Eyez on Me: History vs. Hollywood

Does All Eyez on Me have the support of Tupac's family?

No. In researching the All Eyez on Me true story, we discovered that Amaru Entertainment, which was founded by Tupac's late mother Afeni Shakur, has not come out in support of the movie. In fact, the movie's production company, Morgan Creek, sued Amaru Entertainment in 2009 in relation to a dispute regarding Tupac's life rights. Morgan Creek was awarded the go-ahead to proceed. This upset Tupac's heirs, who had surely wanted to retain the rights to make their own version.

After gestating in development until 2015, there's little doubt that the success of Universal's N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton added to the urgency to bring All Eyez on Me to the big screen, in addition to the option to the rights set to expire. You likely won't hear comments from Shakur's heirs regarding the movie, mainly because a confidentiality clause in the settlement with Morgan Creek forbids them from voicing their thoughts on the film. The family has instead put their full support behind director Steve McQueen's upcoming untitled Tupac documentary. It will explore his career and offer its own theories as to who shot Tupac. -The Hollywood Reporter

Did the Quad Studios shooting happen like it does in the movie?

Yes. On the night of November 30, 1994, Tupac Shakur was robbed and shot five times in the lobby of the Manhattan building that contained Quad Recording Studios. Tupac alleged that the robbery was a cover for the shooting. The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie) and his entourage had been upstairs at the time. They came down to see Tupac being hauled away on a stretcher while sticking his middle finger up at them, believing they were responsible for the attack (an accusation that was never proven). More information on who shot Tupac emerged in 2011 when a convict named Dexter Isaac came forward and confessed to shooting Shakur, saying he had been hired by rap mogul and drug trafficker Jimmy Henchman to carry out the assault. Tupac had suspected Henchman was involved at the time.

Did Tupac and Biggie's falling out happen like it does in the movie?

Yes. As to what started the Tupac and Biggie feud, it is believed that the shooting in the lobby of the Quad Recording Studios building in Times Square sparked the rivalry. As stated in the question above, Tupac immediately assumed Biggie and Sean Combs were involved since they were upstairs in the studio at the time.

Is All Eyez on Me based on the Tupac: Resurrection documentary?

No. All Eyez on Me was not based on director Lauren Lazin's Academy Award-nominated documentary Tupac: Resurrection. However, the critically acclaimed documentary offers a far more intimate look at the rapper. Utilizing footage, home movies, and clips from interviews, Tupac narrates the documentary. Photographs and recited poetry also help to paint the picture of the life of Tupac Shakur. We recommend checking it out if you haven't seen it and are a fan or just interested in his life.

Did Tupac Shakur go to jail for sexual assault?

Yes. While fact-checking All Eyez on Me, we confirmed that Tupac Shakur was convicted of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in November 1993. Several of Shakur's friends were present in the room at the time and were also charged in the case. The woman said that Shakur and his entourage raped her. Shakur denied the charges. The woman admitted to having had intimate relations with Shakur days earlier, which Shakur said were consensual. He was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse, and acquitted of sodomy and weapons charges. In delivering the sentence, Justice Daniel P. Fitzgerald described Shakur's crime as "an act of brutal violence against a helpless woman" (NYTimes).

Tupac entered the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility on February 14, 1995. He married long-time girlfriend Keisha Morris while incarcerated, but the pair divorced in 1996. He also released his album Me Against the World while in prison, which reached number one on the Billboard 200.

How long was Tupac in prison?

During our investigation into the All Eyez on Me true story, we discovered that Tupac Shakur was released from prison on October 12, 1995, having served only eight months of his 1 1/2 to 4 1/2-year sentence for sexual assault (NYTimes.com). His case was on appeal and after accumulating substantial legal fees, he could not come up with the $1.4 million bail. Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records, fronted him the money in exchange for agreeing to release three albums with Death Row.

Did Tupac Shakur date Madonna?

Yes. The true story confirms that Tupac and Madonna dated briefly after actress Rosie Perez introduced them at the 1993 Soul Train Awards in LA. -Vice.com

Did Tupac sleep with Biggie's wife Faith Evans?

No, at least not according to Faith Evans. On his diss track "Hit 'Em Up," Tupac implies that he had sexual intercourse with Faith Evans, who was then the wife of The Notorious B.I.G. Evans' scandalous connection to Tupac Shakur began when she joined Pac in the studio to collaborate on his 1996 song "Wonda Why They Call U Bitch." After the recording session, she went to Tupac's hotel room to get paid the $25,000 he agreed to. In her memoir Keep the Faith, Evans claims that Tupac asked for oral sex but she refused. -MTV.com

Is Tupac and Jada Pinkett's relationship portrayed accurately?

No, at least not according to Jada, who says the movie fabricated certain aspects of their friendship. "Pac never read me that poem. I didn't know that poem existed until it was printed in his book," she said of the movie scene. She then continued in another tweet, "Pac never said goodbye to me before leaving for LA.; he had to leave abruptly and it wasn't to pursue his career." She called the movie's depiction of their friendship "deeply hurtful," saying that her relationship with Pac is "too precious to me for the scenes in All Eyez On Me to stand as truth." -Variety.com

What were Tupac's last words?

Former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Chris Carroll (now retired) was on bike patrol and responded to the drive-by shooting. He approached the BMW that was driven by record label boss Marion 'Suge' Knight. Tupac was slumped over in the passenger seat and only moving slightly. After telling him to get out of the vehicle, Officer Carroll opened the door and Tupac fell into the officer's left arm while he was still in the seat. Seeing the blood pouring from multiple bullet holes in Tupac's torso, Officer Carroll realized that the life was quickly fading from Tupac. Believing that the rapper might soon be gone, Officer Carroll asked him, "Who shot you? Who did this? What happened?"

Gasping for air, the 25-year-old Tupac uttered the words, "F*** you." His eyes then rolled back and closed half-way as his body went limp. He was rushed to the hospital, sedated, and put on life-support machines. Eventually, he was placed under a medically induced coma and succumbed to internal bleeding several days later on September 13, 1996. -Daily Mail Online

Does actor Demetrius Shipp Jr. have a personal connection to Tupac?

Yes. Demetrius Shipp Jr.'s father, Demetrius Shipp Sr., had worked at Death Row Records (mostly prior to Tupac). He produced the Tupac song "Toss It Up," which appears on the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

Was Tupac's mother really a Black Panther?

Yes. Afeni Shakur, a former gang member and political activist, joined the Black Panther Party in her early twenties. She eventually became a mentor to new members and a section leader of the Harlem chapter. Tupac's biological father, Billy Garland, was a member of the Jersey City branch of the Panthers and met Afeni at a strategy officer's meeting in New York City in 1969. Afeni, who was born Alice Faye Williams, changed her name at age 21. Afeni means "lover of people," and in Arabic Shakur means "thankful to God." She passed away of a heart attack on May 2, 2016. -XXLMag.com

Have Tupac's killers ever been caught?

No. The occupants of the white Cadillac that pulled up alongside the BMW with Suge Knight and Tupac Shakur on September 7, 1996 have never been identified, though a 2002 LA Times story attempted to provide an answer as to who shot Tupac. It is believed that the shooting was the result of an altercation earlier that evening with Southside Crips gang member Orlando Anderson after the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson fight. During the altercation, which is depicted in the movie, Tupac Shakur beat up Anderson. Times reporter Chuck Philips concluded after a year of research that it was Anderson who assassinated Tupac in retaliation. He was accompanied in the white Cadillac by other Southside Crips gang members. Vegas police interviewed Anderson once but had cleared him as a suspect. He was shot and killed in an unrelated gang incident in 1998.

Other theories have alleged that friend-turned-rival The Notorious B.I.G. was involved in the shooting. This stems from the Tupac and Biggie feud at the time (West Coast vs. East Coast), but there has never been any solid evidence to substantiate claims that Biggie was somehow involved.

Tupac Shakur Interviews & Related Videos

Expand your knowledge of the All Eyez on Me true story by watching the Tupac interviews below, including the 1995 prison interview and his 1996 MTV interview with Tabitha Soren.

WATCH  Tupac MTV Interview 1996

WATCH  Tupac Shakur Prison Interview 1995

WATCH  Demetrius Shipp Jr. Interview on Playing Tupac Shakur

WATCH  Afeni Shakur and Voletta Wallace Meet Watch Tupac's Mom, Afeni Shakur, and Biggie's mom, Voletta Wallace, meet for the first time at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. They are introduced to each other on stage by actor/rapper Will Smith. Their meeting provided closure to the Biggie Tupac East Coast West Coast feud.

WATCH  All Eyez on Me Teaser Trailer

WATCH  All Eyez on Me Movie Trailer

Link-to-Learn More:

• Official All Eyez on Me Movie Website