[reporter]
The rap star, Tupac Shakur,
is free on bond tonight
after his arrest
this weekend in Atlanta.
The 22-year-old
singer and actor
was charged with sh**ting
two off-duty police officers.
[Shock G]
From afar, around the world,
and even our families,
there's a point where if
you just listened to the radio
and watched the news,
Pac seemed a little crazy.
[reporter] His trademark
closely-shaved head
made Tupac Shakur
easy to spot this morning
in Atlanta Municipal Court.
[Shock G]
He did have a short temper.
And he would blow situations,
what I felt, out of proportion sometimes.
But for those of us
who were there,
it wasn't about just being
a lunatic and being crazy,
it was about never backing down
when you know you're right,
like with the police officers
who he popped in Atlanta.
[Dante] For one, we didn't know
they was off-duty cops.
[reporter] Mark Whitwell
of Clayton County
and his brother Scott Whitwell,
of Henry County
were partying in Atlanta
Saturday night.
While crossing the street,
police say, the officers
got into an argument
with Shakur and his companions.
[Dante] I knew he had
a g*n in his hand
and he shot two white people
in Georgia.
Back in them days,
you'd get hung.
But what drove that?
His military, militant mind
to protect a Black man.
The guys punched the Black man
in the face.
He could've stayed in his car
and been like, "Oh, man,
that's f*cked up
what they're doing
to that n*gga,"
and kept it on moving.
Like, "Nah, f*ck that."
They pull out they sh*t,
he pull out his sh*t.
f*ck all that talking.
[imitates g*nf*re]
"We'll talk later, n*gga."
[Dante] Whether you wanna
justify the sh**ting or not,
but, I mean, he couldn't run
from who he was.
[Mike]
Yeah, Tupac was a warrior.
You know, his family,
they're long lines of fighters,
freedom fighters,
you know what I mean?
And nobody scared them.
Even went harder.
[Snoop Dogg] And the crazy part
is when the n*gga
got bailed out.
[reporter] Shakur strutted out
of court a free man on bond.
[Snoop Dogg] n*gga
stepped out that m*therf*cker
like George Jefferson.
"Yeah, n*gga,
I shot two police officers.
Y'all ain't gonna do sh*t."
[reporter] He declined a chance
to tell his side of the story.
[Snoop Dogg]
That sh*t was funny,
but you can't show
the courts up like that.
Thug Life. That's my comment.
[reporter] What's that mean?
I don't understand.
[Glo]
Afeni was really worried.
Leave a message, right,
and we'll get back to you.
[Glo] He had a lot of press
around him, but not like this.
Where was y'all at when
I got that school play award?
Why y'all always come
when it's problems?
[Glo] And I didn't want him
pushed to react.
I'm just saying you're
blocking my car, though.
I can't say where they was at
when I had...
[Glo] And journalists
wanted to go on that
rough rapper,
that's doing
all this violent stuff.
[reporter] The officers claim
Shakur's car almost hit them.
Hey, y'all got
to back off my Benz.
[reporter] Shakur threatened
the same treatment
to TV photographers
near his Mercedes Benz.
Yeah, I'm about
to run y'all down.
Back off my Benz.
[reporter] Shakur has been
in several movies
in which the character
he played went wild with a g*n.
Back off my Benz.
[Billy] Afeni pulled me
to the side and said,
"You're supposed to be
watching him."
[Shock G] Afeni, Leila, and
Atron were always asking me,
"Can you say something to him?
Maybe he'll listen to you
because he don't
listen to me."
I say,
"He don't listen to me either."
And to tell Pac
to calm down was like,
"Calm down?
This is what got me
where I'm at.
And before, when I was calm,
I had nothing. Now,
the whole world loves me."
[Tupac] I'm not finna
to act all enlightened.
I'm not finna act like
I got this Bible
that tell me.
I don't got sh*t.
Never had a daddy.
I had to teach my m*therf*cking
self how to be a man.
You understand me?
And I'm still learning.
But can't a m*therf*cker
out there tell me sh*t
'cause I was on welfare,
started with nothing.
Now I got a little bit
of something.
I'm on the bright screen.
I'm on videos.
Goddammit.
That's why I act like this.
Tupac's a really good kid.
He's an educated kid, too,
and I think he was embarrassed
that he was educated.
[Watani] He was brilliant,
but Pac was the most
intelligent stupid person
I've known.
Man, we would talk about
real progressive stuff.
Pac would get up
and use the restroom
and come back
talking stupid sh*t.
[Tupac]
All my sh*t is positive
'cause it tell n*gg*s
to swing back.
To take the g*n he would use
to sh**t his brother
in a second
and k*ll the m*therf*cking cop
that's k*lling you,
your family,
and everybody else on the block.
If that ain't positive,
crack don't sell.
So f*ck 'em.
It's all positive.
And it's gonna stay Black.
I'm not finna act white
just 'cause y'all
want me to act white,
just 'cause all these
other m*therf*ckers act white
when they get they papers.
I'mma act very Black.
I'mma buy a Benz
'cause that's what n*gg*s do.
I'mma smoke weed
'cause that's what n*gg*s do.
I'mma pack a gat
'cause that's what n*gg*s do.
You understand me?
I'mma get drunk
'cause that's what n*gg*s do!
["Keep Ya Head Up"
by 2Pac playing]
- Tupac Shakur!
- [cheering and applause]
♪ Some say
The blacker the berry ♪
♪ The sweeter the juice ♪
♪ I say the darker the flesh ♪
♪ Then the deeper the roots
♪ I give a holler
To my sisters on welfare ♪
♪ Tupac cares,
If don't nobody else care ♪
♪ And uh, I know they
like to beat ya down a lot ♪
♪ When you come around
The block ♪
♪ Brothas clown a lot ♪
♪ But please don't cry,
Dry your eyes, never let up ♪
♪ Forgive but don't forget,
Girl, keep your head up ♪
[Shock G] It was different
rolling with Pac
after he started
having the big records.
Planes from the studio
straight to the commercial
he had to film,
straight to the set.
It was stressful 'cause
there was a lot of people
trying to get Pac.
♪ Last night my buddy
Lost his whole family ♪
♪ It's gonna take the man in me
To conquer this insanity ♪
♪ It seems the rain'll
Never let up ♪
♪ I try to keep my head up
♪ And still keep
From gettin' wet up ♪
[E.D.I. Mean] He was a breakout
superstar at this time.
I like the fact that you've
shown range as an artist.
Give me some parts,
I'll handle it.
[E.D.I. Mean]
He was doing a movie.
Above the Rim. Good movie.
And I just remember him
just cranking 'em out
effortlessly, man.
He was just, his pen
was just really flowing,
and the music
went to another level.
♪ You know, it's funny,
When it rains, it pours ♪
♪ They got money for wars,
But can't feed the poor ♪
♪ Said it ain't no hope
For the youth
And the truth is ♪
♪ It ain't no hope
For the future ♪
♪ And then they wonder
Why we crazy ♪
♪ I blame my mother for turning
My brother into a crack baby ♪
♪ We ain't meant to survive,
'Cause it's a setup ♪
♪ And even though
You're fed up, huh ♪
♪ Ya got to keep your head up ♪
[Man Man] What was special
about him? He was exciting.
He wanted to give
so much back.
He wanted to do so much
for our people and women.
That's how Pac was.
He had love, man.
He loved kids.
So that case in New York,
it hurt him big time.
[reporter] Tupac Shakur,
nominee for an NAACP Image
Award, is in trouble again.
[reporter 2] Shakur was
a nominee
for an NAACP Image Award.
If his arrest for
allegedly sh**ting
two off-duty police officers
in Atlanta three weeks ago
hasn't diminished
his role model status,
maybe the charges of sodomy
and sexual abuse will.
Excuse me?
[reporter] The rap singer
and actor was arrested
for allegedly helping a friend
s*domize a woman
at the Parker Meridien Hotel
in Midtown Manhattan.
[Karen] I was shocked.
I couldn't believe it.
And he just couldn't believe
anybody could believe
that of him.
Do I look guilty?
[Karen] And if you knew him,
you didn't believe it.
[reporter] Ironically,
Tupac's sex abuse charges
were filed
as he was
hitting the top 10
with "Keep Ya Head Up."
[Tupac] ♪ And since we all
Came from a woman ♪
♪ Got our name from a woman ♪
♪ And our game from a woman ♪
♪ I wonder why we take
From our women ♪
♪ Why we r*pe our women
Do we hate our women? ♪
♪ I think it's time to k*ll
For our women ♪
♪ Time to heal our women
Be real to our women ♪
♪ And if we don't
We'll have a race of babies ♪
♪ That will hate the ladies
That make the babies ♪
♪ And since a man
Can't make one ♪
♪ He has no right
To tell a woman ♪
♪ When and where
To create one ♪
♪ So will the real men
Get up ♪
♪ I know you're fed up, ladies
But keep your head up ♪
[Allen] So, Man Man,
I can look at all these photos
and all these key points
in his career.
Him coming out
of the courthouse,
- you're in the background.
- [Man Man] Yes.
[Allen] Him at the
press conferences,
you're in the background.
Let's just say this.
I started off as investor,
to a--
to a dancer on the stage,
to a road manager,
to, um, security,
to, uh, personal assistant,
to management team.
And I was there
during some of the ups,
and I was there
during some of them downs.
[reporter] Mr. Shakur,
I'd like to talk to you
about the gangster rap
controversy, if I may.
I'm not a gangster rapper.
[man] With all due respect,
you've been charged
with sh**ting
two off-duty police officers.
There's a sexual as*ault charge
against you, sir.
Do you worry about the message
this might send out
to the people
who buy your music?
[Tupac] No, my people
that buy my music
should understand
that we have a wonderful
judicial system in this country
and it works.
[bailiff] Quiet, please.
[Man Man] First time I really
met him, Pac was homeless.
Digital had did
a tour in Japan.
He was just a roadie,
so he still ain't got nothing.
I'm walking around with 10,000
cash in my pocket every day.
So in exchange for some money,
he said, "I'm gonna
get you out the game."
I said, "Okay, I like that."
Let's be clear.
This is my brother.
I love that man to death.
But I went to jail
with him more times
than I went to jail
on my own
in doing the stuff
that I did.
[Allen] So, Man Man,
can you tell us
about the night
of the incident?
We were up in New York.
We were filming Above the Rim.
[director] Roll sound.
[Tupac] This is a true acting
job 'cause I don't know
how to play basketball.
If it wasn't for Michael Jordan,
I wouldn't have known
what a dunk was. [laughs]
[Man Man] During that film,
they were taking care of us
out there.
People would take him around,
just party, kick it.
New York was just wild.
[Tupac] Here we are,
back on the block.
You know what I'm saying?
I went to school right here.
♪ Back in elementary
I thrived on misery ♪
♪ Left me alone, I grew up
Amongst a dyin' breed ♪
♪ Inside my mind
Couldn't find a place to rest ♪
♪ Until I got that Thug Life
Tatted on my chest ♪
♪ Tell me, can you feel me?
[Man Man] At this time,
Tupac met this guy
named Haitian Jack
as they called him.
A street dude.
[Billy] After he shot the cops,
the gangsters is feeling him.
And Pac is walking around
strapped to the gill
with double Uzis.
They're taking Pac
to hoods
where the cast
are getting tanked.
[Watani] And Tupac
being a method actor,
if he was around somebody,
it was gonna come out
through his acting.
So Birdie, the character
he was playing...
It's funny what you do
pick up, though.
[Watani] ...was based upon
Haitian Jack, a real gangster.
[Man Man] That affected me, man,
that he was taking on
this persona.
To me, in my mind,
he wanted that credit
to be a G,
but he was overdoing it
and was warned by Mike Tyson.
[Mike] You gotta cool out,
'cause by the time
I'm coming out,
you're gonna be coming in.
[Man Man] By Biggie.
Everybody told him,
"You have a talent.
You don't have to do this."
But Jack became
like an idol to him,
and one night,
he introduced him to this girl.
He brought her to the hotel.
They had casual sex.
So probably I'm gonna say
about a week later,
Jack and a friend of his
come to the hotel.
Jack says, "Hey, man, what's up
with that little shawty
that you had over here?"
And Jack calls this girl.
So next thing you know,
she pull up.
I go get her.
We have two adjoining rooms.
I got my room,
Pac got his room.
She goes with Pac
in his room.
The door's open, so I can see
she's massaging Pac.
That's when Jack
goes in the room.
Five minutes after that,
Pac come back out the room.
We gotta get up in the morning,
so Tupac would go to sleep
and just pass out.
Gone.
And now Jack's friend
go in the room.
They close the door.
Them two was in there
like a real long time.
Next thing I know,
door open up.
Light's on.
She's crying.
And I'm like, "What's going on?"
Jack come out.
"Hey, man, she tripping."
"She tripping?"
In my mind,
"What the hell y'all do?"
She said, "Pac's wrong.
Pac's wrong."
"What did Pac do?"
"He put me in this position."
- Now...
-"This is not what I was about.
This is not what I wanna do."
...it's a whole
different me now.
Now she's crying.
I said, "Just calm down,
calm down."
She said,
"No, just get out of here!
Just get off the bed!
Just get out, get out,
get out, get out, get out!"
By the time we got down
to the bottom
of the elevator,
we're being detained.
Like I said, I don't know
what they did in that room.
But I know my brother.
Pac loved women.
He would never
take from a woman.
He was upset and hurt
because what was done to her
was done to her.
But me and Pac didn't do
what we were accused of.
The grand jury having charged
all three defendants
with sodomy...
[Man Man] Me and Pac
end up getting 18 charges,
from g*n charges
to sexual abuse.
We got done bad.
From what I know,
Haitian Jack's lawyer
basically worked
with the police.
Jack had a record
that probably could touch
the top of the ceiling
and bring it down to the floor,
but never did a lot of time.
Jack's lawyer split Jack
from me and Pac's case.
The other guy that was
in the room, Jack's friend,
walked right past in the lobby
when we got arrested,
and nobody knows
who he is till today.
We got left alone.
[Watani]
Pac was really upset.
Not just angry,
almost insulted by the charge.
[Watani] He felt that
maybe he was set up.
[Glo] For me and his mother,
it was reliving a time.
Afeni felt sympathy
for the woman,
but she never doubted
that Tupac was innocent.
[Karen]
He just couldn't believe
anybody could
believe that of him.
And there was
so much press there.
[Tupac]
Merry Christmas to the press.
I thank you
from the bottom of my heart
for just destroying
everything I worked for
for the past 22 years.
And a happy New Year
to you, too.
You did your job.
I'm out of money.
I'm out of all my resources.
You made me look like
the bad guy in my own community.
- And I appreciate that.
- [cop] Can you move this down
to the left?
[Karen]
Interviews were challenging.
There's one he does outside
where he talks
about his innocence.
[Tupac]
I'm guilty of a lot of things.
I'm guilty probably
of being a male chauvinist pig,
but I'm not guilty of r*pe.
In the report
and all these charges,
I didn't do nothing.
I'm charged with being
in consort with some guy.
Well, where they at?
All I do is rap and talk loud.
My biggest crime
is talking loud.
You know what I'm saying?
Y'all don't have nothing else
besides that.
[Glo] I can't even describe
how stressed we were.
Every day, he would come out,
he would have me go get the car
and come get him...
Can you please
not block the car?
[Glo] ...and take him away
from that whole environment.
We were afraid Tupac
was gonna bust a gut.
What he said before the judge
with tears coming down
his face,
"I should have protected her."
[woman] If you could go back
to the night
when the sexual abuse occurred,
is there anything that
you would do differently?
- Yeah.
- What?
I would not have closed my eyes
until she was out of the room.
Until everybody
was out of the room.
[woman] You said that you
weren't guilty of the charges,
but you might be guilty
of being a male chauvinist pig.
Definitely.
In that position,
after I looked at it,
'cause I was like,
"Why is everybody so mad at me?"
And it's like, "You stupid.
You're supposed to have done
this, this, this." And I was
like, "Oh, I didn't even
know that."
And I like to grow.
I wanna be better.
I wanna be able
to approach women
and deal with women
and communicate with women
and give them respect.
[Shock G] Pac respected
and loved sisters deeply, obviously.
But his inability
to relate
to women sometimes,
not much different
than a lot of us,
depending on
how we were raised.
But his confusion with that
was a little stronger,
not 'cause he
really wanted to dis,
but because, he even says it
in a couple of his songs,
he never had a father figure.
He was raised by the th*gs
and the drug dealers.
That's why I love n*gg*s.
I know for a fact that
had I had a father,
had I had somebody--
And I hate saying this
'cause white people
love hearing Black people
talk about this.
But so many problems
in our community
affect everything.
So by me not having that,
I ain't never want to hear
nothing about
no kind of relationships between
a Black man and a Black woman.
I knew they didn't work
'cause as far as I knew,
my daddy was
the coolest dude out there
and my mama was a Panther.
So if they didn't work,
it don't work.
That's how I felt.
[Glo] This is Legs.
He was a nice guy,
a street guy.
That's how Afeni
got to know him
when she was on
bail because those men
that were in the street
had respect
for the Black Panther Party initially.
At that time, she was in
the midst of a divorce
from Lumumba and he was just
another dude
that Feni liked.
[Tupac] What my mother told me
is that it was
a one-night stand,
but he loved the fact
that the Panthers
would go to jail
and wouldn't snitch.
[Glo] So Afeni had
sexual relations with Legs,
but he was in and out of jail
because he was part of
Nicky Barnes' little crew.
And then she had
sexual relationships
with Billy Garland.
He was a Black Panther
in the Jersey chapter.
[Jamal]
Billy Garland was a good driver
and was assigned
to protect Afeni
and to make sure that
she got to court on time.
And I remember one afternoon,
Afeni pulled me to the side
and said, "Jamal, I have to
tell you something.
I'm pregnant."
[Glo] She said, to be clear,
"I don't know who
the father is."
But Tupac always thought
Legs was the father.
And he liked that fantasy
of the street guy
and her saying she didn't know
who the father was,
"Do I know that she said that
because she really didn't know?
Or did she say that because she
liked that little fantasy, too?"
But I don't really think
Legs thought he was the father.
He knew he couldn't have kids.
So that's all myth sh*t
with the men.
But I always knew or thought it
was Billy Garland.
[Billy] It wasn't no magical
words. It wasn't no flowers.
It wasn't "Let's go
to the movie" sh*t.
It was a very tense
situation in the Panther Party
and you tend to search
for relief
and I, uh...
you know, saw a beautiful,
strong sister, a fighter.
And because maybe
we felt that we might not
be alive in a week or two,
all the subtleties of getting
together just vanished.
You know, she had this charge
that could put her away
for the rest of her life.
[reporter] Thirteen members of
the Black Panthers Party
are on trial in New York,
charged with conspiring to b*mb
department stores,
police stations
and other public buildings.
Most of them have been
held in high bail
and have been in prison
since they were picked up
almost a year and a half ago.
No peace in my community!
[Glo] During the time
Feni was on trial,
she never held
her head down.
And I wasn't afraid for her
because she never
was afraid for herself.
They have no right to try us.
They have no right
to accuse us of anything.
[Glo]
So, when I would go to court
and see all these people
in front of it,
I'mma tell you how I felt.
Energized. That's my sister.
[Afeni] I haven't done anything.
And if the people wanna
put me on trial,
that's some... [indistinct]
[Jamal]
There were massive rallies
of people coming out protesting,
but the situation in court
had become difficult
because the division between
not just Afeni and Lumumba,
but the brothers
who were still inside,
not speaking to any of the
Panthers who were out on bail.
[E.D.I. Mean] The way
the trial was set up,
the DA was on one side
and the defense
were on the other.
In front of the jury
were all of the weapons
the cops captured,
so it was the first thing
they saw every morning
for the whole trial.
[Glo] When all
the defendants come out
and seein' my sister,
I was awestruck again.
She always came to court
looking good.
She had a yellow pad,
a little outfit on,
and you see her doing
what the lawyers were doing.
She would walk up to the stand
with the witnesses
and ask these questions.
[Jamal] And that's how we found
out that the trial was based
primarily on the testimony
of two Panthers
who were part of
an elite police unit
called the BOSS Unit.
The Bureau of Special Services.
And they would use spies
to gather information.
And the first name that's
revealed is Gene Roberts.
Malcolm X's bodyguard.
When Malcolm was k*lled,
Gene Roberts joined
the Panther Party
as a security lieutenant
and he brought g*ns
to the Black Panther Party
and would train folks.
He was a regular Panther.
He did everything we did.
He sold the papers...
but I never trusted in Gene.
Turns out that Malcolm X
drew his last breath...
[slow exhale]
...from an undercover cop.
[Glo] That man that ran
to give him mouth-to-mouth
was a snitch.
And the second person
that was revealed
to be an undercover cop was...
Yedwa Sudan.
Another snitch.
That man was slick, looked
just like everybody else,
down, boy, with the revolution.
[Jamal] My section leader, mentor,
the person that taught me
how to use a bayonet,
how to sh**t a g*n,
was an undercover cop.
[Shaba] When he came
out as a witness,
we was like, "Oh, sh*t."
Whoa.
[Jamal] I don't think
we realized the level
of surveillance or that
military drills,
political education class,
confrontations with the police
were being bundled into
this big case
and that they had
seen weapons
or overheard Panthers
planning attacks.
So it was real insidious.
They exaggerated sh*t so much.
I used to have an expression
of like, "Damn, she dynamite."
which means beautiful,
attractive, desirable.
But they made that mean
that we were
literally talking
about dynamite.
[Jamal]
Back then, "Brother Ruggie"
was our code name for weed.
In our indictment,
Brother Ruggie is mentioned
as a co-conspirator
in the case.
The police were actually looking
for this Brother Ruggie
'cause he seemed to be
everywhere and know everything.
Now, go back to Yedwa,
what you talking about?
[Jamal] Feni's cross-examination
of Yedwa
was a moment
to hold your breath for.
[Glo] And remember,
she's defending herself.
Prosecutors were like,
"She didn't go to law school.
She's just a little ghetto girl.
What the f*ck
she know about this?
[Jamal] Yedwa's arrogant as
hell. He's the undercover cop
who's about to get
promoted to detective
and he's surrounded
by all of his boys.
The men in blue.
She's face-to-face
with an enemy.
Feni said,
"You testified, Detective,
that you were
a police officer.
You also testified that you
were a Panther.
So when you seduced
all of these women
in the Panther Party,
were you being
a police officer...
or a Panther?"
He had no answer.
"When you would
stand up in meetings,
out of control and wild-eyed,
talking that people should
go off and lynch someone
and sh**t someone,
police officer or Panther?"
He had to say,
"I don't know.
Well, if you saw me do it
or if you know I did it,
remind me."
"When you taught
adolescent boys
how to slit somebody's throat
with a bayonet,
cop or a Panther?"
[Shaba] She got him
flaming angry
to the extent
that he was spitting,
trying to get his point across.
She said, "Did you ever see me
with a g*n?" "No."
"Did you ever see me
with a b*mb?" "No."
"Organizing in the community?"
"Yes."
"Fighting for tenants." "Yes."
"Liberation school." "Yes."
He was banking on Afeni
getting enflamed.
But apparently she had done
her homework on herself
to such an extent like,
"No.
You're on trial, not me."
And she literally
put him on trial.
And you saw this woman take
down the system.
[Glo] She aced that, but even
that for me was awakening
because I'm learning
about undercover police.
And I say, "Wow,
what kind of country is this?
What kind of
people are these?"
You know, and "Who does that?"
[Watani] Pac could not be still.
And that was part
of the problem.
[Glo]
It wasn't the media per se.
It was more than that.
[indistinct chatter]
[spitting]
[Karen] I hate the scene
of him spitting at the camera.
[Tupac]
That's my new style.
[Karen]
I could be wrong, but I think
that was done out of fear...
[Tupac]
Have a good summer, biatch!
[Karen] ...of knowing what
the possibilities were
for him to be sent to jail.
[Watani] I'm not sure exactly
what was going on,
but most of my time
as a manager
was spent dealing with
attorneys in courts.
[man] Maybe it's helpful to go
through all the charges
over your lifetime.
- Let's just go through
the charges.
- I don't remember,
but I'm sure you can find out.
[Man Man] Marin City,
then Lansing, Michigan.
[Watani] There was one
with the limo driver.
There was the one at the club.
He had a g*n charge,
as*ault, battery,
but we was catching cases
all over the country,
every place he went.
He was spiraling
out of control.
Remember, I'm the manager,
so I'm dealing
with the finances.
Like, my American Express bill
is just blowing up.
[Man Man] We struggling
for money
because at this time, sh**t,
we got cases.
Money's just hard for us.
♪ Now that I'm struggling in
This business by any means ♪
♪ Label me greedy
Getting green ♪
♪ But seldom seen
And f*ck the world ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm cursed
I'm havin' visions ♪
♪ Of leavin' here
In a hearse ♪
♪ God, can you feel me? ♪
♪ Take me away
From all the pressure ♪
♪ And all the pain ♪
♪ Show me some
Happiness again ♪
I'm goin' blind ♪
♪ I spend my time
♪ In this cell
Ain't livin' well ♪
♪ I know my destiny is hell ♪
♪ Where did I fail? ♪
♪ My life is in denial
And when I die ♪
♪ Baptized in eternal fire
I'll shed so many tears ♪
[reporter] Next up
on Tupac's jail tour,
he must serve ten days in an
East Lansing, Michigan jail
for an attempted as*ault
on another rapper
at a 1993 concert.
He's keeping every police
department in the country busy.
[reporter] This year alone,
Tupac has also
served seven days
in a Los Angeles jail
for assaulting
filmmaker Allen Hughes.
I have a lot of remorse.
I understand
that it was wrong
for me to do that.
He's a one-man crime wave.
[reporter] Shakur's
legal battles
are just beginning.
Aside from this conviction,
he still faces
two charges
of aggravated as*ault
on a police officer
in Atlanta, Georgia.
[Dante] Now, that just leads
to the Atlanta thing.
[indistinct chatter]
[man] He pleads not guilty
on all charges.
[Dante] Atlanta, Georgia, downtown.
After he bailed out,
he went back to court.
Everybody saw what he did.
Everybody looking
nervous and scared.
Tupac was the only one
who was calm.
You can see him standing
there, just listening.
But, I paint this pretty
picture. It was very pretty.
This is a weapon which he
had no right to have.
When they found out the cops
had taken the g*ns illegally
out of the evidence room
or whatever...
A weapon he seized
that was supposed to be
in the property room.
...that sunk their case
right there.
[Shock G] Pac was completely
cleared in Atlanta,
'cause the cops had nothing.
[E.D.I. Mean] Yeah, it was
an unlucky day for them,
but New York was different.
[reporter] Hi, Tupac.
Can you tell me
how you're doing today?
Well, I just had to listen
to the, uh, prosecution's
closing argument, and it was
just so far from the truth
that it really just has me
drained at the end of the day.
But I'm leaving it
in the hands of the jury.
I'm learning a lot about
people's innermost fears
in this trial,
because as far--
It's not even about
my trial no more.
It's just about loud rap music,
tattoo-having th*gs,
you know, some nightmare
that these people having.
I'm already convicted. My whole
life has been turned around.
I lost every job.
I lost every opportunity.
I can't buy cars,
can't get rent,
can't get none of that.
But I'm still a survivor.
You know, I'm still coming
to court, still smiling,
still signing autographs,
but soon, I'ma go crazy.
You know what I'm saying?
And it's up to the world,
you know,
America eats its babies.
We, um, no matter what
y'all think about me,
I'm still your child.
You know what I'm saying?
You can't just
turn me off like that.
[Man Man] I remember one day,
we were leaving the court
- from dealing with this case.
- [phone ringing]
Pac got a call from Lil Sean,
I think that's
what his name was.
They was talking,
like, $7,500 for Pac
to just do a little special
on one of his songs.
And brother was stressed out.
He's taking care
of a lot of people,
and then we got court cases.
So, Pac said, "Now I'm finna
go get this money."
Make the songs
that make the money.
It was chump change.
But he said,
"I need to get
all I can get."
That evening, Pac pull up,
up to Quad Studios.
He goes in the lobby.
These guys are waiting.
- Like they knew he was coming.
- [g*ns c*ck]
- [Man Man]
They draw down on him.
- [men shouting]
[Man Man] Tell him to get down
on the floor.
If someone has the jump on you,
you gotta play by the rules
till a position has opened up
where you can defend yourself.
- Pac didn't get down.
- [reporter] Tupac resisted.
- [g*nshots]
- [reporter] He was shot
at least twice in the head.
Once in the left arm,
once in the thigh,
- once in the groin area.
- [g*nshots]
[Man Man] He was shot
five times, man.
But you know,
Pac's a trooper, man.
[reporter] Reportedly, the first
thing Tupac Shakur did
after being shot
Wednesday morning
was call out for his mother.
[Glo]
We were shocked.
[Man Man] Yeah, he's conscious.
He can give fingers.
[laughs] He gave the finger.
[laughs] So he's conscious.
[Watani] He's just gotten shot.
The r*pe allegation is there.
And the detective that
arrested Tupac at the hotel
comes to the scene
of the sh**ting,
and he asks Tupac,
"How's it hanging?"
[Glo] That was the beginning
of the real paranoia.
[reporter] While Shakur
is nursing his g*nsh*t wounds,
a jury is still deliberating
in his sexual as*ault trial.
And if he's convicted,
Shakur faces 25 years in prison.
Shakur's attorney hinted
that the robbery and sh**ting
may be related to the trial.
[Man Man] We don't know
what this was.
[Glo] We didn't know what to do
and how to handle it.
[Dante] I'm trying to make sure
ain't nobody coming back
trying to finish the job.
[Glo] 'Cause it's
a whole lot of people
coming in to see him,
and he's paranoid.
[E.D.I. Mean]
I used to think, "Who's
responsible for this?"
And I'm in New York,
place where I'm from,
and systematically
goin' through the list, like,
where's my friends,
or who's my friends?
You know, you go through
a lot of confusion
laying up in the hospital.
You wonder,
"How the f*ck did I get here?"
[Glo]
He said "Somebody set me up."
[man] Biggie and them
was up studio B.
"Why the f*ck
n*gg*s ain't tell me
this was gonna happen to me?
What, y'all had something
to do with it?
Somebody gonna pay."
[Glo] I don't
know who created that beef
because before he got shot,
they were friends.
[Snoop Dogg] Pac didn't
hate Biggie like that.
They was friends while me
and Pac was friends.
And now that
it's all out in the air,
Biggie had nothing to do
with Pac getting shot
at the f*cking studio.
Nothing to do with it.
[Allen] Right. Right.
Now we know he got shot
multiple times.
But I also understand
Tupac may have shot himself
once in the groin?
I won't confirm or deny that.
But I will say with-- a GL*CK
doesn't have a safety, you know.
[Allen]
It doesn't have a safety.
No, you have to take-- keep
your finger off the trigger.
You have to put your finger
outside the trigger guard.
So if you grab the GL*CK,
you're frantic,
you gonna sh**t
yourself in the nuts.
[Jasmine]
When Tupac was shot in
New York, it was a Sunday.
and I got off the plane
and went to Bellevue
and the whole time,
I'm thinking,
"What's this gonna be like?"
It's not like a lot
of my friends get shot.
You know what I mean?
And when I got there,
the security guard was like,
"He's not here.
He left last night."
[reporter] Rap star Tupac Shakur
checked out of
a New York hospital just hours
after undergoing surgery
for multiple g*nsh*t wounds.
While doctors at Bellevue
said that
by leaving there
in his condition,
he risked his health,
possibly losing a testicle.
[Karen]
He called me the night before.
Said, "I'm checking myself
out of the hospital."
I said, "Why?"
I said, "Are you ready to leave?
Are you okay?"
"No, I was asleep
and I woke up
and I thought I had died
and I was looking at
myself as a grown-up."
His father showed up
to see him.
[Billy] I never knew where Pac
was for about 15 years.
And then I heard
he got shot in New York.
I knew where he was.
I get in my car, drive over,
walk up to the security guard
and I said,
"I'm here to see
Tupac Shakur."
And he said,
uh, "Relationship?"
I said, "I'm his father."
He said, "I heard
his father's dead."
[Watani] Either Billy said "I'm
your father" or Pac realized
that's his father because he
never met somebody else
- look like him.
- [Tupac] Trust nobody.
- [Watani] Tupac was pissed off.
- [Tupac] Trust nobody.
[Watani]
Venom toward his mother.
The day your father show up
is the day that you are
in this vulnerable position.
[Billy] He had just came out of
anesthesia, still sleeping.
And next thing I know,
Pac got his clothes on.
He's leaving. He's had enough.
[Watani] We take him away.
Myself and Jamal move him.
[Afeni] My son didn't feel safe
in that place.
He says, "Ask Jasmine if I
could recover at her house."
[Jasmine]
That's where he was hiding.
No one knew he was there
because no one knew
that we were friends.
So Tupac was laying
on the couch.
Bandage around his head,
literally laid up.
[Glo] And Billy Garland
rolled blunts for the star.
I was happy...
that I had reconnected
with my son.
[Afeni]
Billy Garland was trying to
reenter his life as his father.
Well, I said to him that
"I'm here now for you."
[Afeni] Telling Tupac
explanations for why
he wasn't there.
We were still friends,
but we weren't... together.
And you know and I know
when you don't see someone,
you just unfortunately go
different ways.
[Afeni] This was very difficult
for me, with Tupac asking me
questions about things that
he just discovered.
...understand that COINTEL
sh*t the government did
when they got us
k*lling one another,
sh**ting at one another.
It was time, it was time to,
uh, to split.
1971...
Afeni continued to work hard
as she got bigger with Tupac.
But things continued
to get harder and harder
within the party.
[reporter] In all of
New York City today,
there are fewer
than 100 members
of the Black Panther Party.
The ones who are left have
avoided police arrest
on the one hand,
and the party's own purge
on the other.
The purge, which is nationwide,
has lasted a year to weed out
police informers
who made the Panthers one of
the most infiltrated groups
in the whole country.
Second, a purge of lawbreakers
who used Panther weapons
for personal crimes.
And third, backsliders,
who didn't have the commitment
the party demands.
[Jamal] In this atmosphere,
tensions between
east coast and
the west coast chapters
had reached a point where
we had to watch our backs,
know that a b*llet
might come from a cop
or it might come from
another Panther.
COINTELPRO had people
falsely accusing people
of things and also wanted to
discredit our organization
in the eyes of the people.
[reporter]
So the party is small,
partly because
it wants to be for now,
but mostly because
there are not enough
young or older Blacks
who have been willing to take
the risks involved
in being Panthers.
The big revolution against what?
[reporter]
At this point, the question is
not what are
the Black Panthers saying.
The real question is,
"Who is listening?"
A group of us were in
New Haven, Connecticut...
at a rally that
Huey Newton spoke at.
Afeni wasn't there that day.
After the rally,
we were escorting
Huey Newton to his car
and this young white reporter
slipped and the flash went off.
g*ns came out
from everywhere.
East coast
and west coast Panthers
were pointed at each other.
This is how intense
it had gotten.
Huey was hustled into the car
and we were supposed to head
to a hotel to meet Huey Newton,
but we didn't feel safe.
And Cetewayo Tabor said,
"It doesn't make sense
to voluntarily walk back
into the courtroom knowing that
we're gonna get 300-plus years.
We're going underground."
He said, "Everyone knows
and is prepared."
But Afeni didn't know.
The next day,
I found out that Afeni and Joan
had gone into the courtroom.
[Afeni]
I'll never forget that day.
When I walked in the courtroom,
it was enough for me to realize
that there was something wrong.
I didn't know why
they had split like that
and not told us.
We was in jail
from that minute.
[gavel bangs]
[Jamal] Afeni's bail was taken
away and she was remanded.
[buzzer sounds]
[Glo] She had been betrayed
in a way I cannot imagine
by her comrades.
They disappeared and gone
to some country called Algiers.
That had a deep effect
on Afeni.
[buzzer sounds]
[Afeni speaking]
[Tupac] My mother
was pregnant with me
while she was in prison.
[Afeni speaking]
So I am five months pregnant
and there is no prenatal care.
I ate powdered eggs
and boiled potatoes
and had to get a court order
just to get one egg
and one glass of milk.
[Tupac]
She was her own attorney,
never been to law school,
facing 300
and something odd years.
[Afeni] I lost weight.
My son, however,
gained weight.
[Tupac]
So I was not born in prison,
but I was cultivated in prison.
[Afeni speaking]
[Glo]
Afeni already said to me,
I was to take her baby
and that was hard to accept,
that she may go away
for the rest of her life.
[Jamal] This is a trial
that lasted for 13 months.
Now they want the same rallies,
the same support.
They want the same articles
in the Panther paper.
We just felt that
we had failed. But then...
Recent events have
given more indication
of the extent of government
snooping on civilians.
[Jamal] We found out the
existence of COINTELPRO.
Last month, more than 1,000
documents were stolen from
the FBI office in
Media, Pennsylvania.
[Billy]
In Media, Pennsylvania,
some white radicals
broke into FBI offices.
[reporter]
They went down this corridor
and somehow got through
this door
and stole all the files...
[Billy] And they leaked
physical evidence
of COINTELPRO to the press.
[reporter]
The FBI once distributed
a Black Panther coloring book
that depicted the police
as saber-toothed pigs.
These and many other
dirty tricks
carried out by the Bureau
were revealed by the FBI files
on its counterintelligence program,
codenamed COINTELPRO.
They caught the lies
and how diabolical
this nation was.
[Jamal]
You know, we used to just
think we were paranoid.
But now we could see how COINTELPRO
was at the center of
most of our division.
[Shaba] Planting lies, planting
evidence, planting informers
then k*lled us,
incarcerated us, tortured us,
humiliated us.
So all of that hard work,
going to prison,
being beat, being k*lled,
losing our families...
what was that all about?
[Afeni] Tupac was
not supposed to be here.
I had had only miscarriages
after the third month
of conception.
Because this womb does not
carry children that easily.
And this child
stayed in my womb...
healthy... through hell.
Clearly,
God had a reason
for this child to live.
So the only question was,
what was that reason?
[indistinct shouting]
[man] Mr. Shakur,
how are you this morning?
[Glo] Tupac was feeling
betrayed by everybody.
He was paranoid
to the ninth degree.
He never thought
for once in his whole life
that a Black person
would sh**t him.
[Tupac] They shot me.
I really did believe that
I didn't have to fear
my own community.
I was their representative,
but as proven by
this false r*pe charge,
as proven by
the g*nshots,
as proven by a lot of the
comments you read in the media,
that's not true.
[Glo] He's on trial for
something he did not do.
He feels vulnerable.
100 Centre Street
in 1994.
The same courthouse
as the Panther 21 trial
when Feni looked
at those jurors
and she goes into that,
in summation,
I'll read this for you because
I think it's marvelous.
But I am not f*cking with
Afeni Shakur's words
or her feelings,
because honest to God,
she was not emotional
when she did this.
Her son, same thing.
[Shock G] They said,
"Does the defendant have
any last words
or anything to say?"
And it's the first thing
you've heard him say
in, like, two weeks of court.
He said,
"You know, Your Honor,
throughout this
entire court case...
you haven't looked me
or my attorney
in the eye once."
[Glo]
"I have very little to say
because it has all been said.
Forgive me then if I stray
from legal jargon,
for I am not a lawyer."
[Shock G] "It's obvious
that you're not here
in search of justice.
So there's no point in me
asking for a lighter sentence."
[Glo]
"I'm tired, I'm sick.
I'm sick of all of this.
The district attorney
has not proven
any of the charges
against me."
[Shock G] "I'm pretty sure
you're gonna throw
the book at me."
[Glo] "A lie has to be
supported by lies
and more lies,
but the truth carries
its own weight."
[Shock G] "So I say,
'Do what you gotta do.'"
[Glo] "So you do
what you have to do."
[Shock G] "Give me
whatever time you want."
[Glo] "All we ask of you
is that you judge us fairly."
[Shock G] "Because I'm not
in your hands.
I'm in God's hands."
Whew!
Brave m*therf*cker, y'all.
[Glo] And then...
judge discharged the jury,
with a hundred
and something hours
to come back with a verdict,
"guilty" or "not guilty".
Mr. Fox, as foreman
of the jury...
The jury foreman,
who had a melodic,
educated West Indian accent, said...
We, the members of the jury,
have considered...
all the counts and charges
against the defendants
and have found them
not guilty.
[cheering]
[with accent] "As to count
number two, not guilty."
He repeated it every time.
-"Not guilty."
- [Fox] Not guilty.
- [Jamal] Shakespearean.
- Not guilty.
It was like a symphony.
It was beautiful.
- [Jamal] Symphonic.
- It was awesome.
And the courtroom,
of course, erupted.
- Not guilty.
- [Fox] Not guilty.
[Fox] Not guilty.
[Glo]
You couldn't help but erupt.
[Fox] Not guilty.
[Glo] Because you didn't expect
that that would happen.
[Fox] Not guilty.
[Jamal] People began to cheer,
they began to cry.
[Fox] Not guilty.
[Jamal]
The jurors actually
started celebrating
with the Panthers.
[Fox] Not guilty.
[man] Come on over!
The jury, the defendants,
everybody, we're all here.
[reporter]
Thirteen Black Panthers
charged with conspiracy
to b*mb...
When they announced
the verdict, it was...
[Fox] Not guilty.
I was shocked.
- [Fox] Not guilty.
- But extremely happy.
[people chanting]
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
[Glo] I looked at the world
through rose-colored glasses.
- [Fox] Not guilty.
- [Glo] Everything's
gonna be okay.
[Fox] Not guilty.
[Glo] Our will alone
will make it so.
[Fox] Not guilty.
[Glo] Whatever this trouble is,
we gonna get through it.
Not that day.
- [gavel bangs]
- [judge, echoing] Guilty.
This is the Week in Rock,
or the week in Tupac,
as in Tupac Shakur.
On Thursday night,
the rapper and actor
was cleared of 12
sodomy and weapons charges
and found guilty of
three lesser counts
of sexual abuse,
for which Shakur could get
up to seven years in jail.
The jury had evaluated
the evidence and found
that it was quite lacking
on the more serious counts.
We had hoped that
we would get a clear sweep,
but we certainly
are gratified
that the jury came up
with the verdict that they did.
[clamoring]
[Glo] Tupac was found
not guilty of r*pe,
but he got convicted
of as*ault.
And after that conviction, he
went back to Jasmine's house.
I think the most significant
thing is that Mr. Shakur,
even in a state of extreme pain,
came here and stayed
as long as he could
to indicate his continued
statement of not guilty.
Do you know where your
client is right now, Mr. Warren?
Have you spoken to him?
Uh, no, we haven't.
Th-that's personal.
[reporter] Shakur is still
recovering from g*nsh*t wounds,
and when the judge ordered
that he be taken to
a secured hospital,
his lawyers brought in a
surgeon from Harlem Hospital
to testify that any attempt
to move him right now
could be life-threatening due
to a still-bleeding leg wound.
[Jasmine] After a few weeks,
as he was getting better,
it must have just hit him,
because, "Now what?
Now I'm getting ready
to go to prison?"
He didn't see much ahead.
But he wouldn't talk to me.
He just wanted to be alone.
[reporter]
Tupac Shakur has been sentenced
to a maximum of four
and a half years in prison
for sexually abusing a fan.
[Glo] It's cold,
there's snow on the ground.
Me and Afeni went to
Jasmine's apartment.
And Tupac is sitting on
the couch, holding a r*fle.
And he got "f*ck the world"
written across his face
and there's a tear coming down.
There was a force around him.
I have seen a demon
as if it was on his shoulder.
Tupac was so depressed
that he said,
"Look, I'm not gonna
turn myself in."
Then he said to the boys,
"This is what we're gonna do.
You're gonna take me
in the Cadillac.
You're gonna drive me someplace.
I'mma smoke a lot of weed
and then...
tell Mutulu
that one of us got away."
[g*n c*ck]
[g*nsh*t]
I cried my guts out.
I cried my guts out
at the utter despair
that I see my nephew in.
[Tupac] I just can't take it
out here no more.
He was talking about
k*lling hisself.
[Tupac]
I feel like I'm losing it
and I wanna die.
[Glo]
Feni went to her son
and got on her knees
in front of her baby.
"I don't care what
anybody calls you
or tells you you are.
You must never believe that.
You put one foot
in front of the other."
In our weakness,
we can create strength.
Just write.
♪ Now I'm lost and I'm weary
So many tears ♪
♪ I'm suicidal
So don't stand near me ♪
♪ My every move
Is a calculated step ♪
♪ To bring me closer
To embrace an early death ♪
♪ Now there's nothin' left
♪ There was no mercy
On the streets ♪
♪ I couldn't rest
I'm barely standin' ♪
♪ Bout to go to pieces,
Screamin', "peace" ♪
♪ And though my soul
Was deleted ♪
♪ I couldn't see it
I had my mind full of demons ♪
♪ Tryin' to break free ♪
♪ They planted seeds
And they hatched ♪
♪ Sparkin' the flame ♪
♪ Inside my brain like a match,
Such a dirty game ♪
♪ No memories
Just a misery ♪
♪ Paintin' a picture of
My enemies ♪
♪ Killin' me in my sleep
♪ Will I survive till the
Mornin' to see the sun? ♪
♪ Please Lord, forgive me
For my sins ♪
♪ 'Cause here I come, God ♪
♪ Lord ♪
[Glo] Just write.
♪ Lord knows I tried ♪
♪ Been a witness to homicide ♪
♪ Seen drive-bys takin' lives
Little kids die ♪
♪ Wonder why as I walk by ♪
♪ Broken-hearted as I glance at
The chalk line, gettin' high ♪
♪ This ain't the life for me
I wanna change ♪
♪ But ain't no future right for
Me, I'm stuck in the game ♪
♪ I'm trapped inside a maze ♪
♪ See this Tanqueray influenced
Me to gettin' crazy ♪
♪ Disillusioned lately, I've
Been really wantin' babies ♪
♪ So I could see a part of me
That wasn't always shady ♪
♪ Don't trust my lady
'Cause she's a product of
This poison ♪
♪ I'm hearin' noises, think
She's f*ck' all my boys,
I can't take no more ♪
♪ I'm fallin' to the floor,
Beggin' for the Lord
To let me in ♪
♪ To Heaven's door,
Shed so many tears ♪
♪ Dear God, please let me in ♪
♪ Lord, I've lost
So many peers ♪
♪ And shed so many tears... ♪
Whatcha y'all doin'?
Y'all got quiet and sh*t, right?
[laughs]
Allen over here,
tryin' not to cry.
[laughs]
♪
I'm most like my mom
because I'm arrogant.
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
01x03 - So Many Tears
Watch/Buy Amazon
The docuseries explores the lives and legacies of Tupac Shakur and his mother, Black Panther Party activist Afeni Shakur.
The docuseries explores the lives and legacies of Tupac Shakur and his mother, Black Panther Party activist Afeni Shakur.