Three decades have passed since the tragic murder of Tupac Shakur, a rap superstar whose legacy has only grown in the years following his untimely death. On 7 September 1996, the drive-by shooting that took his life forever changed the hip-hop landscape, transforming him from a genre mainstay into an enduring cultural icon. Now, Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a former gang boss, will stand trial in Las Vegas for the murder of Shakur with a deadly weapon, intending to promote or further criminal activities. Davis has pleaded not guilty and faces life imprisonment without parole if convicted. The upcoming trial promises to shed light on the bitter and deadly East Coast vs West Coast rap rivalries and turf wars between the Bloods and Crips street gangs of the 1990s, with celebrity witnesses such as Suge Knight, former CEO of Death Row Records, potentially testifying. However, the case hinges on a single piece of evidence: a book co-authored by Davis that he claims is partially fictional. Jury selection for the trial began on Monday, with opening arguments scheduled for 17 August. To understand the mythologized nature of this case, one must revisit the vicious territorial disputes between the Bloods and Crips in Los Angeles during the 1990s, which fueled a larger national rivalry between East Coast and West Coast rap, represented by Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records. Tupac Shakur, who was born in New York City but gained fame as a southern California rapper, became an iconic figure of gangsta rap due to his violent lyrics and album All Eyez on Me, which sold over 5 million copies before his death. His shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996 remains one of America's most famous unsolved murders, with limited cooperation from witnesses, disappearing evidence, and a street code that discouraged cooperation with police. The case took a significant turn when Davis began speaking to authorities, allegedly providing new information that could help solve the murder of Tupac Shakur after nearly three decades. Meanwhile, the murder of fellow rapper Biggie Smalls, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles months after Shakur's death, remains unsolved with no arrests made to date.