Alicia Keys, the 27 year old african-american R&B musician is said to claim that “Gangsta rap did not exist” and that the government played a part in the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., two icons of gangsta rap.
In an interview in the May issue of Blender magazine, the eleven grammy award winner Alicia Keys was said to have expressed her idea of a conspiracy theory on how the government could have been the origin of the feud between gangsta rap artists Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
The feud which took place during the mid 90’s began with, but was not limited to, verbal attacks between several of the rappers concerned. Both Tupac and Biggie died six months apart, that is; between the end of 1996 and beginning of 1997. Both murder cases remain unsolved till date by the American justice system.
Blender magazine reports that Keys claimed the US government itself influenced the West and East Coast rapper war further declaring that the rappers were assassinated by “… the government and the media, to stop another black leader from existing.“
Several theories have been considered on who was behind the murders of Tupac and BIG. Some claim it is a direct result of the feud between the two, while others claim that they are both alive and well, theorizing fake killings for commercial purposes.
The artist’s allegations were quoted all over the internet as Alicia Keys is known not only as a great singer but also as an intelligent artist from whom it is surprising to hear this type of declaration.
Alicia Keys later declared that her comments were misrepresented and that she is not a conspiracy theorist (AP). Explaining that what she criticized was the role the media played in fueling the feud and the lack of measures taken by the government to solve problems gangsta rap denounces such as poverty and drug abuse.
Watch the CNN video .