Premieres on REELZ
11/14
(VOD Platforms Early 2016 – iTunes Pre-Order Here)
“MURDER RAP is an important documentary that demands to be viewed by anyone with even a passing interest in the Hip Hop music of the 1990s. It contains, in my very humble opinion, the most plausible explanation yet presented for why two great artists were taken from their families, friends, and from us, their devoted listeners.”
-Michael Namikas
HipHopDX
MURDER RAP: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders presents a comprehensive look at two of the most notorious unsolved cases in the history of American crime: the murders of renowned and rival rap stars Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Within six months two drive-by shootings tragically ended both of their lives and since then their deaths have been subject to exhaustive investigations, relentless speculation, a web of conspiracy theories and dark secrets. Now, for the first time, this feature documentary opens the case files and uncovers the true story behind these sensational murders, revealing a shocking connection with one of today’s most famous hip-hop moguls, backed by an incredible taped confession from the alleged leader of one of Compton’s biggest gangs.
In the 1990’s rap industry, the infamous East Coast, West Coast rivalry found music executive Suge Knight and his Los Angeles-based record label Death Row Records pitted against Sean “Diddy” Combs and his New York-based Bad Boy Records. Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders reveals how this showdown between two rivaling record company executives would culminate in the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. With invaluable information sourced from hundreds of police case files, combined with comments from lead LAPD investigator Greg Kading, interviews with key witnesses and jaw-dropping confessions never before shown on film, viewers are given an in-depth look at the riveting truth behind the deaths of these two prolific rappers.
Filmmaker’s Comments
When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to pursue my filmmaking career, I lived just blocks away from the intersection of Wilshire and Fairfax, where Biggie Smalls had been murdered just five years prior. I have long been a student of both Hollywood history and true crime, and I am fascinated when the two intersect.
In late 2012 I came across an article about Greg Kading’s book, Murder Rap, which told the story of his task force’s exhaustive investigation into the Biggie and Tupac murders. Two philosophies determine my acceptance or rejection of a theory: Carl Sagan’s famous quote, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” and Occam’s razor, paraphrased, “The simplest explanation is usually true.” For me, the old theory that dirty cops had killed Biggie Smalls was an extraordinary claim that lacked extraordinary evidence. In contrast, Greg’s finding that Tupac and Biggie’s murders were the culmination of the feud between Sean “Puffy” Combs and Suge Knight, executed by rival gang members, was the simplest explanation.
After reading Greg’s book and meeting him in person, I was convinced that this was a story that Tupac and Biggie’s fans, friends, and family members had waited nearly two decades to hear. Two-and-a-half years later, the finished film is an unprecedented inside look at the investigation into a pair of high-profile celebrity murders, loaded with over 40 police documents, 10 taped witness interviews, and dozens of photos and videos from the case files. The result is the simplest explanation, backed by extraordinary evidence.
Mike Dorsey is a filmmaker, television producer, and editor. He produced, directed, and edited the cult hit The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter about the Manson Family, the WWII documentary Lost Airmen of Buchenwald, and The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat. Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders is his fourth documentary, distributed by Content Media.
Greg Kading is a retired Los Angeles Police Department detective. Detective Kading spent most of his career assigned to federal task forces investigating complex criminal cases in Los Angeles. Decorated with the Medal of Valor for bravery and the Police Star for heroic action, Greg achieved the department’s highest ranking as an investigator. Detective Kading led the special multi-agency task force assigned to investigate the unsolved murders of the world’s most popular rap music icons, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. After his 25-year law enforcement career, Greg Kading retired in 2010 to write Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations.