Who killed Tupac Shakur? Police murder conspiracy revived after Notorious B.I.G. anniversary

Twenty one years after Tupac Shakur was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, renewed interest has emerged over allegations that the iconic rapper's death was orchestrated by the police.

The hip-hop legend was gunned down in LA on 7 September 1996. After battling for his life for five days in the hospital, Tupac died at the age of 25. Ever since there has been a fascination surrounding his untimely death with theories linking his murder to his rivalry with fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Some conspiracy theorists even claimed that the rapper is very much alive and doing well, living with his aunt in Cuba.

While the murder mystery remains unsolved, a book making shocking claims connects the Hit Em Up singer's death to US law enforcement. Author John Potash alleges in Drugs as Weapons Against Us that Tupac's murder was orchestrated by the police as they saw him at the forefront of a political movement.

Tupac's involvement with politicising the black street gangs in the US made him a target, according to the claims made by Potash.

"In line with Tupac's quote 'I never had a record until I made a record', police arrested him close to a dozen times on dubious charges, most of which were dismissed," the author wrote. "In Los Angeles, the FBI would accumulate a 4,000-page on Tupac."

Apparently, Tupac was trying to forge peace between the Bloods and Crips gangs in LA, which worried the government as they saw street gangs as "replacing Communism as the major subversive threat to America".

Less than a year after Tupac's death, rapper Christopher Wallace – better known as Notorious B.I.G – was shot in March 1997. Detective Russell Poole, the LAPD officer, who investigated both the high-profile cases, allegedly claimed that the unsolved shootings of the rappers were "well orchestrated and well planned out, radios being used... experienced police officers knew exactly what to do."

The controversial book also alludes to other famous deaths of "left-wing" musicians including Kurt Cobain, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, who were alleged targets of the CIA.