Conspiracy theories surrounding the 1996 murder of legendary MC Tupac Shakur might be edging closer to resolution as arrest rumors swirl around Diddy.
The key to the potential breakthrough? A million-dollar check that could implicate the rap titan in one of music’s most infamous crimes.
Gene Deal, a former confidant of Diddy, recently ignited speculation during an appearance on The Art of Dialogue. Deal spoke about how the FBI’s intense investigation might soon corner Diddy, shining a light on a labyrinthine money trail.
“The feds are so deep and involved in this that Diddy just might be called up on that 2Pac s###,” Deal said. “Once they go through the money trail and find out why certain people were given certain positions, it’s going to be a problem because they’re going to look at all that. Anything they can bring up, they’re going to bring it up.”
The discussion revolves around an alleged million-dollar check handed to Eric Von Zip, an associate with ties to Blackground Records, which released albums by Aaliyah and Timbaland.
According to Deal, Diddy provided Von Zip with a check intended as payment for a hit on Shakur, a claim that stakes a serious allegation against the music mogul.
“When Zip came up with the check for a million dollars, he said it was from Blackground Records and he said that’s who he got that money from. So now, if that’s true, then the feds would have to go in and do a money trace on where did that check come from,” Deal asserted, implying the payment was laundered through Bad Boy and Blackground Records.
Shakur’s murder has been a subject of speculation and countless theories, none conclusively resolved.
Central to this latest theory is the notion that Diddy used Von Zip as an intermediary to hire Keefe D, a Crips gang member, for the assassination.
Keefe D has stated that Von Zip provided the gun used to kill Tupac.
Eric Von Zip allegedly kept the money for himself, not passing it to Keefe D as intended, sparking the gang member to infamously cry out, “Show some love, brother love,” before he was indicted and charged with Shakur’s murder.
As for Eric Von Zip, he died from cancer in 2012. So far, Diddy has yet to be charged with a crime—but that could change soon.
In March, agents with Homeland Security put on a massive show of force when they raided his homes in Los Angeles, New York and Miami and carted out boxes of evidence.
His reputation was severely damaged when CNN released a videotape from 2016 showing him brutally assaulting singer Cassie Ventura. Deal claims the tape’s release served a greater purpose.
“That’s why that tape of Cassie was released,” he said. “So, anybody who was willing to try to help him, anybody who was trying to say that he ain’t capable of doing this, he ain’t capable of doing that, they got it right there on videotape.”
The embattled mogul is also facing seven lawsuits accusing him of drugging and raping women and men.