Tupac Shakur Could Win His 1st Grammy Nearly 30 Years After His Murder — Here's How

Tupac Shakur
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Tupac Shakur might score a new award after he was nominated in the upcoming Grammy Award.

On September 13, 1996, Shakur was shot in Las Vegas during a drive-by shooting and succumbed to his injuries a few days later. Duane "Keefe D" Davis has since been arrested on charges related to the killing, although the trial remains underway.

Tupac Shakur Is Nominated at the Grammy Awards

Ahead of the ceremony, the Grammy Awards named its list of nominees, which included Shakur for the FX five-part documentary series, "Dear Mama."

The flick, which follows the name of his 1995 single, explores his and his mother Afeni Shakur's lives. The Allen Hughes-directed is currently available for viewing on Hulu.

The late rapper is competing against Little Richard ("I Am Everything"), David Bowie (Moonage Daydream), Lewis Capaldi ("How I'm Feeling Now") and Kendrick Lamar ("Live From Paris, the Big Steppers Tour).

The award is for "concert/performance films or music documentaries. Award to the artist, video director, and video producer." If he wins, it would be Shakur's first-ever Grammy Award.

Keefe D Pleads Not Guilty

Weeks after the arrest, Keefe D pleaded not guilty to murder in the 1996 case following his arrest in October. He was one of the four people - Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, Deandrae "Dre" Smith and Terrence "T-Brown" Brown - in the white Cadillac that pulled up next to Suge Knight's black BMW and opened fire, leaving Shakur with multiple gunshot wounds.

He is the only person alive among the suspects in the vehicle.

When Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones asked for his plea, Keefe D firmly said, "Not guilty."

Though the prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, he could face life imprisonment once convicted. The Associated Press reported that a Nevada judge also set a trial date on June 3, 2024, in the 1996 murder.

According to the alleged suspect's representatives, Charles Cano and Robert Arroyo, they plan to seek their client's release before the trial.

Keefe D previously said in his memoir that he was in the car on the night of the shooting but alleged that another person opened fire.

Meanwhile, Shakur's family issued a statement asking why it took the authorities 27 years to arrest someone related to the case.

"I was taken aback when the Las Vegas police department started reaching out to the family. The timing is curious," Shakur's stepbrother Mopreme said. "I do appreciate that it's some form of accountability for the family, but it's not over."

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