Tupac Shakur, born Lesane Parish Crooks, was an American rapper and actor who is considered by many to be one of the most well-known, significant, and influential artists of his time, and of all time.
Much of his musical work has been recognized for addressing contemporary social issues that he had to deal with in his everyday life, like problems you would find throughout inner cities and issues about inequality and racial bias.
Originally born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, he eventually moved to Los Angeles when he was 22 years old to pursue his music career. By the time he released his debut album in 1991, 2Pacalypse New, he had already become an influential artist in the West Coast hip hop movement, speaking out against social issues by using the popularized style of gangster rap.
In 1995, Tupac was convicted of molestation, became a victim of a robbery and shooting, which both spurred his involvement with the East Coast - West Coast hip hop rivalry, a feud between artists and fans of the fighting scenes, especially from the mid-1990s.
After this turbulent year, he became involved with Suge Knight. In 1996, he was in the car with Suge, and was shot four times by an unknown assault in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas after Suge and Tupac had beat up a rival gang member.
During his last ride, Tupac picked a BMW to cruise around Vegas in, which was put up for sale back in February of 2020. No doubt this was one of Tupac's favorite cars, which, combined with the high-tech specs, could be why he chose this as his last ride.
Let's find out why Tupac chose this BMW as his last ride...
The Murder
On September 7, 1996, Tupac and Death Row Records co-founder, Suge Knight, and Suge's gang of Bloods, beat up a Southside crip named Orlando Anderson in the lobby of a Las Vegas casino. Anderson and three other Crips wanted payback for this beat down.
A few hours later, while Tupac and Suge were cruising the Strip in Las Vegas, Anderson saw them driving by, while he was sitting in his white Cadillac. Suge and Tupac drove by in a BMW, with Tupac in the front passenger seat. Anderson then shot Tupac from the back seat of the Cadillac.
Anderson rapid fired gunshots from a .40 S&W Glock 22 at Shakur's BMW, hitting him four times - twice in the chest, once in the arm, and once in the upper leg. One of the bullets went into his right lung, and Knight was hit in the head by fragmentation.
BMW 750 iL
The BMW E32 is the second generation of the BMW 7 Series luxury cars, a full-size luxury sedan produced by BMW since 1977. The BMW E32 was produced from 1986-1994, considered one of the most advanced series of cars in its day and well into the 1990s.
The E32 introduced several features like the Electronic Damper Control, a type of automotive suspension that controls the vertical movement of the wheels relative to the chassis. It also included Traction Control System, which prevents the loss of traction on driven road wheels. Lastly, it incorporated a standard and long-wheelbase length, with the iL being the longer wheelbase option.
It also included some of the world's first auto features for passenger vehicles, like projector lens headlamps, double-glazed windows, and HID headlamps.
Luxury Features
Some luxury options included on the E32 were telephone and fax machines, a wine cooler, adjustable rear seats, and radio controls for rear passengers, which was exclusive to the 750 iL. In 1991, the world's first low beam production of the Xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps was featured on the 750 iL.
The Launch
Throughout the entire lifespan of the E32 7 Series, it featured straight-six, V8, and V12 engines. The launch models were 730i, 730i/L, 750i, and 750i/L. The 750iL that Tupac bought was the first BMW ever sold with a V12 engine. The rated power output of this engine reached 295 horsepower.
With high-tech specs like rear audio control and the most powerful engine option to date at the time, it is no wonder that Tupac chose this car to drive around in for his Vegas trip - little did he know it would be his last.