Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases

by Greg Kading

Two of the most notorious unsolved cases in the annals of American crime, the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls have been the subject of exhaustive investigations, relentless speculation and a tangled web of rampant rumors, crackpot conspiracies and dark secrets. Now, for the first time, the truth behind these sensational cases is laid bare in Murder Rap, a raw and riveting account of how a dedicated and driven police detective spearheaded the task force that finally exposed the shocking facts behind the deaths of these two rap music icons. Told by Greg Kading, a much-decorated LAPD detective assigned to solve the homicides, Murder Rap unravels a twisted tale of music, money, and murder, finally answering the question of who killed Biggie and Tupac and why. With access to never-before-seen material, including the confessions of those directly involved in the killings, Kading’s spellbinding saga takes readers directly inside the four-year cold case investigation, introduces a cast of unforgettable characters and provides compelling new evidence for its explosive conclusions. A torn-from-the-headlines true crime blockbuster, the scathing revelations of Murder Rap are sure to make headlines all their own.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Music, Crime, History, Biography, Book Club

270 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2011

About the author

GREG KADING is a retired Los Angeles Police Department detective. Specializing in the fields of gangs, narcotics, and homicide, Detective Kading spent most of his career assigned to federal task forces to investigate complex criminal cases in the City of Angels. Decorated with the Medal of Valor for bravery and Police Star for heroic action, Detective Kading achieved the departments highest ranking as an investigator. After his 25-year law enforcement career he retired in 2010 to write the book Murder Rap.

Reviews

[Marine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much clearer account of the events surrounding Tupac and Biggie's death than Sullivan's one, Labyrinth . Maybe it was because I had already been exposed to the names and dates etc but I felt less lost reading this book. But Kading has benefitted from Poole's work, so it's definitely worth reading the two books.
Back to Murder Rap , it was a very enjoyable read, fast-paced, well explained and interesting.

[Licha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm fascinated by this subject but the book didn't quite grab me. I still prefer Randall Sullivan's "LAbyrinth" over this. I was hoping to read more on the whole LAPD Rampart scandal and LAPD involvement in the case being that Kading was an officer. In the end, the killer was "implied", but I wasn't convinced by how easy that "confession" came about.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously read LAbyrinth and thought it was an interesting yet flawed book. I came into reading Murder Rap in the hopes that it would add more depth to the cases. This book is Greg Kading’s take on the murders of 2pac and The Notorious B.I.G. So he is obviously going to be convinced that he was down the right path but was pulled off the case just as it felt there were big breaks in the case that would identify the killers once and for all. I felt he had a more objective handle on the case than Russell Poole but even he admits he went in too deep.

I liked this book. It needed some better editing as someone who is to be detail oriented should get the names right of some the rappers he was referencing. Probably the best book out there right now about these murders.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the Black Dahlia investigation on steroids.

[Guido Colacci · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's a big letdown when the videos on YouTube actually have the killer named and evidence supporting it.

[Akhlaq · Rating 5 out of 5]

The murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls have been interminable tale of rumours, speculation, conspiracies and negligence and a host of books, DVDs, stories have all tried to to tell the tale of the murders and who was behind them.
Cathy Scott, Randall Sullivan, Chuck Phillips are three of the more publicised journalists who’ve tried to provide a theory of who was behind the murders but Greg Kading, a former LAPD detective, provides a more closer and accurate description of the death of Tupac in September 1996, and Biggie’s in April 1997.
Kading joined a task force looking into the Biggie murder in 2006 as the LAPD look to fight off lawsuits that were going to cost them a lot of money. What makes the book credible is that he had no previous connection to the old investigations so was able to come in with a more objective opinion unlike Russell Poole, who had been investigating the Kevin Gaines-Frank Lyga issue first before joining the Biggie case which led to numerous theories being peddled out. Kading debunks Poole’s theory and provides a more realistic proposition on who killed Biggie and Tupac. Cathy Scott’s book points and alludes to a gang related murder in Tupac’s case without pointing the finger at anybody. Kading’s book provides the details on what happened that night and confirms with confidence that Orlando Anderson did pull the trigger and killed Tupac. The story makes sense and simple, much to the disappointment of many Tupac conspiracy artists who believed Suge Knight was behind it. It was a simple case of living by the violence that at times, Tupac expressed in his words, lyrics. Las Vegas police hardly made a massive effort to solve the crime and were hindered by the lack of support from Tupac’s entourage who had felt the victims when cops handcuffed them to the ground after the BMW finally came to a halt. The way Kading started the investigation off by eliminating a lot of the theories given before shows how keen he was to solve the case honestly. It would have been easy to accept those conspiracies just to resolve the case quickly and move on. I was sceptical how Kading had been able to get guys like Keefe D, who were hardened and intelligent criminals, to confess on what their roles were in the murders. But Kading’s explanation, due to his experience on the streets, of gangsters and their thoughts on prison time, help to decipher what happens next. By slapping federal charges and life jail sentences on Keefe D, they were able to have some sort leverage over them and force them to talk. It’s a shame the investigation did not carry on sufficiently for Keefe D to get Zip Martin to confirm the former’s story but I feel Keefe D’s role was as he said it was. I feel maybe Keefe D knew that with the murder 13 years old, that it was OK to relieve himself of his role. I doubt he would have been forthcoming had Kading’s interview with him took place in 1997 rather than 2007.
The Amir Muhammed name seems to have been ostensibly linked to the Biggie murder and from reading Labyrinth and Poole’s accusations, you would think that the pieces fit the puzzle considering the image was ratified by Biggie’s friends who were there with him and by the fact that A Amir Muhamemmed visited David Mack in jail. But the book refutes that by confirming that Eugene Deal and others may have collaborated on the naming of Muhammed from media reports and the discrepancies, assimilation of witnesses’ accounts which would make sense that outside influences may have affected memories of those who were there.
Biggie’s murder is shown to have been orchestrated by Suge, who was behind bars, with the help of a trusted girlfriend called Theresa Swann and a guy called Wardell “Poochie” Fouse committed the crime. At one point, you think Theresa accepted Poochie’s fake “confession” just to help herself but there is no reason to think she was just saying yes for the sake of it as she was vulnerable and needed to stay out of jail for her kids.
Sadly, the LAPD closed ranks just as the taskforce was nearing its conclusion and nearing to putting a wiretap on Suge to try and get final evidence against him. Kading, like Poole, found the LAPD unwilling to get real justice for Biggie. It would have been in their interests to at least take Puffy/Suge to a grand jury or something along those lines but I fear cases against them would have been proven futile due to the lack of cutting edge, strong evidence against them. I’m not so sure testimonies, despite being gained from people in vulnerable positions, would have been sufficient for guilty verdicts. In the case of Tupac, the LAPD could have questioned the LVMPD’s insistence that the bullet Kading had tested was the one used against the 25-year-old rapper but they didn’t, owing to sensitivities of integirity.
The murders of Biggie and Tupac will remain unsolved owing to the timescales since both murders; lack of positive professional intentions to solve the crimes; the two shooters now deceased; evidence not taken from crime scenes.
Kading has produce a very well thought out book, it is the definitive and logical version of the events that killed Biggie and Tupac.

[Dylan Rose(Fanta) · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good, very well written, my favorite teacher in the world helped me pick it!

[Nicki Hinkle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started this book years ago and couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. But, after watching a recent documentary, I wanted to pick it back up again.
After reading the first two dry chapters, I was able to get into the exciting part of the story. Establishing the timeline of the murder and the participants and/or bystanders. I can only imagine how time consuming and labor intensive this entire process was. No wonder it was "shelved" before a later reopening.

***SPOILER ALERT***
I feel so let down. This book clearly laid out Kading's "truth" of what happened, but there was nothing done. No justice served and no truth was actually proven. At times, Kading comes off jaded and almost defensive as he retells this story. I think I would be jaded if I reached the end of my time on the most high profile murder case of the decade, the way he did. But, it doesn't mean you have to drag out a story that happens to be that you DON'T have a story at all. You have a hunch. And I'm not saying you're wrong, but you can't say that you're right until you've proven it.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable and the conclusions are pretty plausible. The big weakness is that the author is so convinced of the narrative of cops as protectors and the good guys that he becomes his own unreliable narrator.

Even as he admits the existence of some corrupt cops -- more than once -- and that some things on the CRASH team got out of hand, and calling out LAPD for a lack of conviction, he still does not seem open to the possibilities of some things with law enforcement being wrong and rotten.

While I don't think police corruption contributed to either of the key murders, there is such a trail of death and destruction relating to the drug trade that there should be at least some mention of the government role in that, and law enforcement's role in exacerbating it.

Also, only cops minimize the Rampart scandal.

Multiple references to LAbyrinth, which I will read soon.

[Isaiah Harrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Murder rap by Greg Kading is a biography about the untold story of biggie smalls & tupac shakur. Greg kading, who is also a LAPD detective was allowed to go on & find out more & more evidence. The book discusses the gangs and how certain people were affiliated with them.

I really didn't like this book. I have read a few other books referring who killed Tupac & Biggie & this was one of the ones that needed improvement. Greg Kading could get off topic sometimes which could mess the reader up.

Overall this was an okay book but it needed improvement on getting on topic & discussing what the book is all about.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fluffy

A lot of fluff.... and racial undertones. Clearly the author needs to research the usage of nigga vs nigg(er) smh. Also very self-centered perspective. No one cares about the author life...they read about Biggie and Pac’s murders. This book should have been half as long with just case details. Case details are interesting though.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay. Not well edited -- lots of typos. One person's name kept changing each time the author referred to it. And there really was no "closure," even if that's the point, since the author got kicked off the investigation. Disappointing.

[James Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok from beginning to end

“paraphrased the interview… drawing from the conversation as a whole, rather than from a literal dictation.”
“inaccurate statements intentionally or with reckless disregard for the truth”

However truthful the authors suspicions may be— and they definitely seem more than probable—the above quoted lines from a Judge who is quoted chastising him ring true. The book is completely colored by his subjective and very cop-centric point of view. You’re simply left to believe his point of view because he said so. For instance, details such as where was the white Cadillac taken, murder weapons, are not even hinted at nor discussed. And the same, with the events surrounding biggies murder. Even a simple message stating that the information was withheld to protect evidence or whatever is not even mentioned.

Like most cops, his hunches take precedence over all. The author literally states in reference to Rodney King beating that these beatings normally reserved for gang bangers at the time were a justified response to the 90s gang epidemic.

Why we should believe one snitch account vs the various other snitch accounts he had “proven” false, rests also on the merits of him being right about everything and we just have to take his word for it. Yes, some accounts didn’t add up, but others were not even questioned. I of course assume this is incorrect but the book doesn’t specifically address these types of concerns. This book is more about assuaging the authors wounded ego— and so much so— to the point that he actually ends up agreeing with a competing author by the end of the book whom he intended to criticize—in the beginning of the book —through his writing, albeit for different subjective reasons.

[Samwise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I read this book a long time ago and can't remember the finer details.

If you're a fan of Tupac and/or Biggie then I would certainly recommend reading this, there is valuable information to be had especially surrounding how the police handled the investigation.

From what i remember, corruption is hinted at but never explicitly stated. This only furthers the rumours and hearsay about how fishy the whole thing is, rather than dispelling them once and for all.

I think this is a complete cop out (no pun intended) because it shows a clear motivation for cash grabbing, rather than setting the record straight in the name of truth.

Give it a read, but remember, it is written by a cop.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched Greg Kading on Valuetainment (YouTube) and immediately bought his book. I really enjoyed his process of reopening the Biggie and Tupac cases, starting from the very beginning by going through evidence and information all over again in order to build his own interpretation of what happened. There was so much shady stuff going on back then and so many leads, people who have died since then, people in jail, people who don't want to talk. Really great investigation skills and a pleasure to read.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book in spite of the misleading nature of the title. Kading did not solve both the Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur murders. He and his investigators turned up a lot of interesting evidence and the "Law and Order" like writing is riveting. The man that Kading claims killed Shakur is not who LVPD arrested and the man that he claims shot Biggie was subsequently shot to death. While this was an interesting look into gang life, hip hop and police investigations, there is no closure here.

[Joel Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight and info

In the end, still question the credibility of some of the sources. Without reveling the ending, his last source which could have potentially closed the case had a very questionable past. Also to add to this his tactics in the end could have allowed his last source to provide jaded information in an effort to stone wall or divert the investigation to other ends.

[Qwantu Amaru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Case closed

Sometimes the simplest story is the truest one. Based on reading this detailed account of Kading and the Biggie task force it’s clear that the East/West rap feud really was at the heart of the matter of Tupac and Biggie’s deaths. The truth is stranger than fiction and I’m happy to know how and why two of my rap heroes were killed. I only hope the closure I feel is echoed by those closest to the victims.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retired detective LAPD detective Kading fiercely investigated the Tupac and Biggie Smalls murders and provides an honest account of witnesses and their recollection of events. In the end, after everyone is either dead or retired (except Suge Knight), the truth comes out about Death Row records and the debunked theory of Russell Poole. This was a very interesting read and perhaps the truth is shaded by tales spun up by gangsters and the credibility is uncertain.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a gripping insider account of the investigations into the murders of two iconic rap figures, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Kading, the lead detective in both cases, provides a riveting narrative that peels back the layers of these unsolved mysteries. With meticulous detail and first-hand insights, Kading delves into the complex web of motives, suspects, and police work, offering readers an enthralling look into the world of hip-hop and crime investigations.

[desert_rambler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid read, straightforward and to the point. There isn't too much fluff, outside of some background casework Kading did and establishing the public's view on the LAPD. It's told from the perspective of a career police officer, but I think he did a decent enough job of explaining his biases and not painting the LAPD as a "holier-than-thou" institution.

[Matt Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regrettably I'd already watched the Unsolved drama on Netflix so not a huge amount of the book was a surprise to me. Doesn't mean it's not a great book though. If you have seen the series then I would probably save yourself the time.

[Rachel Brewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a solid read. I’m convinced of the author’s theories! It was well told, well researched, well presented. It had some decent cliffhangers to end several chapters (I LOVE a good cliffhanger to end a chapter!).

[Konstantin Simidchiyski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably one of the best sources of information about the murder of Tupac and Biggie. Greg Kading was deeply involved in the investigation, as he questioned some of the most important people involved in the two murders.

[Alex Witek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The truest true crime there is. A must read for hip hop/rap fans. Didn’t give it 5 stars because there is A LOT of “characters” and names to flow, different story lines that can get a little convoluted but that’s a real life crime. Loved it.

[Megan Fahey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final chapter made the whole book worth it.

[Micheal Poncelet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book start to finish in one sitting. One of the most captivating books I have ever read.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if Kading's assumptions on Biggie's killer go far enough, but I have no doubt the LAPD remains bent as all hell.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with my class of high school students. They really enjoyed, however I am glad we read as a group since some chapters were a bit confusing and there are lots of key people to remember.

[Cory Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provided me closure in two of the most controversial murders that haven’t been solved. I’m glad this book was published.