A new Netflix documentary has revived allegations linking Sean "Diddy" Combs to the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, placing fresh scrutiny on testimony that claims the music mogul offered a $1 million bounty during the height of the East Coast-West Coast feud. The series, The Reckoning, draws on court filings, past interviews and insider accounts to revisit one of hip-hop's most consequential unsolved murders at a moment when Combs already faces intensified public attention.
Central to the documentary is testimony from Duane "Keefe D" Davis, the last surviving suspect in Shakur's killing and the man charged with murder in Nevada last year. Davis has pleaded not guilty. In the series, he again asserts that Combs offered money for the deaths of both Tupac Shakur and Death Row Records founder Suge Knight, allegedly using the phrase that he would give anything for "those dudes' heads." The allegation, repeated by Davis for more than a decade, remains uncorroborated, and Combs has denied any involvement.
The documentary builds its narrative around materials spanning several decades, including federal interviews, archival recordings and segments presented by former Bad Boy Records employees. Among them is Mark Curry, who claims Combs "flourished in the turmoil" of the era and benefited from the escalating rivalry between Bad Boy and Death Row Records. Curry's comments frame the label conflict as something larger than artistic tensions-an environment in which high-stakes power struggles shaped the industry.
Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, after attending a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas and died six days later at age 25. Despite extensive investigations, the case remained unresolved until Davis was arrested in September 2023. Authorities have described Davis as a central figure in the shooting but have not alleged that Combs played any role. Prosecutors have said Davis' own statements placed him within the conspiracy behind the attack.
The series also revisits the killing of Christopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G., who was fatally shot in Los Angeles in March 1997, six months after Shakur's death. Though the documentary features voices suggesting both murders may have been connected, no charges have linked the cases, and each remains among the highest-profile unsolved investigations in the music world.
Legal analysts cited in media coverage of the documentary note that allegations in interviews are unlikely to carry significant weight without corroborating evidence, especially given the nearly three decades that have passed since the shooting. Still, The Reckoning has generated widespread reaction among viewers. Hashtags tied to the case, including #TupacMurder, have trended globally on social platforms since the documentary's release.
For younger audiences, the Netflix series serves as an introduction to a volatile chapter in rap history, one defined by cultural influence, commercial competition and violence that reshaped the industry. For long-time followers of the case, it reopens unresolved questions surrounding Shakur's death and the legacy of a rivalry that continues to reverberate.
