As Duane “Keffe D” Davis prepares to face a jury in the long-awaited murder trial surrounding the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, another person from Tupac’s inner circle is weighing in.

Money B of Digital Underground recently said he believes the person who actually pulled the trigger on Tupac is “no longer with us.” His comments arrive as renewed attention surrounds virtually every major figure connected to Tupac’s life, career and final years.

Davis has pleaded not guilty to murder. Prosecutors do not allege that he personally fired the shots that killed Tupac. Instead, authorities accuse him of helping orchestrate the retaliatory attack that followed an altercation at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A jury was seated this week, with opening statements scheduled to begin Monday.

Money B’s comments should therefore be understood as his personal belief about the identity and status of the shooter, not as a determination made by the court.

Money B Knew Tupac Before the Death Row Era

Money B’s connection to Tupac predates the period most often associated with the rapper today.

Before All Eyez on Me, Death Row Records and the highly publicized East Coast–West Coast conflict, Tupac toured and recorded with Digital Underground.

That history gives Money B a perspective very different from many commentators discussing the current murder trial from a distance.

Money B has previously described Tupac as his roommate while touring with Digital Underground. In a recent Publishers Weekly interview, co-author Chad Coenson recalled Money B telling him that there were important parts of Tupac’s story that had never been fully represented publicly.

Money B also appears with Tupac on the Above the Law song “Call It What U Want,” another example of their shared history during the early 1990s.

The Tupac Case Returns to Court Nearly 30 Years Later

The murder case has returned to the center of hip-hop conversation nearly three decades after Tupac was shot on September 7, 1996.

Davis became the first person ever charged in connection with Tupac’s killing when prosecutors accused him of being the “shot caller” behind the attack.

His previous interviews and 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, are expected to play significant roles in the prosecution’s case. Davis and his attorneys have argued that some of his previous public statements were exaggerated, fictionalized or made under circumstances that should prevent them from being used against him.

The trial is expected to include dozens of witnesses and could last approximately one month.

Money B Is Also Preparing to Tell His Own Story

The renewed attention around Tupac coincides with another major moment for Money B.

He and writer Chad Coenson have collaborated on the memoir A D.U. Party Don’t Stop: The Money B Story, scheduled for release on October 13, 2026.

The book covers Money B’s Oakland upbringing, the rise of Digital Underground, hip-hop history and the people he encountered during his career.

In the recent Publishers Weekly feature, Money B also pushed back against the conventional framing of the so-called East Coast–West Coast war. He argued that the conflict was much narrower than the media narrative suggested and centered primarily on specific individuals rather than entire regions of hip-hop.

That distinction is particularly relevant as the Tupac trial once again brings decades-old narratives surrounding Death Row Records, Bad Boy Entertainment and 1990s hip-hop back into public discussion.

Money B and WWETV

WorldWide Entertainment TV is also preparing an interview with Money B to discuss his history with Digital Underground, Tupac Shakur, his new book and the perspective he carries into the current trial conversation.

The discussion will add another firsthand voice to WWETV’s expanding Tupac Files archive, which already includes conversations with members of Tupac’s family, artists connected to Death Row Records and people who witnessed different periods of his career.

Rather than beginning the Tupac story with Death Row Records, Money B’s history offers an opportunity to revisit the artist who existed before the mythology surrounding his final year became dominant.

That includes Tupac as a young performer traveling with Digital Underground, developing his identity as an artist and forming relationships that would follow him throughout his career.

A Different Perspective on Tupac’s Legacy

Nearly 30 years after Tupac’s death, the criminal case may finally answer some legal questions surrounding what happened in Las Vegas.

But understanding Tupac himself requires a much wider timeline.

Money B represents one of the people who knew Tupac before the platinum albums, the Death Row headlines and the rivalry narratives that ultimately became inseparable from his public image.

As the murder trial moves forward, those earlier relationships provide an important reminder that Tupac Shakur’s story was already extensive long before September 1996.

WorldWide Entertainment TV will continue following the Keefe D trial while presenting firsthand accounts from the people who knew Tupac across different stages of his life and career.