Tupac Told Sister Sekyiwa “I’m Proud of You” 30 Years Before Verdict

Exactly 30 years before Sekyiwa Shakur sat inside a Las Vegas courtroom and witnessed a guilty verdict in her brother’s murder case, Tupac Shakur shared a quiet moment with her and their mother, Afeni Shakur.

The family encounter occurred on August 31, 1996—one week before Tupac was shot near the Las Vegas Strip.

According to Afeni’s account published by Vanity Fair, she was returning to Atlanta that morning and stopped at the Wilshire Boulevard apartment Tupac used while working late.

When Afeni contacted him from the lobby, Tupac came downstairs and embraced his mother. He asked her, “How many mothers do I have?”

Tupac then walked outside to see his sister Sekyiwa, who was waiting in the car.

Tupac tells Sekyiwa he is proud of her

Sekyiwa had recently returned to school and enrolled in cosmetology classes. She reportedly hoped to use that training to help establish a cosmetics line with Tupac’s girlfriend, Kidada Jones.

Afeni recalled that Sekyiwa had been attending school for approximately four months, but Tupac had not previously acknowledged what she was working toward.

That changed outside the Wilshire Boulevard apartment.

Tupac looked at his sister and said, “I’m very proud of you.”

Afeni remembered the exchange as an important moment between her children, who continually sought to make each other proud.

The family did not speak as if they were saying goodbye. They laughed and discussed future plans, including spending time together in Hawaii and moving into another residence.

Days later, Tupac traveled to Las Vegas for the Mike Tyson–Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand.

He was shot on September 7, 1996, while riding with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. Tupac died six days later at the age of 25.

Afeni’s full recollection appeared in Vanity Fair’s extensive 1997 account of Tupac’s life and final days. Read the original Vanity Fair story.

The same date, 30 years later

On August 31, 2026—exactly 30 years after that family meeting—Sekyiwa entered another defining chapter in her brother’s story.

A Las Vegas jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of first-degree murder for orchestrating the retaliatory attack that killed Tupac.

After the verdict was read, Sekyiwa cried and embraced members of the prosecution team. The conviction marked the first time anyone had been held criminally responsible for Tupac’s murder.

Davis was not accused of firing the fatal shots. Prosecutors argued that he obtained the weapon and helped organize the occupants of the white Cadillac used during the drive-by shooting.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning its unanimous decision. Davis could face life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13. He has indicated that he intends to appeal. Associated Press

Remembering the family behind the headlines

The 30-year parallel gives additional meaning to Sekyiwa’s courtroom reaction.

Public coverage of Tupac often focuses on his music, legal troubles, conflicts and unresolved murder. Afeni’s recollection preserves something more intimate: a brother recognizing his sister’s ambitions and making sure she knew he was proud of her.

That family history also provides context for the decades Sekyiwa spent watching Tupac’s killing generate investigations, theories, documentaries and public debate without a conviction.

WorldWide Entertainment TV Studios revisits that memory in a new short-form feature connecting the August 31, 1996 family encounter with the verdict delivered on the same date three decades later.

The story is not presented as Tupac’s confirmed final meeting with Afeni or Sekyiwa. The available account establishes the date, their conversation and the plans they discussed, but does not definitively identify it as their last time together.

What it does preserve is one of Tupac’s most personal messages to his sister:

“I’m very proud of you.”

Thirty years later, Sekyiwa was present when a jury finally held someone legally accountable for taking her brother’s life.

WorldWide Entertainment TV will continue documenting the family memories, archival accounts and courtroom developments surrounding Tupac Shakur through its ongoing Tupac Files coverage.

Studios owns the memory. Media owns the receipt. Network owns the case.