Sean "Diddy" Combs was embroiled in controversy long before his 2025 sex trafficking trial. As a key figure in the East Coast-West Coast gangster rap wars of the 1990s, persistent conspiracy theories have linked Diddy to the 1996 shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. He has also been accused of having some involvement in the murder of his former protege The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls) in March 1997. Diddy (a.k.a Puff Daddy) has denied any involvement in the two killings and has never been criminally charged - but has occasionally reflected on how hip-hop was impacted by the tragic losses of both Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. "There were so many rumors [about the shootings] and things for years," he admitted to NBC's Today in 2017. "I was more concerned with the wellbeing of my artists, and also myself and my family. " Diddy's Ups and Downs Over the Years: Indictment, Home Raid and More Keep scrolling for more information on Diddy's reactions to the murders of both Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. What Was Diddy's Connection to Tupac Shakur? In the early 1990s, L.A.-based rapper Tupac Shakur was a prominent artist on Marion "Suge" Knight's Death Row Records roster - which was in direct competition with Sean "Diddy" Combs' New York City-based Bad Boy Records, of which The Notorious B.I.G. was a prominent artist. The East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry played out diss tracks, in the media and even in physical (sometimes public) confrontations. A pivotal turning point occurred on November 30, 1994, when three men robbed and attacked Shakur in the lobby of Quad Studios in New York City. Shakur was about to face trial for first-degree sexual abuse and had agreed to record a guest vocal for Combs' associate Little Shawn at Quad Studios for some quick cash. (Shakur was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse in 1994 for "forcibly touching [a woman's] buttocks" and sentenced to a maximum of four-and-a-half years behind bars, but was released on appeal in 1995.) Shakur was shot five times when he resisted the robbery attempt. The robbers allegedly made off with $40,000 worth of the rapper's jewelry. Although Shakur survived the shooting, the incident completely soured his relationship with Diddy and The Notorious B.I.G. The tension was exacerbated by a personal rivalry between Diddy and Suge Knight. Shakur eventually spoke out about the Quad Studios shooting during a 1996 interview with Vibe Magazine. When he was asked directly if he thought "Puffy was involved in the shooting," Shakur replied: "Only they can answer that question. I have my own opinion but I wouldn't slander their name like they did mine." Getty Images (2) "I wouldn't say things that I knew [were wrong], you know what I mean?" he continued. "I believe so. I do believe so. I have proof, things that I could say that would back up my claim. But this is not for the world to know about." Shakur ominously added: "It's between me and him. Only he knows. Every time he says it didn't happen - that's the only thing that makes this become an issue for anyone." The Quad Studios shooting case remains unsolved, as of publication. In 2011, Dexter Isaac claimed he'd been paid $2,500 by record executive James Rosemond to shoot and rob Shakur. Isaac, who was serving a life sentence for an unrelated charge at the time, was never formally charged and Rosemond denied having anything to do with the shooting. In 2008, an unnamed former associate of Diddy's told the FBI that the mogul and The Notorious B.I.G. were at least aware of the crime ahead of time. The Los Angeles Times published allegations that two of Diddy's former associates "set up the rapper Tupac Shakur to get shot at Quad Studios," but later retracted the report because it determined some FBI reports referenced were "fabricated" and other claims "[did] not support major elements of the story." "[The Times' claim] is beyond ridiculous and is completely false," Diddy told Reuters at the time. "Neither Biggie nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened." The 1994 shooting intensified bad blood between East Coast rappers - led by Diddy and The Notorious B.I.G. of Bad Boy Records - and the West Coast contingent of Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, of Suge Knight's Death Row Records. In February 1995, Diddy and The Notorious B.I.G. released the single "Who Shot Ya?," which Shakur took as a direct mockery of the Quad Studios incident. Shakur responded by dissing Biggie on his 1996 hit "Hit 'Em Up." Knight took a verbal shot on Diddy's turf during the 1995 Source Awards in New York City. The tension at the awards show has been cited by many in the hip-hop world as an inflection point in the feud between East and West Coast rappers. "Any artist out there that want to be an artist and want to stay a star, and don't want to have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing, come to Death Row," Knight said onstage, as a dire