Y’all remember when Keyshia Cole said Tupac personally told her—on the day he died—that he was planning to leave Death Row, sign with Quincy Jones, and take her with him?
In an interview, she shared:
“Yeah, I actually knew him, and he wanted to sign me to Quincy when he was with Kidada, Quincy Jones’ daughter. He was planning to leave Death Row and sign with Quincy, and he wanted me to go with him. He told me Death Row wasn’t a place for kids. That’s what he said. But unfortunately, on that trip to Vegas, he never made it back.”
But now, people—especially Suge Knight—are calling her out, saying there’s no way Tupac would have told her something like that. Mainly because she was only 13 or 14 at the time.
Suge recently responded, basically saying he knew Tupac better than anyone, and there’s no way Keyshia would’ve been in on something like that without him knowing:
“The reason I know that’s not true is because there would be a lot of pressure. When people go talk to a senior, it’s not like a random thing. When they talk to Steve Harvey, he tells them, ‘Don’t mention me, mention this person instead.’ But I knew Pac better than anyone. That’s how tight our bond was. And at that time, we were together 90% of the time. If he had a conversation with someone one-on-one, I would’ve known.”
And it doesn’t stop there—people are also calling Keyshia out for hanging with Tupac’s rivals later on. If she was really that close to him, why would she turn around and work with Diddy and hang around Bad Boy, knowing all the history there?
So, why would she say Tupac told her he was leaving Death Row, then go and do something that could be seen as a straight-up betrayal?
For context, Keyshia didn’t always plan to be a singer. She actually started out rapping as a kid. A friend encouraged her to try singing, and by the time she was 9 or 10, she started taking music seriously. At 12, she even tracked down MC Hammer, hoping he’d help her get into the industry. Hammer eventually introduced her to Suge Knight and the Death Row team.
At that time, Death Row was working on Tupac’s All Eyez on Me album, so Keyshia was around the team—and Tupac. According to her, they got close, and he confided in her about his plans to leave Death Row for Quincy Jones.
But with everything being questioned now, it’s got people wondering—was Keyshia telling the truth, or was this just another story for the industry?
Quincy Jones and Tupac didn’t exactly start off on good terms. Tupac had publicly criticized Quincy in an interview, calling out his interracial relationships and the fact that he had mixed-race children. That didn’t sit well with Quincy’s daughter, Rashida Jones, who fired back in an article, questioning Tupac’s morals and accusing him of disrespecting their father.
A few months later, Tupac ran into Kidada Jones at a nightclub. Thinking she was Rashida, he approached her to apologize. But instead of just clearing the air, something unexpected happened—they fell in love.
At first, Quincy wasn’t too thrilled about the relationship, but over time, he came around and even developed a close bond with Tupac. According to Keyshia Cole, Tupac was planning to make some big career moves with Quincy’s help. She shared this during a conversation with Fat Joe, where she talked about the night Tupac was shot. She said Tupac had told her he was leaving Death Row and signing with Quincy Jones, even urging her to do the same because, in his words, Death Row was “not a place for kids.”
Keyshia, who was 15 at the time, said Tupac had planned to record a song with her that very night. She remembered him giving her advice, telling her to stay focused, always keep learning, and be careful with men because while some would love her for her beauty, others might try to hurt her because of it. She also recalled that the way he spoke that night made it seem like he knew he wouldn’t make it back from Vegas.
But not everyone believes Keyshia’s story. Danny Boy, a former Death Row artist, has publicly doubted her claims, saying there was no way Tupac would have confided in a 13- or 14-year-old about leaving Death Row, especially since that kind of talk could have put him in serious danger. He also pointed out that Quincy Jones had never been involved in the rap game, so the idea of Tupac signing with him didn’t make much sense.
What is widely accepted, though, is that Tupac and Kidada were deeply in love, and many people close to them believed they would eventually get married.
Then there are the long-standing rumors about Quincy Jones. Back in the day, there was allegedly an interview where Tupac claimed that Quincy had propositioned him. However, no recordings of this interview exist anymore—it’s as if it was completely wiped from the internet. But some, like Death Row bodyguard Reggie Wright Jr., have said the interview was real and confirmed that Tupac did say those things.
Mopreme Shakur, Tupac’s stepbrother, also talked about it, explaining that Tupac’s comments about Quincy led to his first meeting with Kidada. He had wanted to apologize, but at first, he didn’t realize he had actually responded to the wrong daughter.
Quincy’s name has come up in Hollywood rumors for years. Johnny Mack once mentioned on Foxhole Radio that Quincy invited him into a room at a party, but when pressed for details, he refused to say more. Later, he randomly brought it up again, but still wouldn’t elaborate. Professor Griff also claimed in his book that Quincy was involved in secret Hollywood circles, even suggesting he helped set up certain networks within the industry.
Whether these claims hold any truth or not, one thing is for sure—Tupac’s final days, his career plans, and Quincy Jones’ alleged influence continue to be a source of speculation and debate.
Tupac’s missing audio has been a hot topic, and he actually spoke about it before.
“When Tupac got to Hollywood, there was this secret ritual. It wasn’t about being against homosexuality, but about the initiation process within certain secret societies. I pointed out how this played into hip-hop, and people asked me for proof. Well, look it up. Tupac once said Quincy Jones made a request he refused. After that, he was marked for death. Why? Because he was engaged to Quincy’s daughter, Kidada. Her best friend? Aaliyah. Aaliyah was engaged to Dame Dash.
If you connect the dots, you’ll remember the rumors. They were so intense that The New York Times even asked Quincy if he was involved in Tupac’s death. His response?
“Man, this is the biggest age of haters I’ve ever seen. I’ve been called everything—blonde lover, gay—I don’t care. Imagine my daughter being engaged to Tupac and me trying to be with him? No way. I’m not into men. I’m a hardcore lesbian. Always have been.”
Regardless of Quincy’s words, speculation didn’t die down. If Tupac was really planning to leave Death Row and work with Quincy, why wasn’t it openly discussed back then?
As for what Tupac told Kesha, Suge Knight insists no one was closer to Tupac than he was in those final days. He made it clear that Tupac wasn’t trapped at Death Row—if he wanted to leave, he could have. And why would he confide in a 14-year-old about something so serious?
Suge also pointed out that if Kesha was as close to Tupac as she claimed, she wouldn’t have turned around and worked with Diddy or hung out with Pac’s enemies, knowing the history between them.
“I’m not doing a song with someone I know was against Pac. A guilty conscience tells all,” Suge said.
At the time of his death, despite bringing in millions for Death Row, Tupac reportedly had only $100,000 in his account. Many close to him believe Death Row knew he wanted out and may have had a hand in what happened to him.
So maybe Kesha was right about Tupac wanting to leave, but did he really tell her his plans? That part is debatable.
And there’s still the question of why Kesha, if she was truly that close to Tupac, ended up working with his known rivals. She never talks about that—just about how close they supposedly were.
What do you think? Could Tupac have told Kesha about leaving Death Row? Did she exaggerate their bond? And how do you feel about her working with people who were clearly against him?
