A new book claims that rapper Tupac Shakur accidentally shot himself in the groin during a 1994 incident at Manhattan's Quad Studios, a narrative that contradicts his public statements and fueled the escalating East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry. The account, detailed in Jeff Pearlman's book "Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur," suggests that Shakur’s subsequent claims of being shot five times were false and were instrumental in igniting a feud that ultimately led to the deaths of both Shakur and his rival, Christopher Wallace, known as Biggie Smalls.

According to the book, Shakur arrived at Quad Studios on November 30, 1994, feeling uneasy about the presence of men in army fatigues outside. He was scheduled to record lyrics for an upcoming rapper and was carrying a Glock pistol. Upon entering the building, Shakur and his companions were reportedly ordered to the floor by armed men. While his friends complied, Shakur allegedly resisted and reached for his own firearm, accidentally firing a shot into his own groin.

In the ensuing chaos, the robbers reportedly shot Shakur once in the hand and grazed his head, making off with $40,000 worth of jewelry. EMT Ron Johnson, who was called to the scene, is quoted in the book stating that the angle of the bullet wound and the powder residue found only in Shakur's underwear indicated he had shot himself. Despite this, Shakur was taken to Bellevue Hospital and later claimed in a 1995 Vibe magazine interview that he had been shot five times.

Shakur's accusations, particularly his insinuation that Biggie Smalls and Sean "Diddy" Combs were involved in the attack, significantly escalated tensions between West Coast and East Coast hip-hop artists. He told Vibe magazine that he felt abandoned by his peers, stating, "Nobody approached me. I noticed that nobody would look at me." This perceived slight and his false claims of being a victim of a five-shot ambush galvanized supporters of Shakur and Death Row Records against Biggie and Bad Boy Records.

The fallout from the Quad Studios incident was profound. In February 1995, Biggie released the track "Who Shot Ya?," which many interpreted as a taunt directed at Shakur. Shakur retaliated in June 1996 with his diss track "Hit Em Up," where he mocked Biggie and boasted about surviving the earlier shooting. He rapped, "Five shots couldn't drop me; I took it and smiled."

Shakur was fatally shot on September 7, 1996, less than three months after releasing "Hit Em Up." Biggie was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. No one has been convicted in either murder, though ex-Crips boss Duane "Keffe D" Davis is currently accused of ordering Shakur's killing, with his trial beginning in October 2025. The book suggests that Shakur’s inability to reconcile his fabricated narrative with the reality of his self-inflicted injury contributed to his disillusionment with the "Thug Life" persona he had cultivated.