Drake added another piece of Tupac Shakur’s artifact to his collection, but now there are questions about its authenticity.
Drake shared a photo on Instagram of a new Death Row Records chain owned by Tupac. The photo caused quite a stir on social media among 2Pac fans. Some fans hail the Toronto rapper as a worthy owner of the iconic piece of jewelry, dated back to the mid-1990s, while others questioned the authenticity of the chain.
Former head of Death Row Records, Suge Knight, weighs in on Drake’s new acquisition, alleging that some fans might be correct in assuming the chain is fake. “I’m the only person that got Death Row chains and I’m the only one handing them out. I gave one to Snoop at first, and Snoop felt that the Death Row chain was gonna cause too much controversy,” Knight said in an interview on The Art Of Dialogue.
Suge Knight shared a small list of people associated with the label who received custom Death Row Chains, stating that Tupac was one of them and remembered small details about the chain. He also shared that he believes that Drake is a genuine fan of Tupac, but says he was duped into buying a fake chain.
The incarcerated label exec added, “My Death Row chain at the time was full of diamonds on the chain and diamonds on the bezel. ‘Pac came home and got that chain. I don’t go hard about it because it ain’t Drake’s fault. I believe Drake really admired 2Pac and liked 2Pac.”
Artist manager Wack 100 echoed similar sentiments in his interview with DJ Akademiks. According to Wack, there are too many inconsistencies with the chain that Drake bought to the one that was given to Tupac in 1996.
Drake has not responded to Suge Knight or Wack 100’s allegations that the chain he bought is fake. However, he shared a photo of 2Pac wearing the original Death Row Records chain in a photo for his All Eyez On Me album cover. He also shared two photos of the diamond-encrusted chain he bought, showing up close images of the front and back.
As to whether or not the chain is authentic or fake, there is no way to know.