By Jazmiyne Bias

On Monday, February 5, 2018, Delaware State University hosted a screening event of USA Network’s new true-crime anthology series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious Big in the EH Theater. 

Students at Delaware State had the opportunity to observe first-hand the first episode of the exhilarating twenty-year mystery, which aims to uncover some truth concerning the murders of two prominent figures, who have greatly impacted the world of hip hop as we know it today.

Following the movie screening, a panel of four hip hop industry insiders and scholars, led a discussion regarding the two major police investigations into the murders of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace.

 The four panelists leading a Q&A discussion at the first screening of Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious Big.

Charlisa Edelin, associate professor of Law & Department Chair at Wesley College, Thembisa Mshaka, award-winning journalist and copy director for BET Networks, Grouchy Watkins, founder of allhiphop.com/collegehiphop.com, and Dr. Francine Edwards, former BET host/producer, event moderator, and Interim Dean of the college of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, shared their distinct memories of the entertainment industry during the era of the Tupac and Biggie murders with those in attendance.

Though their experiences differed greatly, due to the geographic location in which each of them resided in 90’s, they can be closely compared, considering their involvement in the entertainment industry as African Americans.

                             Selfies with Thembia Mshaka featuring; Tameka Shockley, Latayla Branson and Morgan Poole.

At the event, the panelists led a Q&A discussion, allowing students to gain insight on their individual perspectives of the case and what could have been done differently in order for the two legendary hip hop artists to preserve their lives in the period of police brutality and gang crime.

                       Kasai Davenport at the second screening of Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious Big

The Mass Communications Department received approval to host an encore screening in the ETV television studio on Tuesday, February 13th, where students were able to take photos and create buzz about the upcoming airing of Unsolved.

Following the encore screening, Ms. Tatyanna Freeman, Sophomore, majoring in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations/Advertising, shared her personal opinions on the screening of Unsolved with the Hornet.

Q&A with Tatyanna Freeman, Mass Communications – Public Relations/Advertising

The Hornet: “Are you looking forward to the official airing of Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious BIG on USA?”

Tatyanna Freeman: “Yes, I am interested to see how they go about solving anything with such little evidence.”

The Hornet: How do you think the public will react to the upcoming series?

TF: I feel some will like it, just to see what was really going on inside of the case. However, I do feel there are people that will have opposing opinions.

The Hornet: Were any of your questions answered after viewing the first episode?

TF: No, I will just have to keep watching the show when it airs in order to have my questions answered.

                Wavyy Jonez as Biggie Smalls and Marcc Rose as Tupac Shakur in the new USA Network true-crime series.

The series intends to highlight the ongoing case of their deaths and insightfully reveal many unanswered questions. Tune in to the USA Network channel of your local television provider on Tuesday, February 27th to eulogize the artists and have your questions answered regarding the their murders.