When Tupac Shakur stepped out of his car and into the Manhattan night, he had no idea that what was about to happen would not only change the course of his life but also spark a deadly feud that would claim two of hip-hop’s brightest stars.

A single moment of panic, and a secret he reportedly carried for years, may have sealed his fate.

A Night That Changed Hip-Hop Forever

It was late on November 30, 1994, when Tupac Shakur arrived at Quad Studios, just off Times Square. He was there to record a verse for an up-and-coming rapper, a quick job that would earn him $7,000. However, as he pulled up, something felt wrong. His instincts screamed danger.

Inside the building were his friend and rival Christopher Wallace, better known as Biggie Smalls, and Biggie’s manager, Sean “Diddy” Combs. Outside, however, stood several men in army fatigues, their presence giving Tupac a chill. Still, he pressed on.

“Little did he know that crossing the threshold would ignite one of the most consequential fuses in music history,” writes author Jeff Pearlman per the Daily Mail in his new book “Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur.”

The book chronicles Tupac’s life, from his turbulent childhood in poverty, through his artistic rise in California, to his chaotic years of fame.

However, it also revisits that fateful night at Quad Studios, which Pearlman claims has long been misunderstood.

Tupac’s Painful Secret

MEGA

For years, the story went that Tupac was ambushed and shot five times in a robbery gone wrong. But according to Pearlman, the truth is far more shocking and humiliating. The author cites emergency medical technician Ron Johnson, who responded to the scene that night.

“He shot himself,” Johnson said bluntly. “There’s no doubt about it. The way he explained it all happening, from the distance he described, there would have been powder burns everywhere. He told me he was shot. He told me how it happened. But the way the bullet wound up in his leg, the way it went through his balls, the angle it took — he was clearly reaching for his piece.”

According to the account, Tupac arrived with three friends after being summoned by music manager James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond. When they entered the building, they were confronted by armed men in tactical gear. While his companions dropped to the floor as ordered, Tupac reached for the Glock pistol tucked in his waistband and accidentally fired it into his own groin. The bullet, Pearlman writes, struck one of his testicles before lodging in his leg.

In the ensuing chaos, the gunmen shot Tupac twice more, once grazing his head and once hitting his hand, before stealing $40,000 worth of jewelry.

As EMTs rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, the rapper reportedly kept his sense of humor.