‘He Was the Black Elvis’

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Three decades after the drive-by shooting that claimed the life of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, former Death Row Records producer Darryl Harper has flown in from Georgia to bear witness to the trial.

Harper, who worked closely with Shakur at the legendary record label from 1994 to the early 2000s, says his presence at the criminal trial is a matter of lasting loyalty.

“I flew in from Georgia for this. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Harper said. “He had a song and it said, ‘How long will they mourn me?’ Well, it’s been 30 years. I’m still mourning him.”

‘He brought a new fire’

Harper recalled joining Death Row Records in the mid-1990s, just as the label was cementing its place in music history. He described Shakur’s arrival at the studio as a turning point that energized everyone around him.

“It’s like magic. He brought a new fire to the label,” Harper said. “We had stars, but we didn’t have anybody that worked with the zeal he did… He worked on a time clock that wasn’t real to other people.”

READ MORE: Former Clark County DA weighs in on Tupac murder trial

Despite Shakur’s massive celebrity status, Harper said the rapper was uniquely down-to-earth and willing to collaborate with lesser-known talent.

“When I met Tupac, he was already a star,” Harper explained. “I was a guy who didn’t really have any history in music… but he was a guy who would reach and work with the guy who didn’t have the name.”

Shakur’s sudden death in September 1996 left a permanent void in Harper’s life.

“It shattered my life,” Harper said. “I don’t know if it’s ever really quite been the same. It totally threw me off-center.”

A Fatefully Missed Trip

For Harper, the tragedy is also personal. He was originally slated to travel with Shakur and the Death Row entourage to Las Vegas on the night of the shooting. However, a domestic obligation altered his path.

“I was a single parent, so I had to make sure my babysitting situation was together,” Harper said. While checking on his son at home, exhaustion caught up with him. “I went to check on the babysitter situation and fell asleep.”

The entourage departed without him, and Harper remained in California working with another group when he received the news that Shakur had been shot.

‘A Toxic Relationship’

Harper also shared his perspective on the complex dynamic between Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight, who is currently on the witness list for the trial.

“From the outside looking in, I really think that Suge loved Tupac. I think Tupac enjoyed Suge in his life,” Harper reflected, before adding, “I just believe that the relationship… was toxic.”

While Harper noted that Knight was a supportive friend who validated his own place at Death Row, he characterized the pairing of Knight and Shakur as volatile. “Pac was a ball of fire by itself, and Suge had a lot of things going on. Those two things happening at the same time… I don’t think it was good for Pac.”

When asked about Knight potentially testifying, Harper was supportive of whatever choice his former boss makes. “I think Suge is going to do what Suge feels like he needs to do for his own life… He’s been a friend to me.”

A Legacy That Refuses to Fade

As the trial moves forward, Harper is preparing to release a transparent memoir detailing his experiences with Shakur, Knight, Snoop Dogg, and others from the Death Row era. The book is expected to be finished within the next month.

Reflecting on Shakur’s cultural endurance, Harper compared the late rapper’s legacy to another music legend.

“I think he’s, in my opinion, like the Black Elvis,” Harper said. “I don’t think he’s going to die as long as we have an earth here. I’m just blown over that it just doesn’t seem to die. But I believe he was worth it.”