Chuck Philips Explained

Chuck Philips
Birth Name:Charles Alan Philips
Birth Date:15 October 1952[1]
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Citizenship:American
Education:B.A., Journalism, California State University, Long Beach, 1989
Occupation:Investigative journalist
Years Active:1988–2012
Known For:Investigative reporting on crime and corruption the music industry
Awards:Pulitzer Prize
George Polk Award
Salute to Excellence Award
Los Angeles Press Club Award
Website:www.chuckphilipspost.com

Charles Alan Philips (October 15, 1952 – January 2024) was an American writer and journalist. He was best known for his investigative reporting in the Los Angeles Times on the culture, corruption, and crime in the music industry during the 1990s and 2000s, which garnered both awards and controversy. In 1999, Philips won a Pulitzer Prize, with Michael A. Hiltzik, for their co-authored series exposing corruption in the entertainment industry.[1]

Philips reported extensively in the LA Times on the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and the murders of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G. and their respective investigations. In 2002, Philips described Las Vegas' floundered probe into Tupac's murder and put forth his own theory based on a yearlong investigation.[2] His controversial theory, which alleges the involvement of the late Wallace, has been neither confirmed nor verifiably debunked and continues to be debated.[3] [4] [5]

In a 2008 article, Philips tied industry executives Sean "Puffy" Combs and James Rosemond to the 1994 ambush of Shakur. In response, both Combs and Rosemond issued scathing statements of denial and received out-of-court settlements from the paper.[6] [7] [8] Documents sourced by Philips to support his claims were later proven to be fabricated. Philips stood by his story despite the falsified documents.[9] [10] The Times ran a retraction along with apologies from Philips and his editors, and parted ways with Philips a few months later.[11] [12]

Philips' reporting is widely cited in media, including trade publications, journals, books, and podcasts. Critics allege an obsession with unsolved crimes in the Hip-hop community, interference with official investigations, and biased coverage of the Los Angeles Police Department and Death Row Records.[7] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] Philips died in January 2024, at the age of 71.[18]

Early life and education

Philips grew up in the Detroit area and attended Franklin High School.[19] He moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and worked for the Wasserman Silk Screen Company of Santa Monica, California, while studying at California State University, Long Beach, where he received a B.A. in journalism in 1989.

Career

Philips spent a majority of his career writing for the LA Times, beginning as a freelance writer in 1990 and joining the staff in 1995. He remained at the Times until being laid off in 2008. He wrote several investigative pieces and series about the music industry, particularly on controversial business practices, corruption, and crime. Philips has also written for The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Village Voice, AllHipHop and The Source.

Investigating the business of entertainment

In 1991, Philips wrote an article exposing rampant sexual harassment in the music industry. He revealed, "Industry sources say sexual comportment has been a behind-the-scenes factor in certain recent executive shake-ups." The article details four cases of harassment at a prominent entertainment law firm and three record labels, Geffen Records, RCA Records, and Island Records.[20] Philips continued relentless coverage and other media outlets followed suit.[21] A follow-up interview in which a victim graphicly describes her experience led to more women sharing their stories. By 1995, all six major record labels had updated their sexual harassment policies.[21]

Gangsta rap battle of 1992

In the summer of 1992, Philips provided a platform to the artist who had just released one of the most controversial songs of all time, "Cop Killer." Ice-T was under fire from police, politicians, and even the President, who called the song "sick."[22] In his first interview after the controversy broke, the artist defended his role in a culture war. On the front page of the country's second-largest newspaper, in a Q&A about rock, race, and the 'Cop Killer' furor, Ice-T counterattacked his critics, "Arnold Schwarzenegger blew away dozens of cops as the Terminator. But I don’t hear anybody complaining."[23]

Despite the song being a product of Ice-T's heavy metal band, Body Count, it was ensnared in a campaign to ban gangsta rap. He complained:

"The one thing I wish is that the media would quit calling this a rap record. You’d think if they were going to do stories on ‘Cop Killer’ that they might at least listen to the song. But they obviously haven’t, because anyone who has knows it’s a rock record. I hate to get on the racial thing because that’s something I’ve always been totally against. But the problem with the media is that they think that the word rock means white and the word rap means black."

And politicians "want to shut rappers down. They want to silence us. The Supreme Court says it’s OK for a white man to burn a cross in public. But nobody wants a black man to write a record about a cop killer."

Ice-T had been accused by The Establishment of inciting violence against police officers. He illuminated Philips and his readers on the message of the song. It's not anti-police. It's anti-police brutality:

"No way all I’m doing on this record is playing a character I invented who’s fed up with police abuse. He’s not the average person who just figured out after the Rodney King incident that police brutality exists. This particular character has seen it too long and he loses it and goes on a rampage. What I’m trying to tell people is that police brutality in the ‘hood is nothing new. And the thing is that whether this guy, the cop killer in my song, is real or not, believe it, there are people at that point. OK? But anybody who says that my record is going to make them go over that point, that’s bulls---. No record can take a man to that point.

"Don’t these politicians realize the country was founded on the kind of revolutionary political thought expressed in my song? I mean, haven’t they ever listened to the national anthem? Anybody knows that the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ is really just a song about a shoot-out between us and the police. Have they forgotten that Paul Revere became a Revolutionary War hero for warning everybody, ‘The police are coming, the police are coming?'"

Anti-censorship advocate Jeff Ayeroff, Rock the Vote co-founder and then Virgin Records executive, called attention to the hypocrisy, "It’s not like the White House expresses any interest in trying to resolve the polarization that this song reflects. They just want to exploit the fear of this potent black artist to their own political advantage."

Philips himself surmised:

"When it’s all over, the 'Rap Battle of 1992' probably won’t rank up there in American history with the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812. But it has reopened the old American wounds of race and class. And the debate—which had been couched as a conflict between free expression and moral responsibility—has degenerated into an uncivil war of words enveloping politicians, business people, artists and others."

Thirty years later, this Ice-T Q&A and accompanying story, "The Uncivil War : The battle between the Establishment and supporters of rap music reopens old wounds of race and class," are part of American history. It is cited in numerous works related to Hip-hop culture, Black history, and free speech and first amendment rights.

Murder of Tupac Shakur theory

See also: Murder of Tupac Shakur. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He died six days later due to the wounds inflicted.[24] In 2002, following a yearlong investigation into the murder by the LA Times, Philips concluded that Shakur was killed by purported suspect Orlando Anderson, a member of the Southside Compton Crips gang.[25] Philips made an additional claim: "The murder weapon was supplied by New York rapper Notorious B.I.G., who agreed to pay the Crips $1 million for killing Shakur."[2] [26] [27] In the days following the story, friends and family members denied any involvement by the late Wallace. The Wallace family issued a statement expressing outrage and called the article "irresponsible journalism." Friends provided alibis claiming Wallace was not in Las Vegas on the night of the shooting.[28]

In an online chat in 2008, Philips told the participants that unidentified sources placed Wallace in Nevada on the night of Shakur's murder.[9] He added:

"It has never been proven that Christopher Wallace was not in Las Vegas on the night Tupac was shot. Bad Boy produced some computer-generated documents purporting to place him in a recording studio in New York, but they were not time-stamped. Bad Boy said it was going to produce video of Biggie there. They never did that. I have since learned that federal officials conducted interviews in Las Vegas to determine whether Wallace was present. My sources were there and say he and other East Coast figures were in Las Vegas on the night the Southside Crips killed Tupac."

Louis Alfred, the recording engineer named in the session reports provided by Bad Boy, recalled a late-night recording session, but thought it unlikely it was the same night Shakur was shot. "We would have heard about it," he said.[27]

No one has been arrested or prosecuted for the murder of Shakur and the case remains open. More than two decades following its publication, Philips' is among the theories still presented by the media.[29] [5]

Pivotal article on 1994 ambush of Shakur

While investigating Shakur's murder, Philips learned more about the 1994 ambush of Shakur in New York City. On March 17, 2008, he reported in the LA Times that the attack had been orchestrated by then talent manager and dealmaker James Rosemond a.k.a. Jimmy Henchman. Twelve years before Philips implicated Rosemond, lyrics to Shakur's song "Against All Odds" hinted at a connection: "Promised a payback, Jimmy Henchmen, in due time, I knew you bitch niggas was listening, the world is mine, set me up, wet me up, niggas stuck me up."

Philips' story also claimed that Combs and Wallace had advance knowledge of the attack.[30] To support his theory, Philips relied on unidentified sources and FBI transcripts of an interview with a confidential informant.[31] Both Rosemond and Combs responded swiftly with statements denying Philips' claims.[6]

Rosemond called the story a "libelous piece of garbage," adding, "In the past 14 years, I have not even been questioned by law enforcement with regard to the assault of Tupac Shakur, let alone brought up on charges. Chuck Philips, the writer … has reached a new low by employing fourth-hand information from desperate jailhouse informants along with ancient FBI reports to create this fabrication. I simply ask for all rap fans and fans of Tupac to analyze this fiction for what it is."

Combs said, “It is beyond ridiculous and completely false. Neither (the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.) nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened. I am shocked that the Los Angeles Times would be so irresponsible as to publish such a baseless and completely untrue story.”

On March 25, 2008, The Smoking Gun exposed the FBI documents sourced by Philips as fabrications.[32] The extended bombshell piece began:

"The Times appears to have been hoaxed by an imprisoned con man and accomplished document forger, an audacious swindler who has created a fantasy world in which he managed hip-hop luminaries, conducted business with Combs, Shakur, Busta Rhymes, and The Notorious B.I.G., and even served as Combs's trusted emissary to Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight during the outset of hostilities in the bloody East Coast-West Coast rap feud. The con man, James Sabatino, 31, has long sought to insinuate himself, after the fact, in a series of important hip-hop events, from Shakur's shooting to the murder of The Notorious B.I.G.. In fact, however, Sabatino was little more than a rap devotee, a wildly impulsive, overweight white kid from Florida whose own father once described him in a letter to a federal judge as "a disturbed young man who needed attention like a drug."

On March 26, 2008, the LA Times announced an internal investigation and published an apology from Philips that read, "In relying on documents that I now believe were fake, I failed to do my job. I’m sorry."[12] Philips was chastised by his peers and the paper was criticized for its "useless policies for controlling its overuse of unnamed sources."[31] Philips' editors also issued statements:

Deputy Managing Editor Mark Duvoisin stated, "We should not have let ourselves be fooled. That we were is as much my fault as Chuck's. I deeply regret that we let our readers down."

Editor Russ Stanton claimed to take the criticism seriously, adding "We published this story with the sincere belief that the documents were genuine, but our good intentions are beside the point," Stanton said in a statement. "The bottom line is that the documents we relied on should not have been used. We apologize both to our readers and to those referenced in the documents and, as a result, in the story. We are continuing to investigate this matter and will fulfill our journalistic responsibility for critical self-examination."

On April 7, 2008, the LA Times issued a lengthy front-page retraction. The paper's investigation concluded that "the FBI reports were fabricated and that some of the other sources relied on — including the person Philips previously believed to be the ‘confidential source’ cited in the FBI reports — do not support major elements of the story."[33]

This would be the last article Philips would write for the LA Times. On July 15, 2008, it was reported that he was let go in a round of layoffs.[11] Philips later called foul on the career-ending retraction:

"In April 2008, the LA Times published a searing front-page retraction trashing my story, my sources, my reporting and myself. I was pressured for days to accept the way the paper wanted to phrase the retraction. But it was not accurate. My sources were solid. My reporting was solid. Unfortunately, the documents turned out to be fakes — and the guy who fabricated them a liar. The retraction made me sound like Jayson Blair or Janet Cooke. It was worded as though I had made up the entire story and snuck it into print behind management's back, without the knowledge, consent or guidance of senior editors and lawyers directly involved in its publication."Philips later claimed, "[Rosemond] twisted smokingun.com’s indictment of the fake 302s into an exoneration of his role in the Quad ambush. Then he and his attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, distorted smokinggun’s conclusions into a vile smear campaign against me online, attacking my credibility, demanding I be fired. They got their wish. Jimmy and Jeffrey fleeced the newspaper for a quarter million bucks, snookered them into printing a false retraction, plus walked away with my head on a platter."[34]

Subsequent witness statements

In the intervening years, there have been several developments with the individuals, named and unnamed in Philips' article, and others involved in the incident.

Following the Isaac and Rosemond court revelations, Philips penned an exclusive to the Village Voice in which he claimed, "Rap’s longest running crime mystery has finally been solved — and pretty much the way my March 2008 LA Times article reported it."[41] MediaBistro's Fishbowl LA, which covered news related to the Los Angeles media, called Philips' Voice piece a "must-read essay that paints a very sorry picture of how the LAT dealt in a moment of crisis with an employee who faithfully served them for 18 years."

Alleged interference with official investigations

See also: Murder of the Notorious B.I.G..

Wallace family civil suit

On April 9, 2002, the Wallace family filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles and LAPD chiefs claiming they "willfully and recklessly prevented a full and thorough investigation" in the murder of Christopher Wallace aka Notorious B.I.G.[42] During an investigation in the late 1990s, Waymond Anderson testified that disgraced LAPD gang officer David Mack was involved in the 1997 killing of Wallace. In 2002, when deposed in the Wallace family civil suit brought against the City of Los Angeles, Anderson recanted his previous testimony. In 2008, while testifying in his own appeal of a 1993 arson murder conviction, Anderson reversed his recantation claiming he had lied at the deposition because he had received threats passed to him through Philips.[43] Philips was covering Anderson's appeal, exploring his innocence.[44] Kevin Mackie, another witness deposed in the Wallace civil case, confirmed Mack's attendance at Death Row events and added, "Chuck Philips was frequently at Death Row functions and received payments from Death Row Records."[45] The Wallace family attorney claimed Anderson's changed testimony was influenced by Philips. Philips and the LA Times described the claim as "idiotic" and "utterly groundless."[46]

FBI investigation into LAPD cover-up

In 2002, the FBI opened an investigation into the LAPD and potential civil rights violations in connection with Christopher Wallace aka Notorious B.I.G.[47] [48] In 2005, Philips revealed the identity of a confidential informant in the LA Times, referencing his moniker "Psycho Mike."[49] Michael Robinson is described as a "reliable gang informant who had testified in federal court against the Bounty Hunter Bloods and worked as an informant for the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Major Crimes Bureau for more than 15 years."

LASD Sgt. Richard Valdemar criticized the LA Times in a 2010 Police Magazine article for exposing and endangering confidential informants. He believes Robinson was outed in response to his testimony implicating Death Row boss Suge Knight, LAPD gang officers Mack and Rafael Perez, and Amir Muhammad in Wallace's murder. Following the revelation, Robinson was attacked repeatedly and his family was targeted.[15] Valdemar accuses Philips of protecting Death Row associates and links him to Robinson's death, "Michael Robinson died of a heart attack on Dec. 5, 2006. He was only 49 years old. It is my belief that Michael Robinson died as a result of the stress and anxiety caused by his exposure and identification in Chuck Philip's hit piece that ran June 3, 2005."[50]

FBI special agent Philip J. Carson, the lead investigator on the case, confirms Philips' relentless pursuit for information and interference with the investigation. Prior to the article's publication, Philips had demanded an interview with Carson. Since Carson could not comment on the active case, he connected Philips to the FBI press office. Carson recalls the follow-up from FBI PR rep Cathy Viray, "Well, the good news is we met with Chuck Philips. The bad news is, he doesn't care what we have to say. He's going to ruin you in an upcoming article and it's going to ruin this case and it's going to ruin your career."[51] Recorded phone conversations confirm the threats.[52]

Carson contends that he solely briefed LAPD Chief Mike Berkow and that Berkow fed information undermining the case to Philips.[15] Carson identifies Philips' reporting in the LA Times as one of the "powerful forces" used by the LAPD to derail the FBI's investigation.[14]

LA Times cast as tool in LAPD cover-up

In 1997, Philips interviewed Shakur's former bodyguard Frank Alexander as an eyewitness to Shakur's 1996 deadly shooting. In their book, Chaos Merchants: Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG, former LAPD officer Russell Poole and documentarian Michael Douglas Carlin write that Alexander secretly recorded phone conversations with Philips as well as Death Row insiders. They claim the recordings "offer insight into interworking of Death Row Records and their ties to Philips in creating false stories to run in the LA Times."[53]

While revisiting the FBI's investigation with Carson in The Dossier : The LAPD Cover-up of the Murder of Biggie Smalls podcast, investigative filmmaker Don Sikorski says he "uncovered sourced proof that Philips was in bed with one of the top brass at LAPD, Mike Berkow. Berkow was feeding him information to print in the paper. To go further, Philips wrote in upwards of five stories that created false narrative surrounding the investigation into Biggie's murder."[7]

Wallace family attorney Perry Sanders designates the LA Times "co-conspirators in the cover-up."[13]

Chuck Philips Post

On September 13, 2012, the anniversary of Shakur's death, Philips announced he would do a "Twitter experiment," tweeting a 1,200-word article, 40 characters at a time, concurrently with the launch of his website, the Chuckphilipspost.com.[54] [55] The article was about Harlem drug dealer Eric “Von Zip” Martin and his alleged connection to Sean "Diddy" Combs.[56] [57] The latest post on his website, about the death of Alesia Thomas while in LAPD custody, was published on October 15, 2012.[58]

Cultural Influence

In their 2001 book Controversies of the Music Industry, Richard D. Barnet and Larry L. Burriss credit Philips' continued reporting on sexual harassment in the music industry for prompting coverage by other media outlets and bringing the conversation to a national forum. "The article generated heated debate in the music industry and motivated several record companies to review their policies regarding sex bias and harassment."[21]

Along with outspoken hip-hop critic Bill O'Reilly, Philips is dissed in a verse by Jay-Z on Missy Elliott's 2003 song ″Back in the Day.″[59] [60]

Retired FBI Agent Philip J. Carson asserts that when Philips identified a confidential informant by name in his June 3, 2005, article ″Informant in Rap Star's Slaying Admits Hearsay,″ he endangered the informant's life and derailed the FBI's investigation into LAPD's involvement in the murder of Notorious B.I.G. "Two or three weeks later, [the informant's] house got shot up by AK-47s and his daughter and granddaughter were at the house. The granddaughter got hit. The FBI, we had to relocate 'Psycho Mike' and his family to another city."

In September 2011, Showtime announced the production of a documentary film to be directed by Antoine Fuqua about Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight. Philips was named as a co-producer.[61] [62] American Dream/American Knightmare was released in 2018 though Philips is not listed in the television film's credits.[63]

Philips is the primary subject featured in "Episode 7: The LA Times and the Murder of Biggie" of The Dossier : The LAPD Cover-Up of the Murder of Biggie (2020) podcast series.[64]

Philips is the primary subject featured in the "BONUS: Chuck Philips & Misinformation" episode of the Unjust Justice: The Jimmy Rosemond Story (2022) podcast series.[7]

Awards

Cited in

Select bibliography

Interviews

Censorship

The business of music

Pearl Jam vs. Ticketmaster

Pulitzer Prize-winning series on corruption in the music industry

Crime in hip-hop coverage and controversy

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The 1999 Pulitzer prize winners biography. Pulitzer. May 29, 2012. July 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190715212123/https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/chuck-philips-and-michael-hiltzik. live.
  2. Web site: Newsweek Staff . Newsmakers : Hot off the press . Who killed Tupac Shakur?" asked the Los Angeles Times last week in a front-page story that sparked a huge firestorm in the hip-hop community. . Newsweek . June 30, 2022 . September 15, 2002 . June 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630185459/https://www.newsweek.com/newsmakers-144575 . live .
  3. Web site: Rumor Mill . Tupac's Killer Revealed : L.A. Times Reporter Chuck Philips Solves a Six-Year-Old Hip-Hop Murder Mystery . Wallace's family reacted harshly to the charges, saying the L.A. Times story ″takes facts on record and juxtaposes them with hazy, unattributed remarks which are not the result of any legitimate investigation, but rather are simply an effort to generate more confusion and publicity.″ . Hits Daily Double . HITS Digital Ventures . June 30, 2022 . September 6, 2002 . July 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702014136/https://hitsdailydouble.com/news%26id%3D275668%26title%3D . live .
  4. Web site: Bergara . Ryan . King . Kirsten . Gundapaneni . Leena . Bennett . Brent . The Mysterious Death Of Tupac Shakur : Who killed Tupac? . BuzzFeed . June 29, 2022 . May 20, 2016 . June 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629054156/https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanbergara/a-deep-dive-into-the-infamous-unsolved-murder-of-tupac-shaku . live .
  5. Web site: Weber . Bo . Who Killed Tupac Shakur? The story of the rapper's shocking death . Music in Minnesota . June 29, 2022 . February 8, 2022 . March 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220329103309/https://www.musicinminnesota.com/who-killed-tupac-shakur/ . live .
  6. News: Combs denies L.A. Times' Shakur story . June 27, 2022 . Associated Press . March 19, 2008 . Sean “Diddy” Combs has denied a report by the Los Angeles Times that his associates were responsible for the 1994 robbery and shooting of Tupac Shakur at a New York recording studio, and that he knew about the attack in advance. . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627025624/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/combs-denies-la-times-shakur-107319/ . live .
  7. BONUS: Chuck Philips & Misinformation . Jimmy talks about the LA Times printing a false story and the implications on his life and career, and perception vs. reality inside the business of Hip-Hop music.. Unjust Justice: The Jimmy Rosemond Story . Criminal Minded Media . Don . Sikorski . Don Sikorski. April 7, 2022 . June 27, 2022 . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627064928/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-chuck-phillips-misinformation/id1610807742?i=1000556554609 . live .
  8. News: Wilson . Simone . Romero . Dennis . Chuck Philips demands L.A. Times apology on Tupac Shakur . . June 22, 2011 . May 29, 2012 . March 4, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200304050254/https://www.laweekly.com/chuck-philips-demands-l-a-times-apology-on-tupac-shakur/ . live .
  9. Web site: Rodriguez . Jayson . L.A. Times Writer Defends Story About Tupac, Diddy; Says He Has Two More Articles In the Works . MTV . June 29, 2022 . March 18, 2008 . June 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629054156/http://www.mtv.com/news/1583641/la-times-writer-defends-story-about-tupac-diddy-says-he-has-two-more-articles-in-the-works/ . dead .
  10. Web site: Rodriguez . Jayson . L.A. Times Chuck Philips Defends Method Behind Tupac, Diddy Story: 'I know all kinds of stuff I didn't write about' . MTV . June 30, 2022 . March 21, 2008 . June 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630173959/https://www.mtv.com/news/1583921/la-times-chuck-philips-defends-method-behind-tupac-diddy-story-i-know-all-kinds-of-stuff-i-dont-write-about/ . dead .
  11. Web site: Littleton . Cynthia . L.A. Times lets go of staffers : Chuck Philips among those leaving . Variety . Variety Media, LLC . June 27, 2022 . July 15, 2008 . The names of L.A. Times staffers taking buyouts or getting pinkslips began to circulate in journo circles on Monday night, fueled by postings on numerous media-centric websites. Among the scribes involved in the paper’s showbiz coverage who are exiting the building is longtime investigative reporter Chuck Philips. . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627083643/https://variety.com/2008/scene/markets-festivals/l-a-times-lets-go-of-staffers-1117989010/ . live .
  12. Web site: Tourtellotte . Bob . LA Times apologizes for Tupac story . Reuters . July 1, 2022 . March 26, 2008 . July 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702014131/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tupac-latimes/la-times-apologizes-for-tupac-story-idUSN2644500720080327 . live .
  13. Sullivan . Randall . Randall Sullivan. The Unsolved Mystery of the Notorious B.I.G. : A Special Report: Did the LAPD suppress evidence that rogue cops conspired with Death Row's Suge Knight to assassinate rap star Biggie Smalls? Inside the civil trial that is threatening to bring down the most powerful institutions in Los Angeles . January 7, 2011. Rolling Stone . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180817104542/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-unsolved-mystery-of-the-notorious-b-i-g-254712/ . August 17, 2018 . When looking back on this nine-year-long saga of deceit and corruption, nothing is more troubling — or more incomprehensible — than the role played by The Los Angeles Times..
  14. Web site: Rohrlic . Justin . Former FBI Agent: How the LAPD Derailed My Investigation Into Biggie Smalls' Murder . The Daily Beast . The Daily Beast Company LLC . June 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181111213433/https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-fbi-agent-how-the-lapd-derailed-my-investigation-into-biggie-smalls-murder . November 11, 2018 . November 11, 2018.
  15. Episode 7: The LA Times and the Murder of Biggie . The Dossier : The LAPD Cover-Up of the Murder of Biggie . Criminal Minded Media . Don . Sikorski . Don Sikorski. October 15, 2020 . Phil Carson explains how the LAPD used the LA Times as a tool in the cover-up. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chuck Philips has secrets buried to this day surrounding the murder of Biggie and his relationship with LAPD brass Mike Berkow. . June 26, 2022 . July 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702014131/https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-7-the-la-times-and-the-murder-of-biggie/id1530050718?i=1000494833463 . live .
  16. Web site: Leonard . Jack . Rap mogul sent threats to prison, inmate says . Los Angeles Times . August 1, 2008 . June 27, 2022 . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627073828/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-01-me-anderson1-story.html . live .
  17. Web site: Smooth . Jay . You Punks Didn't Finish . Jay Smooth . Jay Smooth, Illdoctrine.com – Youtube . June 27, 2022 . 2008 . Your years of negligence and irresponsible handling of this story has made it that much harder for justice to be served. . June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627170027/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEwaq1Gz-5w&t=48s . live .
  18. Web site: Chuck Philips . Legacy . 11 February 2024.
  19. Web site: Chuck Philips in the U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 . Ancestry.com . subscription . June 29, 2022 . 1968 .
  20. Web site: Philips . Chuck . Sexual Harassment Claims Confront Music Industry : Bias: Three record companies and a law firm have had to cope with allegations of misconduct by executives. . Los Angeles Times . November 3, 1991 . June 26, 2022 . September 21, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061222/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-03/news/mn-1568_1_sexual-harassment . live .
  21. Book: Richard D. . Barnet. Larry L.. Burriss. Controversies of the Music Industry. registration. 2001. Greenwood Publishing Group. Santa Barbara, California. 978-0-313-31094-2.
  22. Web site: United Press International. Bush Calls Cop-Killing Lyrics 'Sick. June 29, 1992.
  23. Web site: Attempt to Bar Ice-T From Stadium Fails : Entertainment: City officials and police group determine that no grounds exist to stop concert. . Los Angeles Times . September 25, 1992 . Lee . John H. . July 1, 2022.
  24. Web site: Ramirez . Esteban . Lost Soul: 25 years since the murder of Tupac Shakur . KNTV Las Vegas . Scripps Media, Inc. . June 30, 2022 . September 7, 2021 . October 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211022152717/https://www.ktnv.com/13-investigates/lost-soul-25-years-since-the-murder-of-tupac-shakur . live .
  25. Web site: Moss . Corey . Biggie Paid Gang to Kill Tupac, Report Says : Fatal Shots Allegedly Fired From East Coast Rapper's Own Gun . MTV . July 1, 2022 . September 6, 2002 . June 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630174002/https://www.mtv.com/news/1457346/biggie-paid-gang-to-kill-tupac-report-says/ . dead .
  26. Web site: NME . Biggie Implicated in Tupac Killing . NME . NME . July 1, 2022 . September 6, 2002 . Six years after rapper Tupac Shakur was murdered in a mysterious drive-by shooting in LAS VEGAS, his arch rival Biggie Smalls has been implicated as a key player in the crime... Smalls, according to The Times, was brought into the plan when The Crips decided to make some money out of the killing. He agreed to stump up the $1million on condition that the killing bullet was fired from his own gun. He is said to have presented The Crips with a .40-caliber Glock pistol. . July 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220701062300/https://www.nme.com/news/music/2pac-45-1379381 . live .
  27. Web site: Leland . John . New Theories Stir Speculation On Rap Deaths . The New York Times . July 1, 2022 . October 7, 2002 . April 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414143421/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/07/arts/new-theories-stir-speculation-on-rap-deaths.html . live .
  28. Susman . Gary . Biggie's family and friends come to his defense : Biggie's family and friends come to his defense. Countering the Los Angeles Times report fingering the late rapper in Tupac Shakur's murder, supporters deny he was in Las Vegas or otherwise involved in the killing . Entertainment Weekly . Meredith Corporation . July 1, 2022 . September 9, 2002 . July 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220701070728/https://ew.com/article/2002/09/09/biggies-family-and-friends-come-his-defense/ . live .
  29. Web site: Entertain This! Staff . 5 enduring conspiracy theories about Tupac . USA Today . Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC . July 1, 2022 . September 13, 2016 . July 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220701092903/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/09/13/5-enduring-conspiracy-theories-tupac/90309840/ . live .
  30. Web site: Report: Combs knew Tupac would be attacked . Newsday (New York, New York) . March 17, 2008 . Sweeney . Matthew . July 2, 2022.
  31. Web site: Stewart . Jill . Jill Stewart . Chuck Philips, Tupac Shakur, Sean Combs, and the Con . LA Weekly . June 27, 2022 . March 27, 2008 . But his and the paper's coverage of this case has attracted an inordinate amount of harsh criticism from other journos, ranging from Rolling Stone's detailed attack by Randall Sullivan to the juicy slam by Jan Golab for FrontPageMagazine.com. An even more meticulous picking apart of Philips' obsession with this unsolved rap-world shooting is offered in a long-running series of posts on Patterico, a Los Angeles website operated by blogger and Los Angeles County assistant district attorney Patrick Frey.. June 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627062124/https://www.laweekly.com/chuck-philips-tupac-shakur-sean-combs-and-the-con/ . live .
  32. Web site: Big Phat Liar: How a federal inmate duped the Los Angeles Times, fabricated FBI reports, and linked Sean "Diddy" Combs to 1994 ambush of Tupac Shakur . The Smoking Gun . June 27, 2022 . March 25, 2008 . January 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220119125301/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/big-phat-liar . live .
  33. News: L.A. Times retracts Tupac Shakur story . Today . Associated Press . July 2, 2022 . April 7, 2008.
  34. Web site: Greg. Watkins. Vengeance in the verdict. June 24, 2012. Allhiphop.com. June 6, 2012.
  35. Web site: Disgraced L.A. Times Reporter Demands a Retraction of a Retraction . The Atlantic . June 23, 2011 . Martin . Adam . July 2, 2022.
  36. Web site: Romero . Dennis . Los Angeles Times Responds to Chuck Philips' Demand That The Paper Take Back its Retraction of His Tupac Story . LA Weekly . LA Weekly, LP . https://web.archive.org/web/20110822190941/http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/07/chuck_philips_tupac_times.php . August 22, 2011 . July 15, 2011.
  37. News: Crimes and Misdemeanors : The Guy Who Maybe Had Tupac Shot in 1994 Is Going to Prison . Grantland . ESPN Internet Ventures . June 6, 2012 . Barshad . Amos . July 2, 2022.
  38. Web site: Jimmy Henchman's Attorney: My Client Never Implicated Himself in Tupac Shooting . BET . June 29, 2012 . Ugwu . Reggie . July 2, 2022.
  39. Web site: Hip-Hop Poseur Jimmy Sabatino Can't Stop Scamming — Even From Prison . Miami New Times . November 14, 2013 . McCoy . Terrence . July 2, 2022.
  40. Malik . Zayd. Timbo. Info Minds. December 30, 2018. Tupac Quad Studio Shooting What Really Happened Straight from the Horse's Mouth . July 2, 2022.
  41. Web site: Drug Kingpin Did Not Admit Assault On Tupac Shakur . The Smoking Gun . July 3, 2012 . July 2, 2022.
  42. Web site: A Notorious B.I.G. Open Case . The Washington Post . April 17, 2002 . Waxman . Sharon . July 3, 2022.
  43. News: The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. Los Angeles Times. Inmate's bid to overturn murder conviction denied. December 11, 2008. 7. subscription. July 3, 2022.
  44. Web site: Frey . Patrick . Inmate Whose Innocence Was Touted by Chuck Philips Accuses Philips of Conspiring with Suge Knight to Threaten Him and Suborn Perjury . Patterico's Pontifications . July 3, 2022 . August 1, 2008.
  45. News: Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. Murders and ex-LA Times Reporter Chuck Philips: A Timeline . June 22, 2011 . Wilson . Simone . LA Weekly.
  46. Web site: September 26, 2007. Witness in Notorious BIG Lawsuit Changes Story, Implicates Wallace Family Attorney in Scam. Townsquare Media, Inc..
  47. Web site: FBI Records : The Vault : Christopher (Biggie Smalls) Wallace.
  48. Web site: July 5, 2022 . FBI Joins Investigation Into The Murder Of Notorious B.I.G. : Feds working with Los Angeles Police to Solve 7-year-old case . https://web.archive.org/web/20150314204513/http://www.mtv.com/news/1485912/fbi-joins-investigation-into-the-murder-of-notorious-big/ . dead . March 14, 2015 . MTV . Moss . Corey . July 5, 2022.
  49. News: Informant in Rap Star's Slaying Admits Hearsay . Chuck . Philips . Los Angeles Times . June 3, 2005.
  50. Web site: A Jaundiced Eye and Blood Red Ink – Gangs . Police Magazine . October 28, 2010 . Valdemar . Richard. July 3, 2022.
  51. Book: Sullivan . Randall . 2019 . 9780802147004 . Dead Wrong: The Continuing Story of City of Lies, Corruption and Cover-Up in the Notorious BIG Murder Investigation . United States: Grove Atlantic.
  52. Episode 6: Suge Knight & The Pursuit of Justice . Unjust Justice: The Jimmy Rosemond Story . FBI Agent Phil Carson completes his story about the operation to wire up FBI Informant Psycho Mike Robinson to meet with alleged triggerman Amir Muhammad. Former LAPD Homicide investigator Sergio Robleto was hired by Violetta Wallace and her attorney Perry Sanders. Robleto reveals information and evidence secured in the course of his own investigation during the civil trial, filed by Miss Wallace against the City of Los Angeles and the LAPD. . Criminal Minded Media . Don . Sikorski . Don Sikorski. October 8, 2020. July 4, 2022.
  53. Book: Chaos Merchants: Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG Kindle Edition . Michael Douglas . Carlin . Russell . Poole . RJ . Bond . January 1, 2016 . Russell Poole. Michael Carlin . B01A2VYJTO.
  54. Web site: Pollstar Staff . Industry Hotwire : Chuck Philips To Tweet 'Scoop' . Pollstar . July 2, 2022 . September 12, 2012.
  55. News: Starbury. Allen. Writer Chuck Philips To Tweet Article Connecting Diddy To Late Harlem Kingpin 'Von Zip'. October 21, 2013. Baller Status. September 12, 2012. October 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131022012956/http://www.ballerstatus.com/2012/09/12/writer-chuck-philips-tweet-article-connecting-diddy-late-harlem-kingpin-von-zip/. live.
  56. News: biz. m. New Tupac Documents; Website Slated to Hit the Internet, Twitter in Honor of Rapper's Death. September 24, 2013. hiphopnewssource. September 18, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130930000048/http://hiphopnewssource.com/2012/09/page/18/. September 30, 2013. dead.
  57. Web site: Martins . Chris . Tupac, Biggie Murders Still Drive Writer To Investigate . Spin. Miller Publishing Group . June 28, 2022 . September 13, 2012 . June 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629023748/https://www.spin.com/2012/09/tupac-biggie-notorious-murders-chuck-philips-diddy/ . live .
  58. Web site: Philips . Chuck . What happened to Alesia Thomas? . Chuck Philips Post . June 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130826122218/http://chuckphilipspost.com/investigative-reports/alesia-thomas/ . October 15, 2012 . August 26, 2013.
  59. Web site: Missy Elliot: Under Construction Album Review . Pitchfork . June 29, 2022 . November 21, 2002 . June 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629103950/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/2756-under-construction/ . live .
  60. Web site: Back in the Day – Missy Elliott . Genius . Genius Media Group Inc. . July 1, 2022 . June 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220628083552/https://genius.com/Missy-elliott-back-in-the-day-lyrics . live .
  61. Web site: Kenneally . Tim . The film, tentatively titled "Suge Knight," will be directed by "Training Day" filmmaker Antoine Fuqua. Fuqua will also co-produce the documentary, with Bradley J. Fischer, whose credits include "Black Swan," "Shutter Island" and "Zodiac." David Prior, Laeta Kalogridis, James Vanderbilt, Lisa Remington and Edward McGurn will executive-producers, while journalist Chuck Philips will serve as co-producer. . Showtime Announces Suge Knight Documentary . The Wrap . June 25, 2022 . September 27, 2011 . June 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220625223444/https://www.thewrap.com/showtime-announces-suge-knight-documentary-31352/ . live .
  62. Web site: Goldberg . Lesley . Showtime Sets Suge Knight Documentary . The Hollywood Reporter . June 25, 2022 . September 27, 2011 . June 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220625223721/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/showtime-sets-suge-knight-documentary-240762/ . live .
  63. Web site: American Dream/American Knightmare Full Cast & Crew . IMDb . June 25, 2022 . June 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220625223441/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071600/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm . live .
  64. Episode 7: The LA Times and the Murder of Biggie . The Dossier : The LAPD Cover-Up of the Murder of Biggie . Criminal Minded Media. Don Sikorski. Sikorski . Don . October 15, 2020.
  65. Web site: 1996 George Polk Award Winners . Long Island University . June 25, 2022 . October 26, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201026171813/https://liu.edu/polk-awards/past-winners#1996 . live .
  66. News: Times Wins Polk Awards for Music Industry, Fund-Raising Stories . Philips, who covers the music industry for The Times, won the award for cultural reporting. Philips has written stories about scandals over lip-syncing and sexual harassment in the music business, the continued use of “payola” to gain air time for records, and shake-ups at Time Warner’s music division. . September 14, 2013 . L.A. Times Archives . limited . . March 7, 1997 . September 28, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130928135559/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-03-07/news/mn-35658_1_polk-award . live .
  67. News: Shaw. David. David Shaw (writer). 2 Times Staffers Share Pulitzer for Beat Reporting. Los Angeles Times reporters Chuck Philips and Michael A. Hiltzik won the Pulitzer Prize for beat reporting Monday for their stories on corruption in the entertainment industry. The Pulitzer Prize Board cited their work on three major projects--"a charity sham sponsored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, illegal detoxification programs for wealthy celebrities and a resurgence of radio payola.”. July 30, 2012. limited. Los Angeles Times. April 13, 1999. September 28, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130928135514/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/13/news/mn-26990. live.
  68. News: Trounson. Rebecca. Mark Saylor dies at 58; former Times editor oversaw Pulitzer-winning series. limited. April 28, 2013. Los Angeles Times. February 22, 2012. March 4, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130304210122/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/22/local/la-me-mark-saylor-20130223. live.

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