Tupac Shakur was trending on Twitter today and the reason why might shock you.
According to a report from Lexington, Ky.'s Herald Leader on Tuesday (April 28), a man who shares the same name as the beloved late rapper was accused of fraud after attempting to file for unemployment amid the coronavirus pandemic. During a news conference Monday evening (April 27), the state's governor, Andy Beshear, called out those who were seeking unemployment and using false names in order to do so.
"We had somebody apply for unemployment for Tupac Shakur here in Kentucky,” Beshear said, presumably referring to the hip-hop legend who was tragically killed in 1996. “And that person may have thought they were being funny, they probably did. Except for the fact that because of them, we had to go through so many other claims.”
Unbeknownst to Gov. Beshear, there is a Kentucky resident named Tupac Malik Shakur, who is attempting to receive unemployment because his workplace has closed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Shakur, 46, lives in Lexington, Ky. and worked as a cook at Alfalfa restaurant and Lynagh's Irish Pub.
Shakur said he filed for unemployment insurance and received a monetary determination letter in the beginning of March. However, it's been a month and the Kentucky resident has yet to receive his unemployment.
The 46-year-old man said he has been reaching out to the unemployment insurance office in Frankfort, Ky., but could not figure out why it was taking so long to receive his funds. Shakur also noted that he wouldn't have guessed that those responsible for releasing his money thought his filing was just a prank.
"I’m hurt, I’m really embarrassed and I’m shocked. He needs to apologize. That’s just my name," he said, referring to Gov. Beshear.
Beshear’s office initially said they could not verify the identity of the person who filed a claim under the name Tupac Shakur. The Herald-Leader later gave the governor’s office Shakur’s number and Gov. Beshear has since apologized. “I understand, he’s dealing with a lot,” Tupac Shakur said. “Mistakes happen.”
Apparently, Shakur didn't always share his first and last name with the late rapper. After his father, who practiced Islam, died in the early 1990s, he took up the faith. He later legally changed his name to Shakur in 1998 because it means "thankful to God" in Arabic, the outlet reports.
The late Tupac Shakur died in 1996 as a result of succumbing to his injuries after being shot during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
See 30 Prolific Quotes From Your Favorite Rappers