"We are outraged at the false and damaging statements made in the Los Angeles Times by Chuck Phillips regarding Christopher (the Notorious B.I.G.'s) Wallace alleged involvement in Tupac Shakur's death. These false accusations are nothing but irresponsible journalism.

"The estate is considering bringing a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Times for untruthful statements and accusations which amount to character assassination of someone who is himself the victim of an unsolved murder.

"For the record, Christopher (the Notorious B.I. G.) Wallace was at his home in New Jersey on the night of Tupac Shakur's murder, with friends who will continue to testify for his whereabouts since he is unable to defend himself.

"We believe that the LAPD have been neglectful in their investigation of Christopher's murder. As a result, we have filed a lawsuit against the LAPD for its failure to investigate this murder.

"Christopher (the Notorious B.I.G.) Wallace's friends and family will continue to stand by him and support his memory in the face of this latest accusation against his character and his life.

"This false story is a disrespect to not only our family but the family of Tupac Shakur. Both men will have no peace as long as stories such as these continue to be written."

Death Row-Bad Boy Feud: The killing of Tupac Shakur in 1996 followed years of conflict involving Shakur, rapper Notorious B.I.G., their record companies and their gang followers: November 1994: Shakur is shot five times and robbed in the lobby of a recording studio near Times Square in New York. He blames the ambush on Notorious B.I.G., whose real name is Christopher Wallace, and Sean "Puffy" Combs, right, head of Bad Boy Entertainment. 1995 Notorious B.I.G. records a song called "Who Shot Ya?," interpreted by Shakur as a taunting reminder of the 1994 shooting. June 1995 On stage at the Source Awards in New York, Marion "Suge" Knight, head of Shakur's label, Death Row Records of Los Angeles, insults Combs and New York-based Bad Boy July 1995 Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy hire members of the Southside Crips for protection against the Mob Piru Bloods, who work for Death Row. The two Compton gangs have had a bloody 30-year rivalry. September 1995 Death Row employee Jake Robles, a Mob Piru Blood, is shot dead outside an Atlanta nightclub. A Bad Boy employee is suspected. October 1995 Released from prison while he appeals a sexual abuse conviction, Shakur begins recording material for a Death Row release. In one song, "Hit 'Em Up," he mocks Combs and Bad Boy entertainers and brags about having had sex with Notorious B.I.G.'s wife. March 1996 A scuffle breaks out at the Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles after Notorious B.I.G.'s bodyguard brandishes a weapon in front of an armed member of Shakur's entourage backstage at the Shrine Auditorium. August 1996 A handful of Southside Crips beat and rob one of Shakur's Mob Piru Bloods bodyguards at a Lakewood mall. The assailants snatch a diamond-studded Death Row medallion from the victim's neck. September 1996 Shakur and his Bloods bodyguards, in Las Vegas for a heavyweight boxing match, assault a Crip in retaliation for the Lakewood incident. Two and half hours later, Shakur is fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting a block from the Las Vegas Strip. No one has been charged in the killing. March 1997 Notorious B.I.G. is gunned down outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles after a Soul Train Music Awards party. The case remains unsolved.