Fat Joe Thinks Lil Durk Trial & Keefe D's Tupac Case Are "Sh*t-Shows"

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares Published on August 29, 2026

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Fat Joe Lil Durk Trial Keefe D Tupac Case

Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; American rapper Fat Joe sits court side during the fourth quarter of game four of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Fat Joe was making a larger point about media discourse on "The Breakfast Club," and then brought up Lil Durk, Keefe D, and the Tupac case.

Hip-hop is witnessing two massive trials right now: the Lil Durk murder-for-hire case and Duane "Keefe D" Davis' trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur. In both cases, there are a lot of controversies surrounding them, whether it's snitching debates concerning OTF or historical reevaluations of a 30-year-old myth in the culture. In both cases, Fat Joe is not very pleased with how folks are discussing them, which he opened up about during his recent appearance on The Breakfast Club.

At around the 1:22:18 mark of the YouTube video below, the Organized Rhyme MC brought up how hip-hop is a "s**t-show" right now in reference to those cases. It was part of Joey Crack's larger point about warped media discourse and how volatile the space is right now.

"Sometimes it's a real s**t-show out here, in hip-hop?” he remarked. “Holy Christ. It's a s**t-show going on out here with everything. One minute, we love Lil Durk. The next minute, we think he’s snitching. The Tupac trial got me sick. 'Cause everybody’s a rat. So I'm sitting here, like... I'm too old-school, I'm too based off morals and all that. I'm looking at this trial. The guy on trial's a rat. He flew to New York with a wire and the feds to get Von Zip. The guys telling on them, they're all OGs... I can't believe what's going on in all these situations and trials.

Fat Joe On The Breakfast Club

"[There was a code] all the way," Joe continued. "Snitches got stitches. There was a huge code. I know crews that went to jail together 40, 50 deep in the '80s that nobody told. They did their time, they came home. Legends of the street... Did I live by the right morals and codes? [...] This guy was a gangster... Seems like he deliberately got himself locked up to take credit for killing Tupac... He's forcing himself in jail for Tupac. They found a shrine in his house. Who's killing somebody and keeping the articles? [...] But he told on everybody... I might be confused on this game of life."

We will see if other folks in hip-hop agree with this assessment or if they point out more nuance.

About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares

Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.