Clinton Correctional Facility is of course famous from the escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat in 2015 but did you know a famous rapper spent some time there decades before?
It’s so bizarre to me that this story isn’t more well-known, especially after the media storm in 2015 with Matt and Sweat. I saw it reported first on the Times Union that in 1995, Tupac was also known by another name, Inmate No. 95A1140.
Tupac found himself in Dannemora for 8 months after being convicted of sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman in New York City. Apparently, he was placed in an isolated part of the prison for his safety as well as everyone elses. As you can imagine, Tupac was already very well-known during that time and even on his way to solitary confinement for marijuana in his cell, he was bothered for autographs. They also worried he would be a target to other inmates because of his high profile.
Much of the memorabilia from “The Shakur Files” from Dannemora sell rather well, including records, photos, as well as a letter he wrote from the facility to his girlfriend at the time, Madonna. The letter ended up selling for $100,000 even though Madonna sought to keep it. Three months after the letter, he married 22-year-old Keisha Morris inside of the Dannemora facility inside the North Visiting Room. Shakur, of course, was killed not long after in 1996.
The story is actually rather fascinating if you’re learning it for the first time like I am, you can read the whole thing on TimesUnion.com.
