It was the summer of 1996 when Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a self-described shot-caller for the notoriously violent South Side Compton Crips gang, slid into a booth at Greenblatt’s deli on Sunset Boulevard.
Across the table from the banger sat infamous Harlem crime figure Eric “Von Zip” Martin and his friend, Bad Boy Records label founder Sean Combs.
Combs had been sitting at the helm of Bad Boy for three years by the time he arrived in Los Angeles for that sit-down. He had a megastar signed to his label: Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G. He had made the transition from behind-the-scenes producer to “Puff Daddy,” big-time record label owner. But despite his continuing acceleration toward success, Combs allegedly told Davis he had a problem. Actually, two problems. His archrival Marion “Suge” Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records, and Tupac Shakur were running their mouths with taunts and threats that were hurting his business…