You might not believe this, but slain American rapper, Tupac Shakur, once lived in the provincial town of Jarra Soma in the Lower River Region.

The rap legend, who was born in New York, fled America after he was warned that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) was planning to arrest him over gun possession.

Tupac arrived in The Gambia in 1990, when he was only 19 years old, but it’s unclear how he discovered The Gambia.

A sourced said: “Tupac was invited to live in Jarra Soma by the family of Momodou Saidywan, a former politician in the First Republic.”

A member of the Saidywan family, when contacted by What’s On-Gambia, declined to reveal the details of how the American rapper was welcomed in their family.

Tupac returned to the USA a year later after the arrest warrant against him was dropped by the NYPD.

Throughout his career, he seemed to court danger. The New York-born rapper was shot multiple times in Las Vegas in 1996. He was taken to the hospital, where he died six days later.

When contacted, the chief of Jarra West District, Alhaji Yahya Jarjusey, said. “I don’t know Tupac and I am not aware of any ties between him and a Jarrangka family. It could be true, but I don’t know.”

Suge Knight, former Death Row Records CEO, is planning to visit The Gambia to find out more about Tupac’s one year stay in Jarra. He is likely to be accompanied by dozens of international journalists.

Is Jarra about to become the most famous region in the country? More revelations coming soon!