Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear apologizes to Tupac Shakur over coronavirus unemployment claim

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Tupac Shakur have squashed their beef.

State officials are working to resolve an unemployment claim filed last month by Shakur, a Kentucky man not related to the iconic hip-hop artist, after Beshear pointed it out on Monday as an example of fake claims that had been filed in the commonwealth.

“The governor was advised that a fraudulent claim had been filed in the name of Tupac Shakur. It now appears that a Kentuckian by that name has filed a claim," Beshear spokesman, Sebastian Kitchen, told The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Tuesday. "This morning, Gov. Beshear called Mr. Shakur to apologize. The Office of Unemployment Insurance is working to resolve the claim.”

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With all eyes on him at his daily coronavirus press briefing Monday afternoon, Beshear used the filing to make a point — fraudulent claims are slowing unemployment distribution for others who really need that money.

"We had somebody apply for unemployment for Tupac Shakur here in Kentucky," Beshear said Monday. "That person probably thought they were being funny, they probably did — except for the fact that because of them, we've got to go through so many other claims, and one person thinking that they were funny, using somebody else's identity, is going to make tens of thousands … of other people wait."

Beshear had a point about fraudulent claims. But he picked the wrong one to use as an example.

Shakur is a real person, and his claim was legitimate — he's a 46-year-old cook who worked at Lexington's Alfalfa’s and Lynagh’s restaurant before it closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which got in touch with him after Beshear's briefing.

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Kentucky's Tupac Shakur goes by Malik, his middle name, according to the Herald-Leader. A Muslim, he changed his name around 1998, as the last name Shakur means “thankful to God” in Arabic.

He is not, however, related to Tupac Shakur the rapper, who released several platinum albums in the 1990s before he was killed in an unsolved shooting in 1996. Conspiracy theories surrounding his death have become a part of popular culture since then.

Tupac Malik Shakur got an apology from the governor Tuesday morning over the phone, and unemployment officials are working to resolve his claim.

During his Tuesday press conference, Beshear again apologized and thanked Shakur for being "so kind" during their conversation earlier.

Shakur's response? I ain't mad at cha, according to Beshear.

"He was gracious," the governor said. "I said I’m sorry if I embarrassed him and caused him any attention he didn’t want, and he was very kind. He ended the call ‘God bless,’ and we’re going to make sure that we resolve his claim."

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Reporter Joe Sonka contributed. Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach. Support strong local journalism and subscribe: www.courier-journal.com/lucasa.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Tupac Shakur coronavirus unemployment claim spurs Andy Beshear apology