From Tupac’s Death to LA Wildfires, These Current Events Were Predicted by Movies, Books and Shows

It's almost scary how accurate these predictions about Trump, AI, climate change and more are!

Photo: Getty Images Dia Dipasupil, Win McNamee

They say you canโ€™t predict the future, but one look at this list is bound to change your mind. From predicting President Donald Trumpโ€™s election to the death of one of Hip-Hopโ€™s most prominent figures, these scarily accurate prophecies shaped history forever.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Now, The Root is taking a closer look at some of the most shocking and almost unbelievable predictions made by our favorite novels, films, and TV shows. Be prepared to be spooked!

โ€˜I, Robotโ€™ Predicts Tesla Bots

Screenshot: Tesla on X, Ebay Screenshot: Tesla on X, Ebay

When Will Smithโ€™s 2004 film โ€œI, Robotโ€ hit theaters, no one thought weโ€™d ever live in a world where intelligent robots and self driving cars would exist, but not even 20 years later, here we are. The plot of the movie centered around what happens when high tech robots revolt against humanity, but whatโ€™s even more scary is robots with similar designs were created by Tesla just a few years ago. Tesla bots donโ€™t speak and arenโ€™t part of our daily lives... for now... but you have to admit โ€œI, Robotโ€ gave us a glimpse of what could happen in our near future.

Octavia Butler and the LA Wildfires and Trump

Photo: Getty Images Mario Tama Photo: Getty Images Mario Tama

As The Root previously reported, Octavia Butlerโ€™s 1993 novel, โ€œParable of the Sower,โ€ is told from a 15-year-old girlโ€™s perspective โ€œwho lives in a gated community with her family in a 2024 California ravaged by fires and rocked by political unrest due to an authoritarian president who wants to โ€˜Make America Great Again.โ€™โ€™ Of course, no one wouldโ€™ve thought President Donald Trumpโ€™s MAGA movement would shape the country in the way we see today, but what makes Butlerโ€™s prediction that much more accurate is back in January, California was set ablaze with a series of wildfires that killed dozens and displaced hundreds more, just like in Butlerโ€™s novel.

Why Didnโ€™t We Listen to โ€˜Contagionโ€™ About COVID-19?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sYSyuuLk5g

COVID-19 took the world by storm, but maybe if we paid closer attention to past depictions of pandemics, we wouldโ€™ve learned a thing or two. In the case of the 2011 film โ€œContagion,โ€ a mysterious virus takes over the world as healthcare professionals, government officials, and regular people navigate a deadly pandemic... sounds familiar? In 2020, a similar phenomena changed the world as COVID ravaged every community killing millions and flat out changing society as we know it forever. Itโ€™s been reported Black people accounted for about 15 percent of total COVID deaths.

Snoop Dogg โ€˜Createdโ€™ His Own Murder Case

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE7-H1LjIYc

In 1993, Snoop Dogg released one of his most notable songs, โ€œMurder Was the Case,โ€ just a couple years before heโ€™d go to trial where murder was actually the case. As we all know, Snoop beat the case and went on to rebrand himself from a gangster rapper to one of Americaโ€™s favorite Hip-Hop uncles, but 30 years after the song, the 53-year-old rapper revealed he feels he manifested his potential demise. On โ€œThe Breakfast Club,โ€ Snoop said โ€œMy life and my freedom was on the line.โ€ He continued, โ€œIt just made me feel like my pen created this.โ€

โ€˜Fahrenheit 451' Predicts Reality TV

Photo: Getty Images Frazer Harrison Photo: Getty Images Frazer Harrison

When โ€œFahrenheit 451" was published in 1953, televisions had already made it to everyday Americans households, but you know what hadnโ€™t hit society yet? Reality TV. Today, we all know and love shows like โ€œLove & Hip Hopโ€ and โ€œReal Housewives of Atlanta,โ€ but you may be interested to know one of the first mentions of reality TV happened in the novel by Ray Bradbury. In the book, scripted shows resembling modern reality TV shows have viewers caught up in the lives of people that they only knew through the screen. Like modern reality television, the shows in the novel were scripted to guarantee viewership.

The Game Says Obama Will Take Bin Laden Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76GUCcB1vSg

When former President Barack Obama hit the political scene, Black folks were not only eager at the mere possibility of having a Black president but many musicians began manifesting his win big time. In 2007, The Game dropped a song titled โ€œHard Timesโ€ where he rapped about Obama one day capturing Osama bin Laden, the former leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization who claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. The LA rapper wrote โ€œIโ€™m feeling like a black democrat / Barack Obama, the only n**** that can catch Osamaโ€ way before Obama even set foot in the Oval Office. In 2011, during Obamaโ€™s first term, bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops.

โ€˜The Simpsonsโ€™ Warns About Trump... Twice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd8domztpGw

Over the years, โ€œThe Simpsonsโ€ have been dropped in the spotlight after a long list of scarily accurate predictions. But their best prediction came in 2000 when they warned the world of a Trump presidency. In the episode โ€œBart to the Future,โ€ one of the main characters, Lisa, assumes presidency, taking over the White House after four years of Trump. โ€œAs you know, weโ€™ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump,โ€ she says. To make matters even freakier, in 2016, โ€œThe Simpsonsโ€ predicted Trumpโ€™s second win in 2024... and then a third one.

Jimi Hendrix Warns About Climate Change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wagVqW_cD5c

It wasnโ€™t until the mid โ€˜80s that climate change became a focal point in mainstream media, but back in 1967, rockstar Jimi Hendrix was already expressing his concerns about the planet. His song โ€œUp From The Skiesโ€ was written about an alien that returns to earth to see just how drastically our world has changed. And itโ€™s safe to say heโ€™s disappointed with his findings. โ€œThe smell of a world that has burned / Well, maybe, maybe itโ€™s just a change of climate.โ€

โ€˜1984' Warns About the Dangers of AI Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-_4Sg9w6zg

George Orwellโ€™s โ€œ1984" is one of those classic novels that most of us remember reading when we were younger. But what you might not remember is how accurate the British authorโ€™s book was more than 75 years later. In the novel, Orwell warns about the dangers of technology, but more specifically, he predicted a society were music could be produced โ€œwithout any human intervention,โ€ as the novel states. In 2025, the rise of artificial intelligence has led to AI music being created using the likes of artists like Beyoncรฉ, Drake, The Weeknd, and Justin Bieber just as Orwell predicted.

A$AP Rocky Manifests Having a Family With Rihanna

Photo: Getty Images Jamie McCarthy/ Photo: Getty Images Jamie McCarthy/

A$AP Rocky is the perfect example of manifesting exactly what you want for your future. In 2013, he dropped โ€œFashion Killaโ€ where he raps about styling and profiling with his special lady. But specifically, he name dropped the Bajan billionaire saying โ€œHer attitude Rihanna, she get it from her mama,โ€ which in 2025, means so much more as he and RiRi have a beautiful family with two sons, RZA and Riot Rose. The song continued saying โ€œBut she save it so our babies will be flyer than their parents.โ€ It looks like Rocky got his wish!

โ€˜They Cloned Tyroneโ€™ and Popeyes x Don Julio

Photo: Getty Images Instagram, Jerod Harris Photo: Getty Images Instagram, Jerod Harris

In 2023, โ€œThey Cloned Tyroneโ€ hit Netflix filled with government conspiracies and mistrust, and *spoiler alert* in the end, the government was indeed cloning Black folks for their benefit! But in the middle of the film, the main character, Fontaineโ€” played by John Boyegaโ€” sits down for lunch at a chicken spot with Yo-Yoโ€” played by Teyonah Parrisโ€” and Slick Charlesโ€” played by Jamie Foxx. We wonโ€™t give too much away, but letโ€™s just say their experience at the chicken spot drew strange similarities between the 2020 craze over Popeyes chicken sandwich and the Louisiana restaurantโ€™s recent collab with Don Julio.

Jay-Z Manifests Billionaire Status

Photo: Getty Images David Ramos Photo: Getty Images David Ramos

The Hip-Hop mogul has never shied away from speaking his mind and using his music to manifest what he wants, but the 2013 track โ€œPicasso Babyโ€ took things to a new level when he manifested his own billionaire status. โ€œOh what a feeling, f**k it I want a billion,โ€ he rapped. And just six years later, Jay would get his wish after he was officially named a billionaire in 2019.

โ€˜Back to the Futureโ€™ Predicts Hoverboards, Nike Shoes

Photo: Getty Images Anthony Kwan Photo: Getty Images Anthony Kwan

โ€œBack to the Futureโ€ became the highest-grossing film of 1985 bringing in a total $381.1 million worldwide at the box office, according to reports. But whatโ€™s more interesting about the classic SciFi trilogy is just how the films predicted the future. Although weโ€™re not flying in the sky like Marty McFly, hoverboards have indeed taken over society with many kids even getting one as Christmas presents! And thatโ€™s not all. In 2016, Nike dropped their Nike Mag shoes from โ€œBack to the Future Part II.โ€ The replica of the filmโ€™s high tech sneakers can cost anywhere between $500 to $200,000 on Ebay.

Kanye West Ironically Predicts Kids With Kim Kardashian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY

Kanyeโ€™s 2005 hit โ€œGold Diggerโ€ was meant to warn Black men about women only after them for their money, but two decades later, it seems Mr. West has fallen victim to a similar fate. Now, weโ€™re not saying his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, is a gold digger. We all know she has more than enough money without Ye, but just take a look at some incriminating lyrics from the song: โ€œShe got one of your kids, got you for 18 years / His baby mamma car and crib is bigger than his... My psychic told me sheโ€™ll have a a** like Serena, Trina, Jennifer Lopez, four kids / And I gotta take all they bad asses to ShowBiz?โ€ It seems these lyrics paint a clear picture of Westโ€™s relationship with his ex. Together they have four children, North, Saint, Psalm, and Chicago.

Tupac Predicts His Own Murder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDllENVj8Kk

Just one year before he was tragically gunned down, rapper Tupac recorded the song โ€œIf I Die 2nite,โ€ which, as the song suggests, details what he wants to happen when he dies. The track was for his 1995 project titled โ€œMe Against The World,โ€ the second to last album he would ever release on his own. In the song, the rapper says, โ€œI hope they bury me and send me to my rest, Headlines reading โ€˜Murdered to death, My last breath.โ€ And months later, Tupac would meet an eerily similar fate.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

Steve Harvey's Gorgeous $15 Million Once Owned by Tyler Perry

Steve Harvey’s Gorgeous $15 Million Once Owned by Tyler Perry

With a 70,000 gallon infinity pool to a home theater and wine cellar, Steve Harvey's mansion is one of the most expensive properties in Atlanta, Ga ...
The Best, Black TV Shows, Movies to Stream on AppleTV+

The Best, Black TV Shows, Movies to Stream on AppleTV+

From Brian Tyree Henry getting down and dirty to David Oyelowo searching for a fresh start: we've got what you need to watch! ...

New AI TikTok Trend Has Gorillas Posing as Black Women, and Folks are <i>Pissed</i>

New AI TikTok Trend Has Gorillas Posing as Black Women, and Folks are Pissed

Yes, it's exactly what you think it is. And yes, you should be offended ...
Rumi Carter's Funniest Moment Even Made Beyoncรฉ Stop Singing and Giggle

Rumi Carter’s Funniest Moment Even Made Beyoncรฉ Stop Singing and Giggle

Rumi's latest moment on the Cowboy Carter World Tour was her most adorable yet ...
Why Diddy, Young Thug Attorney Brian Steel Is The White Johnnie Cochran

Why Diddy, Young Thug Attorney Brian Steel Is The White Johnnie Cochran

If you are rich, Black and get caught up, there is only one number you should call ...
'Sinners' Releases in Black American Sign Language. Here's What That Means

‘Sinners’ Releases in Black American Sign Language. Here’s What That Means

The deaf community was plagued by racial segregation, so Black Americans decided to create their own rendition of the language to serve their communities ...
A Burger King Employee Throws a Drink on a Child in Viral Video, and Black TikTok Goes Nuts

A Burger King Employee Throws a Drink on a Child in Viral Video, and Black TikTok Goes Nuts

The video of the volatile incident is making rounds on the internet and has everyone talking ...
Why NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Tried To Play The Black Card...Literally

Why NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Tried To Play The Black Card…Literally

Mamdani appears to have an interesting past when it comes to how he identifies racially, but what's it really all about? ...
If Poor Black, White People Unite, They'd Be An Unstoppable Force, But Here's Why The Powers That Be Won't Let Them

If Poor Black, White People Unite, They’d Be An Unstoppable Force, But Here’s Why The Powers That Be Won’t Let Them

We need to understand that America's current racial political divisions did not happen naturally. People in power did not want Black and white people to work together ...
What Diddy Will Eating and Doing In Prison This Fourth Of July

What Diddy Will Eating and Doing In Prison This Fourth Of July

Wondering what Diddy will be eating and Doing this holiday? Here's all the tea ...
A White Male TikToker Decided To Use Black Hair Relaxer... The Results Will Surprise You

A White Male TikToker Decided To Use Black Hair Relaxer… The Results Will Surprise You

A white TikTok Creator decided to use relaxer on his hair and... it worked? ...
Diddy's Best Friend Charlie Liucci is Being <i>Loud</i> About His Next Moves Will Be Following Acquittal

Diddy’s Best Friend Charlie Liucci is Being Loud About His Next Moves Will Be Following Acquittal

He's been spotted wearing "FREE PUFF" merch, now, Charlie Liucci has an inside scoop on what Diddy will do once released ...
How Baltimore Beat 'The Wire' Homicide Curse Under This Black Mayor

How Baltimore Beat ‘The Wire’ Homicide Curse Under This Black Mayor

Violent crime has plagued Baltimore for generations, and "The Wire's" depiction of drug and gang life surely hasn't helped... but there's hope ...
Best Self-Help Reads for Black Resilience in Uncertain Times

Best Self-Help Reads for Black Resilience in Uncertain Times

In these challenging times, these books can give you the hope you need ...
'Hey Google' and Other Voice Assistants Are Terrifying Children and Confusing Bemused Parents

‘Hey Google’ and Other Voice Assistants Are Terrifying Children and Confusing Bemused Parents

Social media is buzzing about the strange reaction kids are having to smart speakers in their homes ...
Internet Believes Eerie Photo Predicted Black Fort Worth Family's Tragedy

Internet Believes Eerie Photo Predicted Black Fort Worth Family’s Tragedy

A big rig driver admitted he fell asleep at the wheel in Kaufman County before he collided with stopped traffic ...
Why Philadelphia is Going Viral For Streets That Look Like a Landfill

Why Philadelphia is Going Viral For Streets That Look Like a Landfill

Libraries are closed, the medical examiner's office has a backlog of bodies, and trash is piling up everywhere ...
How Bakari Sellers Just Got the Ultimate Revenge on His MAGA CNN Colleague

How Bakari Sellers Just Got the Ultimate Revenge on His MAGA CNN Colleague

Sellers and Jennings often go back and forth on the CNN show, and this was only amplified when Jennings asked Sellers not to touch him during one viral interaction from December ...
The Scary Reason 'American Idol' Winner Jamal Roberts Declined a Key to This Southern Town

The Scary Reason ‘American Idol’ Winner Jamal Roberts Declined a Key to This Southern Town

While Roberts' reasoning is understandable, it's a shame he had to make the decision in the first place ...
A Black Mom Posted Video of a Terrifying Exchange She had with Police in Delaware

A Black Mom Posted Video of a Terrifying Exchange She had with Police in Delaware

Black Mom Says Cops Approached Her and Her Children With Guns Drawn ...