A letter from one icon to another

In 2015, Madonna claimed she dated Tupac in an interview with Howard Stern and many people didn't believe her. How could the Thug Life black activist, rapper, and actor Tupac Shakur date Madonna? But after being backed up by the rappers late mother Afeni Shakur who confirmed that the two did date for a period of time, people saw it more so as a fling. But a newly revealed letter from the rapper to the pop star herself sheds new light on the reality and truth of their relationship. Dated January 15, 1995, at 4:30 a.m., the letter, published in part by TMZ, and was written during Tupac’s time in prison at the Clinton Correctional Facility. The love letter, is still partially private but it mentions a fight that took place between the two of them, his battle within himself about his public image, and the pressures that Tupac felt while dating someone as famous as Madonna.

An excerpt from the letter says “First and foremost, I must apologize to you because, like you said, I haven’t been the kind of friend I know I am capable of being,” he wrote. “An interview where you said ‘I’m off to rehabilitate all the rappers & basketball players’ or something to that effect those words cut me deep seeing how I had never known you to be with any rappers besides myself. It was at this moment out of hurt & and natural instinct to strike back and defend my heart & ego that I said a lot of things.”
He later offers to stay friends and warned her against people who are “not as honorable as they seem.” The note ends with a request that she comes to see him so they can talk more in person. “I don’t know how you feel about visiting me but if you could find it in your heart, I would love to speak face to face with you. It’s funny but this experience has taught me to not take time for granted.” The letter is set to go up for auction at Gotta Have Rock and Roll with a starting bid of $100,000. This isn't the first time a love letter from Tupac has been discussed though.

In the latest blockbuster movie “All Eyez on Me”, Tupac’s character is depicted giving Jada Pinkett-Smith a love letter. This was something that people went crazy about at first when remembering that the two had a very special friendship. But Jada later denied that such a letter ever existed in the first place. Be that as it may we know that Tupac was more than just a thug and really embodied more than just being hardcore. The icon had a lot of that California Love in him and showed it to those he thought deserved it.

-Andrew Wilborn