On the anniversary of Tupac Shakur’s death, Kendrick Lamar has penned a letter to the late rapper, describing the way in which the Harlem hip-hop star inspired his own career.
Marking the 19th anniversary of Tupac’s death on 13 September, the note, which was published on the official Tupac website, reads:
I was 8 yrs old when I first saw you. I couldn’t describe how I felt at that moment. So many emotions. Full of excitement. Full of joy and eagerness. 20 yrs later I understand exactly what that feeling was. INSPIRED.
The people that you touched on that small intersection changed lives forever. I told myself I wanted to be a voice for man one day. Whoever knew I was speaking out loud for u to listen.
Kendrick Lamar’s admiration for Tupac Shakur was a key part of his recent album, To Pimp A Butterfly. As well as the last track on the album in which Lamar interviews the late rapper, using his own voice dubbed over an old interview, he has also said that To Pimp a Butterfly’s original title was Tu Pimp a Caterpillar, a tribute to Tupac.
This month, a pair of handwritten lyric sheets written during Tupac’s prison sentence will go on auction at Sotheby’s. The sheets include drafts of Tupac’s Ambitionz Az a Ridah and lines from the outro of Tradin’ War Stories, and are expected to sell for over $100,000 (£64,735). The auction will take place on 29 September.
