Eminem’s Letter To Tupac Shakur’s Mom Expresses His Love For The Late Rapper, Includes Drawing By Marshal Mathers
Eminem’s letter to Tupac Shakur’s mom expressed his love for the late rapper, and also included an original drawing by Marshall Mathers, Eminem’s real name.
Eminem penned an emotional letter to Shakur’s mom, Afeni Shakur, which is currently on display at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Eminem credits the late “California Love” rapper for his success in the music industry, and wanted to share his feelings about Tupac with his mother.
Originally, there was skeptiscism regarding the authenticity of the letter and the drawing. However, Marshall Mather’s record label, Shady Records, confirmed that the handwriting was indeed his, and the drawing is authentic.
Check out a hand-written letter and illustration from @Eminem to Tupac’s mother: http://t.co/2p2DbpTVQ5 pic.twitter.com/qPmxtDKjXF
— Power 105.1 (@Power1051) July 15, 2015
Read the letter in it’s entirety below.
“Dear Afeni, Sorry if it looks a little sloppy. I could’ve done a little better if I had the right pencils. Instead, I had to draw it in pen. Plus, I just kind of thought of the idea a little too late. But, I have been drawing since I was 10, and I thought you might like it. Anyways, thank you for always being so kind to me. You are a true Queen, and I mean that with every sense of the word. I will never forget the opportunities you have given me. You will always be in my heart, my thoughts, and my prayers. As I have said before, you have no idea how much your son and his music has inspired me, not only the ‘Hip Hop’ world, but, speaking for myself, has inspired my whole career. He was, and still is, the true definition of a ‘Soldier.’ When I was at my worst; (before fame, before Dre) I knew I could put that ‘Tupac’ tape in, and suddenly, things weren’t so bad. He gave me the courage to stand up and say ‘F*** the world. This is who I am! And if you don’t like it, go f*** yourself.’ Thank you for giving us his spirit, and yours. God Bless you! Love, Marshall
The letter remains undated, but appeared in the 2008 book, Tupac Remembered. However, the letter recently started going viral again after it was shared on reddit, according to Rolling Stone.
[NEW] Eminem Writes Letter To Tupac’s Mother http://t.co/VHVrF02ToR pic.twitter.com/e3uSTviKxn — The Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) July 15, 2015
Mathers has always been a fan of Tupac’s, and he has referenced the rapper on more than one occasion in his lyrics.
In his song “Marshall Mathers,” he sings: “Pissed off, cause Biggie and ‘Pac just missed all this/ Watchin’ all these cheap imitations get rich off ’em/ and get dollars that shoulda been there’s like they switched wallets. In “Evil Twin” he raps: “F*** top 5, b****, I’m top 4/ And that includes Biggie and Pac, w***e.”
In other Eminem news, the rapper just released the video for “Phenomenal,” his contribution to the Southpaw soundtrack. The seven-minute, action-packed video focuses on superhero films like Lucy and Avengers for inspiration. The Southpaw soundtrack, due to be released on July 24, also features another song by Eminem, “Kings Never Die,” a collaboration with Gwen Stefani.
[Photo by Christopher Polk / Getty Images]
