NEWS: Tupac Shakur’s Newly Found Handwritten Letters Reveal He Wanted To Unify The East And West Coast

Tupac Shakur’s Newly Found Handwritten Letters Reveal He Wanted To Unify The East And West Coast

Tupac Shakur reveals plans to unify the East and West Coast in newly found handwritten letters from the late rapper. While writing to his friend Big Lock, Pac discusses his plans to drop One Nation, a collaborative album that would have featured Greg Nice, Buckshot, Smiff-N-Wessun, Scarface, E-40 and OutKast. He had plans to drop the record in the summer, but it never came to fruition. Unfortunately, the letter isn’t dated, so who knows when these plans were made and why the album never happened.

It seems like Pac’s beef with Notorious B.I.G. was already underway at the time of the letter. The west coast legend also discusses the success of his most recent record, which is unnamed. 2Pac tells Lock he doesn’t “sweat the b*tch made n*ggaz that try to playa hate” as he wraps up his note. “Tell my real doggz, my real true n*ggaz ‘One Love,’” he adds toward the end.

Okayplayer confirmed the validity of the letter after speaking with ?uestlove. Apparently, The Roots were also contacted in the mid-90s to appear on the project. Hip-hop would have loved to hear such an album, especially a collabo with Tupac and OutKast.

Bonhams, a privately owned British auction house and one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques, also recently announced that on March 1 they are launching an entertainment memorabilia auction. In the auction, there’s a collection of rare handwritten letters from Tupac Shakur for sale. These letters that Shakur wrote to his friend Desiree Smith while he was imprisoned in upstate New York in 1995 have never been seen by the public and offer a fresh perspective on this important period in the iconic rapper’s life. The letters are addressed to Pac’s friend Desiree Smith while he was imprisoned in upstate New York in 1995. It included who he believed was behind the shooting at Quad Records and who set him up on the sexual abuse charge that sent him to prison, as well as his feelings about imprisonment and his short-lived marriage to Keisha Morris. Also included in the offering is a statement signed by Shakur and witnessed by Smith, dated July 30, 1995, authorizing Death Row Records attorney David Kenner to negotiate on Shakur’s behalf. It is an important document marking the beginning of Shakur’s relationship with Suge Knight (who’s currently facing a murder and attempted murder charge.)

The auction will preview on Feb. 27-28 in Los Angeles. Read the full letters above and below.

Images Credit: Courtesy of Bonhams———————————-

Lot 1343

A TUPAC SHAKUR HANDWRITTEN LETTER

Autograph letter signed (“2PAC”), 1 p, Dannemora, New York, postmarked August 15, 1995, to Desiree Smith. Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope, also in Tupac’s hand. Tupac writes to Desiree that he is divorcing his wife Keisha: “This time it’s final … I’m / not depressed I’m happy almost. The jealousy / and immaturity was too much.” Their divorce would not be finalized until the following year.

Tupac ends the letter, “Be / Careful!!! / The Walking Dead / Jack Agnant R.I.P. / Tut R.I.P. / Jimmy Ace R.I.P.” In this list, Tupac names the people he felt were behind the shooting at Quad Studios, “Haitian Jack” Agnant, Walter “King Tut” Johnson, and James “Jimmy Ace” Rosemond. Tupac later publicized these beliefs in his song “Against All Odds” on his posthumous album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

8 x 10 1/2 in.

Estimate: $1,500 – 2,000

Images Credit: Courtesy of Bonhams———————————-

Lot 1342

A TUPAC SHAKUR HANDWRITTEN STATEMENT REGARDING DEATH ROW RECORDS

Autograph letter signed (“Tupac A Shakur”), 1 p, n.p. [but Dannemora, New York], July 30, 1995, additionally signed (“Desiree Smith”) by Desiree Smith. In this statement, Tupac authorizes David Kenner, the attorney for Death Row Records, to “receive copies of my / contracts and royalty statements” and gives him “permission to negotiate / on my behalf.” Tupac formally signed his infamous three-page handwritten contract with Suge Knight of Death Row Records on September 16, 1995, but this document shows that their negotiations had started almost two months prior. In that contract, Tupac would authorize Knight to act as his manager and Kenner as his lawyer, an arrangement which Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur would criticize as a conflict of interest in her lawsuit against the label after Tupac’s death.

5 7/8 x 8 7/8 in.

Estimate: $1,200 – 1,800

[OKP]