Not that long after the release of the biopic "All Eyez on Me," a prison letter written by tupac himself has surfaced online. The letter was to pop singer and cultural icon Madonna, and it explains, in great personal detail, why he decided to end their already low profile, relationship. Many fans of the legendary rapper and the singer were shocked by the news that he and Madonna had even dated, and that he was willing to break up with her for such a controversial reason.
Tupac's legacy
Tupac Shakur was a rapper from East Harlem, NY known among family and friends for his desire to empower the Black community.
Born to a Black Panther mother, he was raised on the ideals of Afrocentrism and community, and he made music that spoke on issues afflicting Black people in America. These issues ranged from gang violence to drugs and sex, to police brutality. This solidified him as part of a wave of, now iconic, artists, such as Snoop Dogg and Notorious B.I.G.
Much of his lyrical content contained these ideas, and his music was, and still is, often cited in conversations about race relations in the United States.
Tupac, and other rappers like him, were also deemed to be negative cultural influences by the government. They believed his music incited violence against authority figures and promoted gang culture, something the rapper denied vehemently.
In 1995, Tupac was sentenced to 18 months in jail. This was due to a sex-abuse charge brought up against the rapper by a woman who claimed he took advantage of her in his room at the Parker Meridien Hotel.
The letter
The, now public, 1995 letter was obtained and published by TMZ, and explicitly explains why the couple split.
This comes after Madonna's 2015 announcement that she actually dated Tupac sometime before his death in 1996.
New Tupac letter reveals his relationship with him and Madonna pic.twitter.com/aV4nxKROCp
— 2Pac News (@2pacnews) July 5, 2017
In the letter, he states that, due to his image, he would no longer be able to be with Madonna.
He detailed that her notoriety as a pop star would only increase if she were to be seen dating a Black man, but his credibility as a pro-Black rapper would decrease if he were to be seen with her.
Shakur wrote, "I felt due to my ‘image’ I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was."
The fallout
Madonna has yet to openly respond to the public's recent revelations. The letter, which has been certified authentic by Rolling Stone, will also be sold at the "Gotta Have Rock and Roll" auction from July 19-28.