Kendrick Lamar commemorated the 19th death anniversary of rapper Tupac Shakur. In his memory, the 28-year-old hip hop recording artist from Compton, California has penned a poignant letter on the official website of 2Pac.
Kendrick described what he felt when he first met Tupac in his letter. "I was 8 yrs old when I first saw you. I couldn't describe how I felt at that moment. So many different emotions. Full of excitement. Full of joy and eagerness," he wrote. "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. Thank you."
Vulture reported that the intersection being referred by the "Money Trees" rapper is that of the Compton Swap Meet. It is the place where Tupac and Dr. Dre filmed the music video for "California Love."
Kendrick remembered sitting atop his father's shoulders, watching the duo drive by in a white Bentley. "These motorcycle cops trying to conduct traffic, but one almost scraped the car, and Pac stood up on the passenger seat, like, 'Yo, what the fuck!' Yelling at the police, just like on his motherfucking songs," he told Rolling Stone. "He gave us what we wanted."
The BET Hip Hops Awards winner has filmed his "King Kunta" music video at the same location where he sewed together an ersatz dialogue with Tupac on "Mortal Man." A nod to the late rapper, he used sound bites from the latter's interview with Swedish journalist Mats Nileskär in 1994.
Kendrick told Tupac on that track that "Being one of your offspring of the legacy you left behind I can truly tell you that there's nothing but turmoil goin' on." As a matter of fact, he even considered to branding his album Tu Pimp a Caterpillar (TuPaC) - before deciding to stick with "To Pimp a Butterfly."