A reflective photograph of artists Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett Smith on top of the Baltimore high-rises in 1988. In 1991 Shakur released his first album "2Pacalypse Now" which went gold and introduced the classic urban song "Brenda's Got a Baby" He wrote the powerful song while filming his first feature film Juice, after reading a newspaper article about a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant by her cousin and threw the baby into a trash compactor.

In 1993 Jada Pinkett Smith went on to star in the urban film Menace II Society. In a recent interview Jada Pickett said of her late friend “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Tupac, I think about him every single day.” This photograph depicts the dreams, ambitions and perseverance of two amazing and talented artists frozen in time for all to see.

When Tupac died in 1996, it shook a lot of people, but for Treach, it broke something deep inside. This wasn’t just a friend or collaborator. Pac was like family.

They came up together from the very bottom, just two kids grinding in the shadows. Treach was rolling with Queen Latifah’s camp, Pac with Digital Underground. Before the stages and cameras, they were carrying bags and setting up shows. Treach would always say, “Pac had that fire even then, you knew he was gonna be a star.”

So when Pac was murdered in Vegas, Treach didn’t head to the studio right away. He sat in silence, looked at old photos, played Pac’s verses over and over. He didn’t want to make a “song” he wanted to write a letter. Something that would speak to Pac’s spirit. That’s how “Mourn You Til I Join You” was born.

This wasn’t about charts or radio plays. It was Treach pouring every memory and every ounce of pain into a mic. He didn’t hold back, he rapped about the wild nights, the prison letters, the phone calls full of laughter and rage. He talked about seeing Pac laid out in a casket, and the gut-punch of losing someone who was supposed to be untouchable.

“Even all the prayers can't bring you back to us / I’ll mourn you til I join you ‘cause I’ll keep in touch.”

That wasn’t just a hook. That was a promise.

Every June 16th, Treach still celebrates Pac’s birthday. He plays his music loud, tells stories, laughs, and sometimes tears up. That’s the kind of bond they had—ride or die in life, and still loyal in death.

So when you listen to “Mourn You Til I Join You,” you're not hearing a rapper rap. You're hearing a man speak to his brother. One last message across the divide. And for Treach, it’ll never be the last.

"Ridin' Dirty" is the 3rd studio album by #Texas based hip-hop duo #UGK.
It was released on July 30, 1996, by Jive Records.
Featured production work primarily from: #PimpC with tracks also from N.O. Joe, Mr. 3-2, Sergio
Features guest appearances from: Mr. 3-2,
Ronnie Spencer, Smoke D, C-Note (of Botany Boyz) Big Smokin' Mitch, N.O. Joe.
The album became one of the most influential albums in Southern hip-hop, especially the #Houston hip-hop scene. Prior to his murder in 1996, West Coast rapper #TupacShakur listened to the album after being introduced to the group by Houston rapper #Scarface. Shakur would go on to praise the album.

"Hail Mary" by #Tupac took under one hour to create.
The lyrics were written in about 15 minutes, and the recording took about 5 minutes.
The beat, created by Hurt-M-Badd, took approximately 20-30 minutes.
"Hail Mary" was a single from his album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. This album was certified 4xs platinum by the RIAA.

On October 12, 1995, Tupac is released from prison, New York. Where he was imprisoned from February 8, 1995 on a $1.4 million bail. Which was put up by Death Row Records (after signing to them, unfortunately). He flies to Los Angeles & begins recording his new album-- All Eyez On Me⁣⁣
⁣⁣
He went straight to the studio & recorded “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” and “I Ain’t Mad At Cha” in the same day. ⁣⁣

Classic shot of Tupac with his hands crossed, taken before the ATL Freaknik days of the ’90s.

#2Pac