The death of 2Pac in 1996 and Biggie Smalls in 1997 were catastrophes that saw hip-hop lose two of its most skilled lyricists and caused the culture to go into an extended period of mourning. However, hidden gems and lost tales involving the two still live on and in the 2022 book It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him by Justin Tinsley, fans became aware of a rather odd story involving an exchange of gifts between the pair.
In the early 1990s, 2Pac (real name Tupac Shakur) and Biggie Smalls always hung out, and the Brooklyn rapper was one of Shakur’s best industry friends. Following the release of 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, the Oakland musician instantly became a star and quickly appeared on the big screen, first in Juice and then in the 1993 film Poetic Justice.
In 1993, Biggie Smalls (real name Christopher Wallace) had just released his debut single ‘Party & Bullsh*t’ and, to his surprise, Tupac himself was a fan of the song. That year, the pair met on the set of Poetic Justice and quickly began forming a friendship.
In a story chronicled by Justin Tinsley, while 2Pac was in New York, he met Wallace and his Junior M.A.F.I.A. groupmate Chico Del Vec at a Manhattan hotel. “Yo, Chic, let’s go meet this n*gga Tupac,” Big said, according to Tinsley. “We gonna go uptown. He in this hotel. I gotta link up with him to do this song. Go get the thing and come back.”
According to the chronicling of Tinsely, Chico Del Vec returned with a gun for Tupac. However, after he bought the gun, Biggie suggested, “Yo, let’s get a bouquet of flowers and let’s get on the train.” According to Tinsley, when they got to the hotel, Tupac was flattered that Big brought him a bouquet along with a gun and stated, “Yo, Big, you brought me flowers, man? I brought the flowers for you, man.”
However, Tinsley recalled that Madonna then entered the room, writing, “She was just smiling, and she gives ‘Pac a kiss on the cheek and he gives her flowers. I was like, ‘Ohhhh snap!'” Del Vec recounted. “She left out the room, and ‘Pac sat back down. I’m just sitting there in shock.”
After 2Pac’s 1994 shooting in the lobby of Quad Studios, Shakur quickly turned on Wallace and what ensued was a horrific feud that saw a lot of bloodshed and eventually death. You can watch the pair hanging out in the video below.
