Tupac Shakur

"THIS IS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM HERE 4 ETERNITY. I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOUR ♥... BUT 'GOD' KNOWS THAT 4U I WOULD GO THROUGH THE FIERY DEPTHS OF HELL."

19-YEAR OLD TUPAC SHAKUR PENS A POEM TO HIS SWEETHEART COSIMA, LETTING HER KNOW WHAT SHE STILL MEANS TO HIM

In the summer of 1988, 17-year-old Tupac Shakur and family moved from Baltimore to Marin City, California. There, Tupac attended Tamalpais High School in nearby Mill Valley, where he poured his creative energies into the award-winning, student-run Ensemble Theatre Company, and perhaps most importantly, The Microphone Sessions, a poetry workshop run by Leila Steinberg. Steinberg quickly recognized the future superstar's talent, and took him under her wing, mentoring him in his writing, and even welcoming him into her family's home for a time. This relationship would prove to be pivotal for Tupac's career; not only did Steinberg help Tupac hone his writing skills, she would become his first manager, organizing a concert for his rap group Strictly Dope, with whom Tupac recorded under the stage name MC New York. Steinberg helped broker Tupac's signing with Atron Gregory, manager of Digital Underground, and in 1990, Tupac joined the group as a roadie and back-up dancer, before going on to debut with them in 1991, under the stage name 2Pac. The rest is history.

Cosima, the recipient of the present letter, was a Sophomore and fellow member of the Ensemble Theatre Company. The pair shared a deep connection at this time, just before and in the beginning stages of Tupac's rise to fame, from their first meeting on Cosima's birthday in October 1988, and lasting for approximately 7-8 months. This, and the other letters offered (see lots 101-106) reveal a young man with a tender heart who was fiercely passionate and loved people deeply, who was not afraid to express his emotions and believed in clear communication. His ability to love so deeply and express this love so clearly helps to explain the indelible mark he left on the hearts of those who knew him. A printed program for the Ensemble Theatre Company, which lists both of their names is currently on display at the Tupac Wake Me When I'm Free exhibit in Los Angeles, California.

Cosima clearly held a cherished place in Tupac's heart; he penned the present card when he was on the precipice of stardom. He had recently joined Digital Underground, and would soon make his debut with the group under the stage name 2Pac, before soaring to fame.

Written in the form of a poem titled "What U Mean 2 Me," Tupac sweetly and sincerely expresses how Cosima continued to be dear to his heart, and how fondly he remembered her.

It reads, in full:

"Cosima,/ I was thinking about u and this came to mind./ This card is meant 2 express my feelings/ but words cannot begin/2 thank U 4 being there/ as more than just a friend./ 4 the joy that u have brought me, [I (drawing of an eye)] can never pay u back/ [I (drawing of an eye)] can't say that I really care for u/ Because I feel much more than that./ Who? Knows what the future holds/ For only

[time (drawing of a clock)] can tell/ But "GOD" knows that 4 u I'd go/ to the fiery depths of Hell [drawing of flames]."

Provenance: Courtesy the recipient

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