Jada Pinkett Smith is sharing a never-before-seen poem written by late friend Tupac Shakur as she honors what would have been his 50th birthday.
The actress, 49, posted a video on Instagram Tuesday night ahead of the rapper’s Wednesday birthday, showcasing a handwritten poem titled “Lost Soulz” that he gave to her. Pinkett Smith said she “went down memory lane” and looked back on the “many letters and many poems” Shakur sent to her.
“I don’t think this one has ever been published,” she said in the clip. “… I don’t think he would have minded that I shared this with you guys.” She then read aloud the poem, which talks of death and includes the artist saying, “Let me live to see what was gold in me/ Before it is all too late.”
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Tupac Shakur (left) and Jada Pinkett Smith
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Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage Jada Pinkett Smith and Tupac Shakur
Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997 when he was 25 years old. Pinkett Smith and Shakur met on the first day of high school in Baltimore and grew increasingly close until she walked away from their friendship when she felt his life was getting too dangerous. The former friends were estranged at the time of his death, after a fight led to their separation.
On her Red Table Talk show in 2019, Pinkett Smith opened up about the “complex relationship” she had with Shakur, recalling how “we were an anchor for each other.”
RELATED VIDEO: Jada Pinkett Smith Fights Back Tears as She Recalls ‘Complex Relationship’ with Tupac Shakur
In the caption of her Instagram upload, Pinkett Smith said the late rapper had a “way with words” and spoke of honoring his legacy.
“Tupac Amaru Shakur would have been 50 midnight tonight! As we prepare to celebrate his legacy … let’s remember him for that which we loved most … his way with words,” she wrote. “Here are a few you may have never heard before✨ Happy ‘you goin’n to be 50 at midnight’ Birthday Pac! 😆 I got next 😜 P.s I was planning to post tomorrow which is why the video says today is Pac’s bday. But I decided to start earlyyyyy ✨.”
