Tupac Remembered 

Pac and Snoop ran into each other at the party and had a freestyle rap battle whilst their entourages sized each other up in the background. After the freestyle fight ended, everyone went outside for a smoke.

Things were pretty awkward, though; rather than indulging in a"puff, puff, pass", everyone in the group kept their buds to themselves. To break the tension, Snoop passed Pac his joint and returning the favour, Shakur handed Snoop his blunt. 

"We were lookin' at each other. Then I was like, you know what, fuck it. I passed cuz my joint. He took it, and he gave me the blunt. And I'm like, 'Man, what is this?' And he said, 'That's a blunt." He said, 'Nigga, you ain't never had one?' I'm like, "Nah.' He's like, 'Lemme show you how to roll it up.' From that moment on, we clicked". - Snoop Dogg

A blunt served as a peace pipe for the two, who were former rap rivals, and it also helped secure a friendship that lasted until Pac died in 1996. 

This September observes the 26th anniversary of the murder of the legendary rapper, who was just 25 at his death. Tupac has been dead longer than he was alive—yet his music is still as relevant as ever.

 Shakur was famous for working tirelessly on his music, producing enough material to fuel many posthumous albums. Just like his '90s hip-hop counterparts, many of his songs were filled with references to smoking weed. Tupac was very open about his love of cannabis, in what could be seen as an early attempt to "normalise" the habit, long before reform began. "smoking weed was am everyday thing in my household, and drinking liquor till you out cold."

Cut down at the pinnacle of his music career; there will always be the unanswered question of what else he may have achieved. The murder remaining unsolved only adds to the feeling of disappointment and unfairness of the situation. However, Pac did leave us with the musings of a man who bared his soul and kept it real and relatable.

"As much as he was viewed as a troublemaker, he was very insightful, very thought-provoking, he would speak up about issues in the community. He turned thug life into something that was meaningful and inspiring to young Black men and women. When he passed, it was gone too soon, gone for a reason, because he had something to say. His words had impacted the world in such a way." -Las Vegas-based journalist Andreas Hale.