Hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar wrote a touching tribute to his late hero, the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, on the 19th anniversary of his death, Spin reported. Lamar penned an emotional message that was posted to Shakur's website.
"I was 8 yrs old when I first saw you," Lamar recalled in his tribute. "I couldn't describe how I felt at that moment. So many emotions. Full of excitement. Full of joy and eagerness. 20 yrs later I understand exactly what that feeling was. INSPIRED. The people that you touched on that small intersection changed lives forever. I told myself I wanted to be a voice for man one day. Whoever knew I was speaking out loud for u to listen. Thank you. K.L."
Lamar was a child when he first caught a glimpse of his hero. Lamar was perched on top of his father's shoulders as he watched Shakur film a video with fellow hip hop great Dr. Dre at the Compton Swap Meet, according to Rolling Stone. Shakur and Dr. Dre were shooting the video for "California Love," which would later become an iconic, genre-defining hip-hop song.
"I want to say they were in a white Bentley," Lamar told Rolling Stone. "These motorcycle cops trying to conduct traffic but one almost scraped the car, and Pac stood up on the passenger seat, like, 'Yo, what the f---!' Yelling at the police, just like on his mother---ing songs. He gave us what we wanted."
Tupac Shakur died on September 13, 1996 from multiple gunshot wounds he sustained during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nev., according to CNN. Shakur was 25-years-old.
