September 13, 2011 will mark the 15-year anniversary of Tupac Shakur’s death. XXL pays homage to the beloved, fallen rap legend in the mag’s forthcoming September issue, celebrating all things ’Pac.
For the special tribute issue, XXL Editor-In-Chief Vanessa Satten sat down with Tupac’s biological father, Bill Garland. Among the interesting and revealing topics discussed, Mr. Garland offered a heartfelt description of his son’s giving nature. “[Tupac] cared for people,” he said. “That was his main thing. He really cared for people. I think that’s why he would get so upset when people tried to question his commitment, his love for Black women or Black men. The East Coast/West Coast, you know, that’s a fabrication. I don’t have to begin to tell you that. So when that was questioned, it bothered him. Because he would give his heart or soul. He was a giving person. He would give anything to people. He would go in a store. [If there was a] Black man who couldn’t afford a $1,500 pair of boots, he would buy ’em for him. Think that Black man would ever forget Tupac? That’s just the way he is. But I don’t think that he did it for that. He did it because he had it, and he didn’t. That’s the way he is.”
In addition, XXL spoke with ’Pac’s ex-wife, Keisha Morris, who shared the intimate details of their relationship. “I knew Tupac,” she said. “No one can take that away. I really knew him, and he would never hurt me.”
