285 words · 1 min
Dear 2Pac: We'll Always Remember You
A 1999 collection of fan letters, poems and artwork sent after Tupac's death, with a preface by Afeni Shakur, a fan book in the literal sense.
- Full title
- Dear 2pac: We’ll Always Remember You, Fan Letters, Poems, Art
- Published
- August 1999 by Destiny Merchandising, Los Angeles; distributed by Music Sales (New York) and Omnibus Press (London)
- Length
- about 160 pages according to catalogue records; large-format paperback with plenty of colour artwork
- ISBN
- 0-8256-1758-8
- Preface
- Afeni Shakur
- Editor
- credited inconsistently, the Internet Archive lists Afeni Shakur as creator, while Open Library and Amazon name a Josh Sims.
Dear 2Pac: We’ll Always Remember You is a large-format book in which the voices are not journalists or insiders but the fans themselves. It collects letters, poems and pictures that were sent to Tupac’s family and fan club after his death. The book is in English; according to the publisher’s description, the contributions came from fans all over the world.
The facts
What it’s about
Think of it as a printed book of condolence. It gathers grief, anger, gratitude and admiration: handwritten letters, original poems, drawings and portraits. In her preface, Afeni Shakur reflects on what her son’s music meant to a generation. There is no life story here. What the book shows is the effect Tupac had on his listeners in the period right after his death.
Verdict
A fan book in the most literal sense, published from within the family’s circle. As a source on Tupac’s life it offers little; as a historical document it is valuable. It captures how fans mourned in the years after 1996, long before social media collected such reactions. We found no reviews in the trade press. Today it turns up mostly second-hand; a scanned copy is available to borrow from the Internet Archive.
More on Tupac’s mother at Afeni Shakur; more titles under Books.
People in this text