Nothing Can Come Between Us

Beneath the title stand just two words: “4 John”. Who this friend was, the book does not explain. What is certain is the weight the dedication carries: Nothing Can Come Between Us opens the second and most extensive section of the book The Rose That Grew from Concrete and gives it its name.

Friends When It Was Neither Easy Nor Fashionable

Unlike most poems in this section, the text is not a love poem, but a declaration of love to a friend. It begins with an invitation: waste no words on money, forget the world for a moment, and simply enjoy the comradeship. The speaker promises that not a day will pass on which he forgets the time they shared.

The middle of the poem identifies the reason for this loyalty. John stood by him when the speaker was at his lowest, at a time when being his friend was neither easy nor fashionable. That is why the promise also applies to the future: no matter how popular he may become, John will remain his unconditional friend.

Lines on Popularity, Long Before the Breakthrough

It is precisely this line about popularity that is remarkable. According to the preface by Afeni Shakur, the poems were written between 1989 and 1991, before Tupac became known as a rapper and actor; a more precise date is not documented. He already wrote here as if fame were only a matter of time, and as if he knew that fame puts friendships to the test.

The theme of loyalty runs through Tupac’s entire body of work. In the book, the poem is closely tied to What of Fame?, which captures the downside of celebrity in three lines. The editors ultimately made the title the heading for 33 poems-almost all of them about love and friendship.

More on the book in the introduction.