Tupac Amaru Shakur is a legendary figure in his own right. He began his career as part of the rap group Digital Underground and climbed to honorary success, ultimately becoming one of the highest-paid rap stars of his era. His unfortunate death took a toll on the hip-hop community, as his unapologetic persona and authentic rhymes cannot be matched.
Shakur did not shy away from the public eye and lived his life in front of millions, which oftentimes included his relationships. Nineties couples were just a decade shy away from experiencing the notorious tabloids and obsessive paparazzi that took over the early 2000s. But for Tupac, one of his most infamous photographs caused a major uproar in the hip-hop community.
The photo saw Tupac hanging out with Faith Evans, who was married to the Notorious B.I.G. at the time, and leaning on her shoulder. At that point, the East vs. West Coast beef was at its peak, and when the photos of Evans and Shakur surfaced, rumors swirled of a possible sexual relationship between the two. This speculation gained more traction after Pac released his diss track “Hit ‘Em Up,” where he rapped, “That’s why I fucked yo’ b*tch, you fat motherfucker/Westside, Bad Boy killers.” Evans has denied claims that the two had anything more than a friendship.
But Tupac’s rumored relationships do not stop there. In recent news, Pac’s name has been tied to longtime childhood friend Jada Pinkett Smith. The two have been rumored to have had a romantic relationship, but Jada continues to deny the speculation to this day.
Upon the release of her memoir, Pinkett Smith spoke of their friendship, saying that the late rapper was her “soulmate” and “If there is such a thing as past lives, I definitely think that Pac and I have traveled a few together.” When asked if the two were romantically involved, Pinkett Smith clarified that she and Pac had a “friend-love chemistry,” adding, “It was like God made us that way. It was like, look, I’m going to put y’all together, right? Y’all are going to be a dynamic duo. But I’m going to tell you right now, I’m going to make it so y’all are not going to be able to get together ’cause that just wasn’t the purpose.”
The rapper’s biopic, All Eyez on Me, insinuated that he and Pinkett Smith had an ongoing relationship. But the Red Table Talk host continues to confirm that the two were never romantically involved.
Throughout his reign, the MC had many flings and relationships, ranging from Madonna to adult film star Heather Hunter. He even married Keisha Morris while serving an 11-month sentence for sex abuse charges at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York. Here’s a full list of the icon’s short-lived flings and passionate relationships leading up to his shocking death in September 1996 in Las Vegas.
