Tupac Shakur held many correspondences to keep in touch with loved ones when he served a prison sentence in the mid-90s. He wrote letters to his then-girlfriend Desiree Smith and also sent explicit illustrations. A selection of these items are being placed up for auction this week, one of which is an illustration, penned by the rapper himself, depicting 2Pac and his girlfriend enjoying NSFW physical intimacy on a couch. The words "Missing You Deeply," and "forever with love" are etched into the frame as well, pointing to genuine romantic feelings as opposed to reductive lust. This drawing can we viewed here.
According to Steiner Auctions, who is overseeing the sale, the drawing, envelope, and card were created while the rapper was locked up at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY in 1995. The items are set to go up for auction on December 24.
Last month, two letters written by an even younger Tupac were places on the auction block as well. They were written for a love interest during his time at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore. Averel, the young woman to whom the letters were addressed, is said to have sold the letter to auction house Moments in Time last year.