It seems that whilst many rappers spend years hyping up their beef the real heavyweights share something of a mutual respect, even years after the murder of one of rap’s biggest names.

It isn’t clear exactly when Eminem (Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady, take your pick) penned his emotional letter to Afeni Shakur, the mother of gunned down rapper Tupac, but we do know that it was some time before 2008. What is clear is that the man responsible for hits such as ‘Changes’ and ‘California Love’ had a profound impact on Eminem and the way in which he approached the world.

Here’s the letter in its entirety courtesy of Rolling Stone:

He also enclosed a drawing with the letter which, to be fair, is a pretty decent effort.

It definitely pays to be on the rapper’s good side then, not least because he won’t tear you apart in one of his songs. Just ask Mariah Carey, she certainly found that out the hard way.

[source:rollingstone]