Rapper Ray Luv remembers selling cracks for less than a week with his close friend Tupac Shakur.
Inside dear momLuv, a new documentary series about Shakur’s life and career, recalled his friendship with the legendary rapper and their financial struggles that led them to turn to drug dealing. However, it did not go as planned.
“We were terrible at selling cracks,” said Luv, 51, in the first episode of the series. “We were the worst crack dealers in the history of crack dealers.”
He continued, “I sold crack for about five days. I think I sold my crack for seven days because mostly I couldn’t sell my crack, which is weird.”
The “Last Nite” rapper went on to explain that they were not available for the concert and that Shakur’s good heart intervened.
“We realized very quickly that this was not our way out. Because capitalism requires you to have a relatively low level of empathy,” he said. “And[Shakur’s]level of empathy was slightly higher than most people. He didn’t believe in hurting or killing black people. So if a person is taking drugs with their daughter or son, they’re not going to get away with it.”
Elsewhere in the episode, audio clips of Shakur describe his mother, Afeni Shakur, who is also the subject of the documentary, as his “hero”.
“My mom is really my dad and mom. She’s very strict with us but now I can see how it worked because I could talk to my mom about everything. I could say, ‘Mom, I’m really curious about this medicine.’ He used to say, ‘I did it and that’s what happened, so I don’t think you should.’ The “California Love” rapper said in an old clip, “So he’s my guide through my life.”
“He’s human, he makes mistakes and we argue and stuff. But that’s fine,” he concluded.
The Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Frank Mullen/WireImage
Her mentor and first manager, Leila Steinberg, explained that she had a hard time expressing her trauma, partially caused by her mother’s addiction, and later shone in her music.
“He was just like me. We hide behind a smile and pretend we’re okay. He couldn’t really reveal how hurt he was. But everything he wrote was a roadmap for understanding the situation,” Steinberg said.
Watch Shakur’s five-part documentary series, which draws parallels with his career as a hip-hop icon and his mother’s activism, on FX Friday. It will air the next day on Hulu.