Had Tupac Shakur’s life not been cut short on September 13, 1996, today would mark the hip-hop legend’s 44th birthday. Almost two decades after his death, ‘Pac is still being celebrated for his contributions to music and film, and to his community.
While most of you know the lyrics to every track on All Eyez On Me, as well as ‘Pac’s memorable turn as Bishop in Juice, there are a few facts about Shakur you might not know—for example, ‘Pac wouldn’t touch vegetables, and he was planning to open a restaurant in Los Angeles before he died called Powamekka Cafe. What’s up with the name? LA Weekly explains:
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[Powamekka Cafe was] a play on the words “power” and “Mecca,” and billed as a “passionate paradise 4 people with power 2 play and parlay,” as he was quoted describing it in the 2006 book Tupac Shakur: Legacy.
‘Pac never got the chance to formally announce its menu to the world; like many celebrity-conceived spots, it likely never got too far out of the planning stage.
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LA Weekly writer Phillip Mlynar interviewed Smif-n-Wessun members Tek and Steele (who spent time with Tupac at his L.A. mansion), along with Digital Underground’s Shock G, about the rapper’s eating habits. Here are some illuminating ‘Pac facts from the LA Weekly interview.
Tupac used a Foreman Grill.
Although Steel tells Mlynar that ‘Pac was “no chef,” Tek says, “Now and again Tupac would jump on the Foreman grill and cook something up. He’d call me down from upstairs, like, ‘Yo, Tek, come down and taste this!'”
Tupac disliked vegetables (he preferred hot wings and Hennessy).
Shock G tells Mlynar, “I never seen him eat a vegetable, not once in the five years I knew him. That’s how I knew he wasn’t planning on living too long.” Shock G says Tupac preferred “hot wings, weed and Hennessy.”
Tupac sometimes watched what he ate…
“In fact, his personal chef at the L.A. mansion tried to push a healthy diet of baked chicken,” according to Mlynar.
…but he still enjoyed junk food.
“He had a cupboard of junk food, like sodas and popcorn,” Steele tells Mlynar.
Head here to check out the full LA Weekly interview with Tek, Steele, and Shock G, which includes one of Tupac’s grocery lists.
