Suge Knight, says legendary rapper Tupac Shakur had his sights set on signing R&B star Aaliyah and working on a project with her before his untimely death.
Speaking from prison in an interview with The Art of Dialogue, Knight recalled Shakur’s excitement after seeing Aaliyah perform live.
“Tupac wanted to sign Aaliyah. I took him to go see Gladys Knight perform, and he loved it. Then Aaliyah came out, and Pac said, ‘Don’t get up, don’t get up.’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘You’re gonna talk to Gladys, then you’re gonna talk to the little girl singing, and the next thing you know, you’re gonna be doing that,’” Knight recounted.
Tupac Shakur, who had already cemented his legacy as one of Hip-Hop’s greatest artists, was taken aback by Aaliyah’s stage presence and voice, Knight explained.
From that performance alone, the rapper was convinced she was destined to be a megastar, and he wanted to be part of her journey.
“He was so excited. I ain’t never seen that little n#### so happy. Out of all the girls and women he ever seen, he thought she was the biggest star and had the best voice ever,” Knight said.
The rapper’s enthusiasm didn’t fade after that night. According to Knight, he continued talking about Aaliyah for days, sharing his vision for working with her and making music together.
“I never seen him get so excited about no female artist. He lost his mind over Aaliyah. He was super, super, super excited,” Knight added.
But any plans for a collaboration would never materialize. On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
He died six days later on September 13 at the age of 25. His vision for making music with Aaliyah never had the chance to be realized.
Aaliyah, meanwhile, continued her rise to superstardom, solidifying her place as one of R&B;’s most beloved voices.
But tragedy struck five years later. On August 25, 2001, the singer was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas at just 22 years old.