What's With the Ring? Drake's Obsession With Tupac Shakur, Explained

Many rap fans can remember where they were the day Tupac Shakur died. It felt like a devastating hit to the heart of hip-hop, and those feelings have likely been brought back up since the arrest of Diddy, who many believe was involved in his death.

Tupac has also been on people's minds due to the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake.

In his track "Taylor Made Freestyle," Drake used an AI version of Tupac's voice, which naturally angered Tupac's family, who threatened to sue if it stayed in rotation.

Hip-hop just celebrated its 51st birthday, making it one of the youngest musical genres.

Tupac's contributions to the genre are undeniable, and his poetic flow, combined with his storytelling, solidifies him as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

It makes sense that modern rappers uphold and revere him, and Drake appears to be one of those rappers. His borderline obsession with Tupac led him to spend $1.1 million on his ring in 2023; is Drake's preoccupation with Tupac reverence or envy?

World-renowned auction house Sotheby's auctioned off Tupac's ring in 2023. For a while, it was unclear who purchased the ring, but soon, the new owner made himself known.

The ring itself was designed by Tupac, who came up with it while serving time, and he had it crafted after his release. Inside the ring, he had the words "Pac & Dada 1996" inscribed, as he was in a relationship with Kidada Jones, daughter of legendary producer Quincy Jones.

Now, the ring has a new owner.

Rapper Lil Yachty did an interview with Kai Cenat where he discussed some odd things he noticed while he was at Drake's house.

He said, "Every bathroom in his house, when you walk up to the toilet, it opens and starts playing 2Pac 'Hit 'Em Up,'" adding, "I swear to God! Every time it's like, 'Yeah, you fat muthaf--ka!' It's so annoying when you gotta take a sh*t 'cause it keeps looping."

For someone who claims to revere Tupac, having his song looping when using the bathroom feels disrespectful.

Drake loves himself. That is one thing that is certain. And while self-love is a good thing, his seems more akin to narcissism. His desire to be the best is at the heart of every rapper and musician he's ever insulted in his music, but it could also be tied to his fixation on Tupac.

The use of his voice in "Taylor Made Freestyle" is offensive and alludes to his desire to align himself with one of the greatest rappers of all time. It may also be a reference to Kendrick's To Pimp A Butterfly.

The track "Mortal Man" uses clips from a real interview Tupac did, which is interspersed with questions written by Kendrick. The pseudo-conversation focused on Black culture, the trials of fame, and other issues that affect both the Black community and Black artists in the industry.

Kendrick's use of his voice is reverent, and during the Juneteenth Pop-Out, Kendrick said that Drake could earn some respect by giving up the ring.

Unfortunately, it's likely that pigs will fly before that happens.