To honour her late friend Tupac Shakur on what would’ve been his 50th birthday, Hollywood actor Jada Pinkett Smith released a never-before-seen poem written by the rapper and songwriter. According to media reports, the poem was written by the rapper while he was incarcerated at Rikers Island. The piece is titled “Lost Soulz”.

The legendary musician was shot dead in 1996 at 25. His fans still celebrate his birthday each year. 

Jada shared Tupac’s poem on her Instagram handle and captioned it as: “Tupac Amaru Shakur would have been 50 midnight tonight! As we prepare to celebrate his legacy … let’s remember him for that which we loved most … his way with words.”

In the background of a video uploaded, Pinkett can be heard saying, “I don’t think this one has ever been published, honestly. I don’t think he would have minded that I shared this with you guys.”

Reportedly, Jada and Tupac met when they were students in the ’80s at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland. In the years since the wordsmith’s death, Jada has been vocal about her friendship with Shakur.

In an old interview, Pinkett said when Tupac came over and introduced himself, he found him ‘funny-looking’.

“But as soon as he approached me, he was like a magnet. Once you paid attention to him he kind of sucked you in. And we hit it off from that moment on,” she added.

This is how the poem goes:

“Some say nothing gold can last forever / And 2 believe this [I] need no proof / I have witnessed all that was pure in me / And be changed by the evil men can do / The innocence possessed by children / Once lived inside my soul / But surviving years with criminal peers / Has turned my warm heart to cold / I used 2 dream and fantasize / But now I’m scared 2 sleep / Petrified, not to live or die / But to awaken and still be me / It is true that nothing gold can last / We will all one day see death / When the purest hearts are torn apart / LOST SOULS are all that’s left / Down on my knees I beg of God / To save me from this fate / Let me live to see what was gold in me / Before it is all too late.”