From Keyshia Cole’s exclusive iHeart Radio, Steve Harvey morning show Ask Anything Chat, the R&B singer was asked about her memories of Tupac Shakur and MC Hammer.
Nearly twenty-five years ago, a fifteen year old Keyshia Cole met Tupac and according to the singer as she had previously revealed during The Fat Joe Show, Shakur was planning on signing her to Quincy jones label after he left Death Row records. According to Cole, Tupac wanted her not to sign with Death Row records as it was not a place for kids.
During the exclusive Ask Anything Chat Q&A, Cole was asked about Tupac and MC Hammer. “Everybody knows I knew ‘Pac and I knew Hammer when I was about thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, I knew Hammer. I met ‘Pac when I was fifteen and he passed away when I was sixteen,” Keyshia recalls. “But, I think the fondest memory I have of them being together is all of us driving down to La Vegas, when Tyson fought Holyfield.”
Actually Keyshia Cole is referring to the Mike Tyson Vs. Bruce Seldon fight that took place on September 7th of 1996. It was an incredible night for Tyson who knocked out Seldon in the first round after only one minute and forty-nine seconds. For Tupac on the other hand the night ended tragic as he was shot multiple times on the Vegas strip and would lose his life 6 days later.
“I remember him [Tupac] saying, ‘You’re gonna be a huge star and don’t worry about anything you’re gonna be huge’, and I’m like, ‘How you know that? You don’t know that’.” According to Keyshia Cole as she appeared on the Steve Harvey Show back in 2018, the eerie part of the conversation between Cole and Shakur was when Tupac was talking to her as if he knew he would not make it back to L.A. “Just giving me a lot of advice like don’t worry about things. You’re gonna be a huge star. You’re a beautiful person. You gotta remember that guys are gonna wanna love you because you’re beautiful. But, there’s also gonna be another reason why they’re gonna hurt you. You just gotta stay focus,” Cole recalls.
On that very night Tupac also told Keyshia they would record a song together. Indeed they did but years later when Cole was featured on Tupac’s posthumous release “Pac’s Life” on the song “Playa Cards Right”.
When it comes to MC Hammer, Cole met Hammer at an early age. “I love Hammer. I actually met Hammer from where I’m from the Bay Area. When he was in Fremont I would go hang with his kids and my brother would hang with him,” Keyshia said. “He was always uncle Hammer.”