Deceased Rap greats, Tupac Shakur and The Notorious BIG used to hang out all the time, and according to Snoop Dogg, the Brooklyn rapper was one of Shakur’s best industry friends. The two artists were very close until 2Pac signed with Death Row Records.

Before coming to be a Death Row Records signee, Pac was already an established entertainer signed to Interscope and was one of the most dominant up-and-coming emcees on the West Coast. Until late 1994, there was no rift between the pair, and when they met in 1993, there was no enmity.

The two thespians first met at the LA wrap party for Poetic Justice in 1993, and in a 1996 interview with VIBE magazine, Biggie Smalls (born Christopher Wallace) remembered how 2Pac had his music ‘Party And Bullshit’ on repeat and had a fan in 2pac. The Brooklyn poet also divulged how Shakur invited him to an afterparty with the Outlawz and Janet Jackson at his place.

The tale about Tupac Shakur’s afterparty has always been compatible, and in an interview for Ben Westhoff’s 2016 book, Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap, one-time Uptown Records intern Dan Smalls disclosed that during the event, 2Pac allotted Wallace a remarkably expensive gift.

Setting the scene, Biggie clarified, “Pac walks into the kitchen and starts cooking for us. He’s in the kitchen cooking some steaks. We were drinking and smoking, and all of a sudden, Pac was like, ‘Yo, come get it.’ And we go into the kitchen, and he had steaks, and French fries, and bread, and Kool‑Aid, and we [were] just sittin’ there eating and drinking and laughing… that’s truly where Big and Pac’s friendship started.”

Frank Right had brought a bottle of Hennessy to the party for Shakur and, as someone who respected and admired Biggie, 2Pac decided to gift Wallace what would be his first Rolex. 2pac loved the Swiss luxury brand of watches, and according to the Brooklyn rap king, “it was the same gold watch Pac wore at the VMAs.”

2Pac showed Biggie a lot of love in the early-’90s and was filmed happily performing alongside him and freestyling with him. However, following the Quad Studios shooting, things were never the same between the two. You can see 2pac sporting his Rolex at the VMAs in the video below.