Snoop Dogg is to induct Tupac Shakur into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The American rap star – who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996, aged 25 – is widely recognised as one of the most important figures in the history of rap music and his good friend Snoop has been given the honour of inducting him into the Hall of Fame next month.
TMZ reports that Snoop will deliver a Tupac tribute performance at the ceremony, while Dr Dre – who also collaborated with the controversial rap star – is in talks to join him on stage.
Tupac is part of the 2017 class, which also includes the likes of Pearl Jam, Yes, Journey, the Electric Light Orchestra and Joan Baez.
Snoop was a close friend of Tupac and has previously admitted that the large-than-life star had a "different spirit" to other musicians he’s collaborated with in the studio.
He shared: "Pac brought a spirit to the studio that was different than anybody we ever worked with. He had a spirit – like this n**** could be in three different rooms at one time makin’ music. He would never listen to it."
Snoop also claimed he was the reason Tupac signed with the iconic rap label Death Row Records in the mid-90s.
Snoop explained how he convinced label boss Suge Knight to sign Tupac after he had been shot in New York City and later sentenced to prison.
He recalled: "Speaking with Suge [Knight] after [Tupac] had gotten shot [in 1994], I had flew to New York the next day. S**t was going bad for him; he had gotten locked up. ‘Suge, we need to put that n**** with us, cuz’."
Snoop Dogg to induct Tupac into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
