Nutt-So Details the Humble Origins of His Friendship with Tupac

In the pantheon of West Coast hip-hop history, the lore surrounding Tupac Shakur is often defined by volatility, controversy, and chart-topping hits. Yet, beneath the “Thug Life” persona lay a man capable of profound, almost disarming hospitality. A recently surfaced account by Oakland rapper Sean “Nutt-So” Cole sheds new light on the quieter, familial side of the late icon, revealing a bond that began not in a recording booth, but with a humble breakfast and video games.

The Connection

For those unversed in the deep cuts of Death Row Records history, Nutt-So is more than a footnote. Born Sean Cole, he is a pivotal figure in the Bay Area rap scene and the brother of R&B superstar Keyshia Cole. In the mid-90s, Nutt-So was a verified affiliate of the Outlawz, the collective founded by Shakur. Their artistic chemistry is immortalized on tracks like the original version of “Words 2 My First Born“ and “Ghetto Star“ (later remixed for the posthumous Better Dayz album), as well as the unreleased but heavily bootlegged One Nation project.

But before the studio sessions and the shared tracks, there was simply a phone call.

The Call

According to Cole, the conduit for this meeting of minds was none other than MC Hammer, a mutual connection who bridged the gap between the two artists. Cole was resting in a Los Angeles hotel room when the phone rang, delivering a voice that defined a generation.

“I get a call from Pac a few hours later,” Cole recalls. “He was like, ‘What’s up Nutt-So, man, been waiting to meet you.’ I’m like… ‘You the Don, I’ve been waiting to meet you.'”

The interaction highlights a rarely seen humility in Shakur. At the height of his fame, he was the one expressing anticipation to meet an up-and-coming artist. The plan was set: Shakur would send a car to bring Cole to his location on Wilshire Boulevard. However, typical of the spontaneous nature of the era, plans changed rapidly. Shakur called back, instructing Cole to simply grab a cab, promising that “somebody gonna pay for it at the front when you get downstairs.”

“Like a Cousin You Ain’t Seen”

Upon arriving at the Wilshire residence, the scene that awaited Cole wasn’t a wild party or a tense business meeting. It was a picture of domestic normalcy.

“It was like meeting a cousin that you ain’t seen since y’all was little,” Cole explains, describing the instant chemistry. “The bond clicked like that. It didn’t hit me on no ‘star-struck’ type stuff; it just hit me like… I’m in here with Pac.”

The atmosphere was intimate. Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother and former Black Panther activist, was in the kitchen fixing breakfast. Tupac himself was in the middle of a morning routine familiar to millions of young men—getting ready for the day while a video game was paused on the big screen.

The Legacy

This encounter served as the foundation for a professional relationship that would yield some of the most introspective tracks in Shakur’s late catalog. Songs like “Words 2 My First Born” showcase the duo trading verses on legacy and fatherhood, themes that resonated deeply with both men.

Decades later, Cole’s recollection offers a poignant reminder: before the legend, the hologram, and the global icon, Tupac Shakur was a man who welcomed new friends like long-lost family—over breakfast and video games.