Tupac Shakur was paid homage in a very odd fashion after cremation, reveals Suge Knight

In a new interview with PEOPLE, Suge Knight revealed an unconventional tribute to the late Tupac Shakur after his cremation, claiming that some of Tupac’s closest friends rolled his ashes into a blunt and smoked them. Knight, who was with Tupac when the rapper was fatally shot in 1996, shared the controversial story while reflecting on the aftermath of Shakur’s death.

Knight stated that Tupac had expressed to him just weeks before his passing that he did not want to be cremated, but after his death, Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, insisted that the process be carried out immediately. Knight recalled her telling him, “Get it done. Now,” and later admitting that she “cussed [him] out” when he hesitated. Knight eventually arranged for the cremation, paying someone a reported $1 million in cash to handle the process.

However, what followed was a moment that Knight described as deeply symbolic in hip-hop folklore. According to him, Tupac’s ashes were passed around among his friends, who rolled the ashes into a blunt and smoked them. “It was symbolic. It’s like… you keep part of him,” Knight explained. Though he was present at the time, Knight said he refrained from participating, citing his probation as the reason.

Tupac Shakur was fatally shot on September 7, 1996, after a Tyson fight in Las Vegas. He succumbed to his injuries six days later, on September 13, at the age of 25.