In 1995, Stretch was murdered. I understand you and him were close to Pac and the whole 2Pacalypse Now team. Could you tell us what he was like, and what you and Pac's relationship with him was like?
"Pac and I both have roots in NYC. I met Stretch in 1990 at my cousin Shah's house in Queens, where Stretch and his crazy-live-reckless-bling-bling-hit-man brother "Maj" [short for Magic] used to stop by to do music. They were dope-game thugs trying to make the switch to music before the game got 'em. Their group "Live Squad" were label mates with us on Tommy Boy/Warner Bros., and Stretch and I particularly hit it off. We had access to each other's 'fold-buttons.'

"I mean our senses of humor were similar and we could fold each other to the ground, or easily make the other run out the room laughing hysterically like nobody else could. We got close quick and by the next summer [1991], Stretch came out to Cali and stayed at my place. He was amazed at how much clout D.U. had in the Bay Area, from clubs, police officers, etc., and was in town when "Kiss You Back" came out in October '91. One time after a bike cop let us go free in exchange for an autograph, "Kiss You Back," "Brenda's Got a Baby," "Same Song," and "The Humpty Dance" all came on 106.1 [KMEL] within the same hour and Stretch yelled out, "Damn, it's Shocktober around this motherf-----!

"It was during this visit that he met 2Pac, the young, eager new emcee in the camp. I was like 27 or so but Stretch was the same age as Pac, so while I would be sorting out business and doing 'older' type sh-- around the crib and office, Stretch would borrow my crispy-new 4Runner and go pick up Pac and run the streets. Stretch and I had a rare, close connection but even moreso, him and Pac hit it off. It was like no male relationship I'd ever seen, straight up love at damn near first sight. They loved each other like two inseparable foster brothers in a juvenile halfway house. I don't think they spent more than a few minutes apart from the point they met, up until Pac got shot the first time in New York years later.

"And after him and Pac linked up I really didn't get to see Stretch as much unless It was in the studio or at Pac's first apartment by the lake in Oakland. Stretch basically moved in with Pac, and when they would be 'feuding' they had this thing they'd do where they'd both stand in the middle of the room with their arms locked and repeatedly kick each other in the ass untill one tired out. Big, real, hard, boot-kicks too. It looked krazy yo, like two bulls doing some courtship ritual. Each has a blunt or a 40 in their one free hand, gold chains swinging and whipping around, heavy Karl Kani leather fits flapping and stretching, huge Lugz and Timbs swinging and slamming against each other's legs and sh--, struggling to get clean ass-shots. Sometimes it went on for 20 minutes straight until they both collapsed on top of each other gasping for breath. Then they'd go get some hot wings.

"But that's the type of friendship and closeness we're talking about here. And Stretch tightened Pac up. He polished that n---- when it came to fashion and East Coast street slang. He used to say to Pac, 'Yo god, what the f--- is that corn-ball sh-- you got on?! What is that, some Cali sh-- n----? Come on n----, let's go to the mall. I'm taking you shopping.' and Pac would come back with, "Aw shut the f--- up 'Blackie,' you lucky we can even see your black ass!'

"But Stretch was a fly-ass n----. Stretch didn't carry 38s and 22s, Stretch carried plastic infra-red custom glock 9s and semi-auto mac-12 uzis. His walk, his fits, his haircut, his guns and his speech was always some new sh--, and he began to influence Pac, which in hindsight turned out to be an important phase in 2Pac's grooming. The way I miss these two people is the way a kid misses summer vacation when September sets in."