Will Smith’s recent outburst on Chris Rock was believed to be fueled by his jealousy of Tupac Shakur, a relationship that his wife Jada Pinkett Smith had with the late rapper.

Although Tupac and Jada’s relationship was purely platonic, they were very close friends.

Tupac was very protective of Jada, and he would always check on the men she dated.

He was convinced that any man who stood in the way of their friendship would be a problem.

Before Jada met Will, Tupac was already dealing with issues between the factions inside the hip-hop community that eventually led to his untimely death, along with Notorious B.I.G.

Tupac was deep in the East Coast vs West Coast battle, and Jada reportedly asked him not to attack Will because he was an East Coast rapper.

This request offended Tupac, who felt that he was being prevented from being with the woman he cherished.

During an interview with ‘The Breakfast Club,’ Will Smith admitted that he was always jealous of Tupac, but he was the one who made it weird and refused to approach the rap legend.

In reality, Tupac was a pacifist at heart, despite his thug life persona.

Will Smith, on the other hand, was always clean with his music, while Tupac didn’t mind using profanity.

Both rappers had their unique styles, but Tupac was considered the true wordsmith out of the two.

Will Smith’s jealousy of Tupac continued even after he married Jada in 1997.

Jada was devastated by Tupac’s death in 1996, as she lost one of her closest childhood friends.

Will Smith never got the chance to spend quality time with Tupac, which may have intensified his feelings of envy.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Tupac’s relationship was very unique, and they shared a close friendship even though it was never romantic.

Tupac always believed that he was going to be part of Jada’s life until they grew old.

He was overly protective of her and would check on the men she dated.

He felt that any man who stood in the way of their friendship was going to be a problem.

Tupac’s untimely death in 1996 had a profound impact on Jada, who was losing one of her closest childhood friends.

She married Will Smith a year later, but she never forgot Tupac.

Will Smith’s jealousy of Tupac was evident in his recent outburst on Chris Rock, but it is a sentiment he regrets to this day.