Poetic Justice, Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, 1993 Courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment In the aftermath of his breakout performance as Bishop in the film Juice, a young Tupac Shakur was plucked by director John Singleton to star as a postman named Lucky in Poetic Justice. The movie shot over a three-month span in California, and co-starred Janet Jackson, at the time one of the world's biggest pop stars. The experience was, politely stated, a rocky one. The following is an advanced excerpt from Jeff Pearlman's Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur (Oct. 21, 2025 - Mariner). *** Related Stories Lifestyle 'Nosferatu' Director Robert Eggers on the Power of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': "It Will Never Die" (Book Excerpt) Lifestyle Kevin Federline Opens Up About Memoir, Britney Spears' Parenting Skills: "Joan Crawford on Crack" Prior to John Singleton's focusing on Tupac, the young director's first choice for leading man had been Ice Cube, the former N.W.A rapper who starred as Doughboy in Boyz n the Hood. It was a brief pursuit-Cube read the script, liked it, but took issue with some elements of the character that Singleton refused to change. Ice Cube was out. Before making a formal offer to Tupac, Singleton requested that he and Jackson come to Reed's office for a screen test. It was the first time the rapper and the pop star met, and they seemed to have a nice rapport. They spoke about music, about acting, about the film. Tupac was reserved and warm. "We knew we wanted both, but the chemistry had to work," said Reed. "I felt like it did. I remember him just being willing to do anything and everything he needed to give all of us the confidence he was right for the part. He made you feel like you were the most important person in the room." Later that night, long after his meeting with Jackson, Tupac kicked back with his Oakland crew and-over joints and drinks-told them she was one of the hottest bitches he had ever seen, and he would most certainly have sex with her. "Bet on it," he said. Following two weeks of rehearsal, Poetic Justice shot from April 14, 1992, until July 4, 1992. Along with Tupac and Janet Jackson, the film starred another pair of relative silver-screen newcomers-the actress Regina King (coming off a successful half-decade stint on the TV show 227) and a stand-up comedian, Joe Torry. Initially, Singleton pushed the foursome to become a unit. He wanted them to have dinners and understand the intricacies of one another. "There was definitely a kinship," said Torry. "Regina, Tupac, and I hung. Janet-not as much. And I think, being honest, it was hard for Tupac. Janet was a star. She was the one with her own trailer, her own this, her own that. A little standoffish. And Tupac also knew that Janet was making a lot more than he was, and it definitely rubbed him the wrong way. He thought they should be equals. She didn't share that." "Tupac definitely did not have warm feelings for Janet," said Dupré Kelly, a friend and rapper from Lords of the Underground. "I remember him talking about her-' I got a car service bringing me to work every day. This chick has helicopters landing her on set. Every day I'm eating chicken and waffles. She's getting her stuff catered.' " "He made it clear he was pissed about getting less than Janet," said John Cothran, who played Uncle Earl. "To me, that seemed absurd. Because I didn't even know who the hell he was." Indeed, while Jackson was pulling in seven figures, Tupac made less than a hundred thousand dollars. For much of shooting, the cast was lodged at the Loews Santa Monica, and Tupac was placed in the smallest available room (Jackson had a suite). "There were about five of us Black employees," recalled Lesa McRoyal-Fouther, a reservation desk manager, "and they'd always send one of us to ask Tupac to turn down his music or lighten it up with the marijuana smoke. Other guests were complaining." From a talent standpoint, the Janet-Tupac financial gap was unjustified. For all her stage presence, Jackson was a one-note actress. She arrived on time, remembered her lines, but brought little to the table. Tupac was the opposite. He was the best part of the movie-" Every scene he's in, he owns," said Jenifer Lewis, the actress who played the mother of Tupac's character, Lucky. But he was also chronically late and unwilling to memorize his lines. Once, in a unique display of chutzpah, he arrived an hour behind schedule to film a highly anticipated love scene with Jackson. The middle of his chest was covered with a large, gooey piece of gauze. When asked the cause of the injury, Tupac lifted the paper to reveal a new tattoo-one he had had done (impulsively) the previous night. It read "50 niggaz," atop a rifle. Singleton was apoplectic, and told Tupac the tatto