In the summer of 1990, Public Enemy’s groundbreaking “Fear of a Black Planet” tour brought some of hip-hop’s biggest names to the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City. The tour featured legendary acts like Ice Cube, Heavy D, Queen Latifah, and Digital Underground — the latter including a young Tupac Shakur, then a back-up dancer still dreaming of his big break in music.

For Tupac, touring with Public Enemy was a surreal experience. Just a few years earlier, he had skipped school to meet Flavor Flav at a local radio station, hoping for a photo with the iconic rapper. Now, he was sharing the stage with his heroes. Little did he know, his time on that tour would also involve an intense and pivotal moment that would leave a lasting impact on both him and Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav.

The dramatic encounter occurred backstage in Oklahoma when a thief broke into Public Enemy’s dressing room, making off with some personal items, including Chuck D’s jacket and prop weapons used by the band’s Security of the First World dancers. The culprit didn’t get far before being caught by members of the crew, including Tupac.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Flavor Flav recalled the intense confrontation that followed.

“We found one of the guys,” Flav recounted. “We took him into the dressing room, and the group started interrogating him. ‘Hey, where’s our stuff? Where’s our stuff?’ Next thing you know, my group starts punching the guy. Then Tupac stepped in and said, ‘Man, y’all step back. Let me show y’all how this is done.’”

Tupac, demonstrating a mix of loyalty and street smarts, took off his belt and began striking the thief.

“The guy was on the floor,” Flav continued. “I grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and was waiting for the moment to hit this guy in the head. But just as I was about to, Tupac shoved me against the wall hard, and the fire extinguisher fell out of my hands. He said, ‘What the hell is wrong with you? You’re gonna kill this guy!’”

In that moment, Tupac Shakur saved Flavor Flav from making a grave mistake.

“If it was not for Tupac stopping me from hitting that guy with that fire extinguisher, I would not be sitting here with you today,” Flav admitted. “So thank you, Tupac, for saving my freedom and my life.”

Years later, after Tupac became a global hip-hop star, he wrote a heartfelt letter to Chuck D while serving time in a New York prison. In the letter, he expressed his gratitude for the lessons he learned during the tour.

“Back in the dayz, on tour with u, I learned so much from what u did and how u did it,” Tupac wrote. “It may be hard 2 C but u have alwayz played a major role in what it is I do 2day.”

The Oklahoma incident was just one of many defining moments in Tupac’s life and career. His ability to balance loyalty with a sense of justice left an impression on everyone he encountered, including Flavor Flav. While Tupac’s life was tragically cut short in 1996, stories like this one underscore the profound influence he had on those around him—an influence that extended far beyond music.

For Flavor Flav, that night in Oklahoma City remains a powerful reminder of Tupac’s wisdom and humanity.

“Tupac stopped me from committing a murder,” Flav reflected. “I’ll never forget it.”