Tyga went on Twitter Sunday night (March 6) to post a picture of himself side by side with Tupac Shakur. The two are both wearing Duke University basketball jerseys as Tyga provided the caption of "Dad." This prompted some strong reactions on Twitter with many people criticizing Tyga for calling Tupac his father.

Tyga responded to the criticism he faced by explaining why he called Tupac his dad.

"Pac taught me a lot more than my own father," Tyga wrote on Twitter. "Inspired me, Motivated Me, Listened without ever being there."

Early in the morning on March 7, Tyga seemed to still be justifying his reasons for calling Tupac his father. The California rapper explained that his real father is serving a life sentence. He also shared a letter that his real father wrote to him and the response Tyga sent back.

But Tyga's efforts to quiet the storm did not stop a TMZ paparazzo from asking him about it. The "Hookah" rapper explained himself once again as he talked about how Tupac inspired him. He reiterated that Tupac is a father figure since he never knew his real father that well.

"I’m inspired by him as a student of the culture, especially my generation,” Tyga told TMZ. “My real father’s been in jail all my life, so I never really knew my real father. So, I said Pac is like a father figure to me.”

Perhaps Tyga will be able to put this strange moment of controversy behind him now.

See 40 Hip-Hop Albums Turning 20 in 2016

More From XXL