Tupac

The Estate Of Tupac Shakur Announces A Tupac Museum Experience

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Within the last month alone, immersive experiences dedicated to Prince and David Bowie have been announced. Now, a creative collaboration between The Estate of Tupac Shakur, The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and others has announced a contemporary art museum style experience dedicated to the life and work of Tupac.

Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free, is a multi-sensory experience that showcases the late rapper’s music, poetry, and artifacts in a 20,000 square foot space that is set to tour around the world. The museum will have surround sound spaces that use technology to present rarities, photos, writings, etc. that represent the creative compositions that marked Tupac’s life. A press release said that “WMWIF will delve into the greater meaning of his activism, music, and revolutionary art.” Even Tupac’s influential activist mother, Afeni Shakur is said to be incorporated throughout.

Set to open on January 21st, 2022, the global touring exhibit begins at The Canvas at L.A. Live in Downtown L.A. and will move through select U.S. and international cities over the course of the next few years. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Chief Curator & Vice President of Curatorial Affairs, Nwaka Onwusa led the curatorial efforts, along with Creative Director Jeremy Hodges of Project Art Collective. Hodges added his thoughts on the endeavor in a statement:

“It is a privilege to be a part of such a monumental project”, Hodges said. “Tupac Shakur was my Malcolm; he was my Martin, and to build an experience that honors such a prolific man, cannot be summed up in words. We wanted to create a memorable experience that will inspire you to be better than when you walked in, all while leaving you with the knowledge that he was a true revolutionary spirit.”

A “front of line” pre-sale goes on sale 11/09 at 10 am PT on wakemewhenimfree.com and general tickets go on sale 11/12 at 10 am PT.

Nas Disses Tupac On An Leaked Record That’s Just Over 25 Years Old

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More than two decades ago, Nas and Tupac were entwined in a short-lived hip-hop beef. It began in 1996, when Nas released his second album, It Was Written. It featured “The Message,” a track on which Tupac believed he was dissed. Tupac later released “Against All Odds,” with his own shots at Nas. But before they patched things up, Tupac was tragically killed in a shooting.

However, nearly 25 years after their beef came to an end, an unreleased record by Nas was leaked, and it features him taking strong shots at the late rapper. His attacks arrive halfway through the song’s first verse. “From tube-socks in Timbs to blue rocks and Benz / Who got the ends, the type of n***a 2Pac pretends,” Nas raps. “To all n****s who shine, guess who got revenge / I won’t showboat, my flow choke you.” This marks the first time fans hear Nas directly, unambiguously diss Tupac on a record.

Last summer, Nas spoke about the moment Tupac confronted him about the alleged (though not confirmed) diss on “The Message” during an interview on Ebro In The Morning. “He explained that he thought I was dissing him on the song ‘The Message,’ and I heard he was dissing me at clubs,” the rapper revealed. “He was like ‘Yo Nas, we brothers, man. We not supposed to go through this.’ And I’m like, that’s what I’m saying.” He added, “We had a plan to squash it in Vegas. So I was out there when he was in the hospital, praying for him to come through. Rest in peace.”

You can listen to the leaked record in the video above.

For Tupac’s 50th Birthday, Jada Pinkett Smith Shared A Previously Unreleased Poem By The Rapper

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Today (June 16) would have been Tupac Shakur’s 50th birthday. Many are remembering the late rapper on this milestone day, but Jada Pinkett Smith got started early yesterday by sharing a previously unreleased poem that Tupac wrote for her.

Filming the poem, which was titled “Lost Soulz” and written by Tupac on a sheet of lined notebook paper, Pinkett Smith says in a video, “Over the years, ‘Pac wrote me many letters and many poems, and I don’t think this one has ever been published, honestly. He had a song called ‘Lost Souls,’ on the Gang Related soundtrack, but I believe this was the original concept because he wrote this, I believe, when he was at Rikers [Island]. And I was like, I don’t think he would have minded that I share this with you guys.”

She then recited the poem, which reads:

“Some say nothing gold can last forever
And 2 believe this [I] need no proof
I have witnessed all that was pure in me
And be changed by the evil men can do
The innocence possessed by children
Once lived inside my soul
But surviving years with criminal peers
Has turned my warm heart to cold
I used 2 dream and fantasize
But now I’m scared 2 sleep
Petrified, not to live or die
But to awaken and still be me
It is true that nothing gold can last
We will all one day see death
When the purest hearts are torn apart
LOST SOULS are all that’s left
Down on my knees I beg of God
To save me from this fate
Let me live to see what was gold in me
Before it is all too late.”

Also yesterday, fellow Tupac associate Jim Belushi shared a story about trying to get the rapper to cover Frank Sinatra.

Watch Pinkett Smith read the poem above.

A New Book Will Examine Tupac’s Life And Legacy, As Told By People Who Knew Him

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At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, one of social media’s most prevalent tropes was people encouraging each other to use the quarantine to finish their respective projects such as books, albums, or other heavy works. As it happens, it appears plenty of authors did just that; not only are there two books about Mac Miller coming out in the next year or so, but there are also books coming from Questlove, Dave Grohl, and more. Today, Simon and Schuster made another book available for pre-order: Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur by New Yorker writer Sheldon Pearce.

According to the promotional copy on the publisher’s website, Pearce interviewed “dozens” of people who knew Tupac in life, from the bold-faced marquee names to lesser-known individuals who interacted with the revolutionary rap icon. Pearce spoke to such individuals as Tupac’s high school drama teacher, one of his co-stars from a 1983 production of Raisin In The Sun, and one of his partners in a nonprofit devoted to nurturing young artists.

Changes is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of ‘Pac’s death in 1996, and well as what would have been his 50th year of life. It’s due June 8, 2021 via Simon & Schuster and you can pre-order it here.