Before his untimely and shocking death back in 96', Tupac Shakur was and remains one of the most talented and influential rappers to ever step up to the mic. In 2010 many years after his death, it was reported that he had sold over 75 million albums worldwide, making Pac one of the best-selling artist of all time. His albums touched on racism, teenage pregnancy, and other social issues that plagued the African-American community.
Not only was he a musician, but he was also an actor, appearing in approximately fourteen films, while being praised by fans and critics alike for his acting skills. While some remember him as a thug, others sit behind a desk in universities across the nation, studying his songs as if they were poetry, a poet he truly was. There's even a statue in Herford, Germany; carved in his likeness.
Since its announcement last year, the Tupac Shakur-inspired musical, ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me,’ will be making its debut on Broadway this summer.
Originally scheduled to premiere in the 2013-2014 Broadway season, the show’s opening night is slated to take place on June 19 at the Palace Theater in New York with preview showings starting on May 26, Rolling Stone reports.
Aside from the biographical content of the program, the $8 million production will also feature the former rapper’s songs including ‘California Love,’ ‘Keep Ya Head Up,’ ‘Me Against the World’ and the song that inspired the show’s title. Unlike the biopic that is still in the works, the musical isn’t based on Tupac’s life or the incidents surrounding his death in 1996.
Instead it’s about two childhood friends from the Midwest who rise above their impoverish means to chase their dreams. Written by Todd Kreidler and directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon, ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me’ is produced by TV producer Eric L. Gold and theater producer Shin Chun-soo as well as Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur.
Pac will also be honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, being the fourth rapper to receive one. He will be inducted in 2014, the same year that Afeni plans on debuting Holler If Ya Hear Me.