Tupac Shakur’s signed ‘Above the Rim’ script available for Auction
Nate D. Sander Auctions gives a slice of hip-hop film heritage: several signed pages from the script of the 1994 movie Above The Rim, with the autograph of Tupac Shakur and the rest of the cast. This celebrity collection was made by actor David Bailey, the character Coach Mike Rollins in the film. The lot is bundled with a set photo that shows Leon’s character after being shot in the climactic scene of the movie.
Bids start at a minimum of $2,500; the auction will open on Thursday, November 21.
He played the antagonist Birdie Sheppard in Above The Rim, along with Duane Martin, Leon, Bernie Mac, Marlon Wayans, and others. This was one of several small roles he had in the brief, but impactful, acting career of Tupac. Other credits include Juice (1991), Poetic Justice (1993), Bullet (1996), Gridlock’d (1997), and Gang Related (1997).
The inmate doesn’t know Tupac’s social security number and admits to no physical resemblance
An inmate at San Carlos Correctional Facility in Colorado thinks he’s a “reincarnation” of late rapper Tupac. Tarnell Leon Jones filed a lawsuit in New York saying Makaveli is back in form of his body and wants access to the rapper’s wealth, according to Allhiphop.
For proof, Jones says he knows ‘Pac’s birthday and the day he died. He also claims he might have two blood groups as well as two hearts. He adds that police shot him in NY, LA, and Atlanta from 1992 to 1995 and wants compensation.
US District Judge Hector Gonzalez dismissed the motion with prejudice (he can’t refile it), citing that the inmate has a history of filing petty suits, at least 13 in the last decade.
“[Jones] alleges that he was shot by police officers in New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta between 1992 and 1995,” Gonzalez wrote in court documents. “He also alleges that a backpack containing more than $1 million was ‘robbed’ from him, although he has not specified who took it or where this event occurred. [Jones] seeks reimbursement for the medical expenses that he incurred because of these events.”
The judge continued, “He further demands that the Court restore his birth certificate, Social Security number, all other forms of identification, and ‘my life’ more generally. Plaintiff also wants other financial assets to which Mr. Shakur would be entitled if he were alive today: his songs, music studios, cars, trucks, and houses.”
When did Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. go Platinum? 2Pac’s Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. went platinum on February 16, 1994
While many people are familiar with All Eyez on Me and his later work as Makaveli, 2Pac‘s breakthrough album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. introduced him to the rap world outside of the Bay Area and eventually got the rapper a platinum plaque.
The album contains the tracks “Keep Ya Head Up” and ” I Get Around” which were very successful during the rapper’s short life. The album features Ice-T and Ice Cube.
When did Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. come out? 2Pac’s Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. came out on February 16, 1994
2Pac’s massive album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. helped the rapper reach mainstream success while providing a platform for the world to see what he was rapping about in the first place.
It boasts the tracks “Keep Ya Head Up” and ” I Get Around” and even a little Ice Cube feature. While it might not be his best-selling album, it still went platinum about a year later.
Easy Mo Bee is the only producer to have worked with both Tupac and TheNotorious B.I.G. during their lifetimes.
Legendary producer, Easy Mo Bee, produced Biggie’s debut single, “Party and Bullshit”. Mo Bee produced six songs on The Notorious B.I.G‘s debut album Ready to Die, including “Gimme the Loot”, “Warning”, “The What” (featuring Method Man), “Ready to Die”, “Friend of Mine”, and “Machine Gun Funk”. (DJ Premier, Nashiem Myrick, Lord Finesse, Chucky Thompson, The Bluez Brothers (Lord Digga & Norman Glover), Darnell Scott, and The Trackmasters also had production on Ready to Die.)
A year after that Mo Bee also had two production credits on 2Pac‘s third studio album, Me Against the World, he produced “If I Die 2Nite” and “Temptations.”
Easy Mo Bee has produced countless hits for Bad Boy Records including, Craig Mack’s debut single, “Flava in Ya Ear”.
Easy Mo Bee produced The Notorious B.I.G.’s Going Back to Cali and 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G collab “Runnin’ from tha Police” which got cut to just “Runnin” alongside Dramacydal, Stretch and Buju Banton.
Delrey Richardson has a rare photo of Tupac for sale in the NFT space
Popular producer Delray Richardson is selling a rare pic of the late Tupac he took 14 days before the rapper’s tragic murder in 1996. Previously speaking to The Baltimore Sun, Richardson detailed that he was showing his friends around Los Angeles when he spotted Pac’s customized Hummer. He had previously worked with the legendary rapper and had a friendly relationship with him. He requested to take a photo for his friends and Shakur obliged.
One of Richardson’s friends asked Pac, also known as 2Pac, for a moment but he couldn’t get out of the vehicle because of traffic. The person then asked Tupac how many times he was shot during the Manhattan incident in 1994. Pac answered “five” while showing five fingers, the moment at which the photo was taken.
Richardson is not only selling Pac’s pic, he is also auctioning an old video of Michael Jordan intervening in a fight between his bodyguard and a gang member during a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
“If Beeple’s 5000 day’s NFT sold for $69,000,000, then 1/1 ultra-rare NFT’s of Tupac Shakur & Michael Jordan is surely worth $2,500,000 or more,” Richardson told HotNewHipHop via email.
Tupac and Jada Pinkett-Smith both went to the same high school Baltimore School for the Arts.
Both Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett-Smith went to the same high school The Baltimore School for the Arts, located in Baltimore, Maryland, where they first met and Tupac also took ballet in the 1980’s.
The two met on their first day of high school and became very close friends as Tupac took theater, ballet, dance, and majored in poetry and jazz, while Pinkett Smith majored in dance and theater.
Jake Pinkett Smith and Tupac in High School
“It was the first day and he came over to me and introduced himself and in high school, Pac was a little funny looking. Definitely from looking at him, wasn’t necessarily the type of cat that I would even like, deal with. But as soon as he approached me, he was like a magnet. Once you paid attention to him he kind of sucked you in. And we hit it off from that moment on… I don’t think either one of us thought we would have made it in the way that we did, but we knew we were gonna do something. He was one of my best friends, he was like a brother.” – Jada Pinkett Smith on Tupac.
As teens the two even performed The Fresh Prince’s “Parents Just Don’t Understand” together. Long before Jada would meet Will Smith.
Jada Pinkett Smith revealed during an interview with SWAY in the morning that she was a drug dealer when she met Tupac; “When I first met Pac, when we first met, I was a drug dealer.” she recalled.
They were very close friends in and after high school and Pac even wrote Jada Pinkett Smith a love letter ‘Forever Yours, Tupac’.
Busta Rhymes hops on Fat Joe’s IG live to tell a few stories
Busta Rhymes is a rapper who has been in the game for long, long enough that he had a chance to interact with hip hop’s biggest icons. Busta was recently interviewed by Fat Joe on The Fat Joe Show on Instagram live.
The New York legend recounted a story where the late idol attacked a soundman while trying to help Leaders of the New School, of which Busta Rhymes was a member. The group was trying to get a soundcheck done but the soundman wasn’t having it. “We getting ready to do the soundcheck, but the soundman was on some bullshit,” continues Busta.
“He’s shutting shit down and acting like he’s getting ready to leave. We kinda on some ‘damn, we really want to get this soundcheck done.’ The crazy thing is that Pac saw there was a little bit of friction going on. And he just came and involved himself in the situation. Pac turned to this white man and he was like ‘yo, I need you to cut this motherfuckin’ sound board on. Leaders of the New School are going to get their soundcheck done, right now. Fuck you talking about you ain’t turning on the equipment?’”
“He just started spazzing on dude,” said Busta before continuing, “The man wasn’t trying to hear what Pac was talking about, so Pac just ran up on this motherfucka and started choking him. ‘You mothafucka!’ So we had to grab Pac, cause we ain’t askin’ for all of this, we just want a soundcheck! This ain’t war! But that’s the type of dude Pac was. He went out of his way to extend love.” Explained Rhymes while expressing the extent to which Pac was willing to show love.
“He just started spazzing on dude, the man wasn’t trying to hear what ‘Pac was talking about, so ‘Pac just ran up on this motherfucker and started choking him. ‘You motherfucker!’ So we had to grab ‘Pac, cause we ain’t asking for all of this, we just want a soundcheck! This ain’t war! But that’s the type of dude ‘Pac was. He went out of his way to extend love.”
The twerk it rapper also spoke about going to highschool with Biggie & Jay Z, and losing a rap battle to Hov. “In the process of me trying to get my shit together with it me and Hov ended up having a battle,” Busta explained. “Ultimately, Hov got the best of the battle in that moment because I was just starting to figure out how to master my fascination with the speed rap.”
