Days before the big Grammy Awards ceremony will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the exhibit All Eyez on Me: The Writings of Tupac Shakur debuted with an event that gathered those who were close with the legendary rapper before his untimely death.
Shakur’s estate, managed by his mother Afeni Shakur, gave access to some of the rarest, never-before-seen materials that explores the thought process of the prolific rapper while he was still alive. From lyrics to poems, the exhibit aims to teach the younger generation of musicians to see how the rapper dreamed big before hitting it huge.
“We wanted this exhibit to explore deeper into hip-hop and we wanted to take away the stigma of him being just a gangsta rapper or a thug,” said Nwaka Onwusa, the curator of the exhibit.
More than a chronicle of his life, the displays inside the gallery showed lyrics that the rapper had written . People are treated with an in-depth look at how Tupac honed his craft.
During the exhibit’s opening, guests were given a chance to ask questions about Shakur directly to those who knew him best. Public Enemy frontman Chuck D., music producer Quincy Jones III, and other musician friends were in attendance. John Singleton, who directed Shakur in his 1993 film Poetic Justice, was asked about the status of his upcoming Tupac biopic .
“I’m going to dodge that right now… I’m a very passionate person who wants to make the movie I want to make. Tupac’s soul would come back and haunt my ass if it wasn’t done right. His journey was so specific, but it affected billions of people.”
Collider reports that Randall Emmett, the producer who nabbed the rights to Shakur’s life, is putting the biopic on the fast track.
“The script is great and we’re ready to make the movie… We’re just prepping the logistics.”
The film will apparently tackle Shakur’s life from his early beginnings and rise to fame until his death back in 1996.
Another hip-hop biopic is slated to open this year, possibly competing with Shakur’s life story. N.W.A. will reveal their story in the upcoming film Straight Outta Compton . The film is expected to be released in August; however, filming was stalled after Suge Knight was charged with murder after a fatal hit-and-run that happened on the set following a heated argument.
For years, it has been rumored that Knight had some form of involvement in Shakur’s death, as the hip-hop mogul was the one driving the BMW that was gunned down by another vehicle. While fans are still questioning Shakur’s death, they can relive the spirit of the rapper by seeing his work on display at the Grammy Museum until April.
[Image via rapbasement.com ]
