The greatest rappers of all time can't escape the Web3 proliferation craze of the 2020s, even in death. Previously unreleased pictures of Tupac Shakur from 1992 are being auctioned as NFTs. Moreover, the photos are of the West Coast legend's performance at Prince's Grand Slam West nightclub in Minneapolis. Furthermore, MakersPlace will auction off the 17 snaps starting Thursday (February 23) at 3pm EST. Titled "2Pacalypse92," Lawrence "Loupy D" Dotson took all the shots, and he formerly served as managing editor at Kronick Magazine. Even though many might be disappointed by the digital nature of this enterprise, not all hope is lost for fans of both Tupac and physical media.
In fact, each NFT will come paired with its own original negative. To elaborate, collectors can own a piece of the genre's performance history that exists in both digital and physical spaces. “The atmosphere was hyped,” Loupy D recalled concerning the late legend's 1992 performance. “The crowd was loving it. He put on a show. He wasn’t just a rapper, he was a performer, he had a theater background. Tupac knew he had to engage the crowd.”
Tupac's Unreleased 1992 Pictures Revived As NFTs
Moreover, some of these snapshots will appear in the upcoming Dear Mama docuseries from FX. The deep dive will focus, as the title implies, on the "California Love" MC, his mother, and their relationship. Afeni Shakur was a former Black Panther who influenced the rapper greatly, and passed away in 2016. “For Tupac superfans, I believe that two of the most important things in the project is the never seen before," said series director, executive producer, and writer Allen Hughes. "But most importantly, you get to understand why he made certain decisions.”
Meanwhile, fans might get to hear more music from Tupac very soon, as his estate and other collaborators promised new music soon. Also, this isn't the first time a valuable piece of Pac memorabilia made the news recently. The late great John Singleton owned a portrait of the MC from the film "Baby Boy" that's valued at $75,000. While not many details were shared concerning these 1992 pics, we're sure it'll cost a pretty penny to commemorate his legacy. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for the latest news on Tupac Shakur and his enduring presence.
