Bronze Tupac, life-size, stands atop a granite block in the middle of a spritzing fountain shaped like a cross. It was unveiled in 2005, on the ninth anniversary of his death-by-gunfire. It was the centerpiece of the Peace Garden at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, which was run by Tupac's mom.
Tupac is shown wearing a suit and a cross and carrying a Bible. The inscription in the pedestal quotes Tupac: "I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world." Some have complained that all of the cross-and-Bible iconography was a bit much.
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, based in Stone Mountain, Georgia, was a performing arts center supported through the Shakur Family Foundation. The Shakur Center's mission was to provide opportunities for young people through the arts, and offered programs such as drama, dance, and creative writing classes. The organization also ran a Performing Arts Day Camp for youth ages twelve to eighteen.The center, located off Memorial Drive, was named in honor of the late American hip hop artist Tupac Amaru Shakur, and was founded by his mother Afeni Shakur.
The center was founded in 1997 by Tupac Shakur's mother Afeni Shakur in the interest of preserving her son's legacy. It was designed to bring quality arts training to young people including some students who face many social-economic issues such as poverty. Many students have enriched their artistic abilities through this center and some have even received part-time jobs.
During the May 16, 2023 meeting of the Oakland City Council, elected officials approved a resolution to commemoratively rename MacArthur Boulevard between Grand and Van Buren Ave. where he once lived as “Tupac Shakur Way.”
On November 3, 2023 a stretch of street in Oakland, California, was renamed for Tupac Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary. A section of MacArthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s became Tupac Shakur Way, following a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer.
“Let his spirit live on the rest of these years in these streets and in your hearts,” Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur told the crowd, wiping away tears at the end of a nearly two-hour ceremony. The sign for Tupac Shakur Way was unveiled moments later.
MC Hamme who spent many of Shakur’s final months with him before his 1996 shooting death at age 25, said in his remarks that Shakur was, “hands down, the greatest rapper ever, there’s not even a question of that.”
Shakur collaborator Money-B and Oakland hip-hop legend Too Short also spoke at the ceremony.
Shakur was born in New York and was raised there and in Baltimore, but he moved with his mother to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980s. He would live in Oakland in the early 1990s and embraced it as an adopted hometown.
City Councilwoman Carroll Fife, who led the effort to rename the street. “He said Oakland gave him his game.”
In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2004, He was among the honorees at the first Hip Hop Honors.
Tupac: Resurrection released in November 2003 was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2005 Academy Awards.
On June 23, 2010, the Library of Congress added "Dear Mama" to the National Recording Registry, the third rap song.
On April 15, 2012, The Tupac hologram made its debut at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.
TRIBUTE & HONORS
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Tupac Shakur received the ultimate Hollywood honor on June 7, 2023. Many years after his tragic death: a star on the Walk of Fame. Family, friends and fans paid tribute to his legacy. Tupac Shakur's sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur became emotional while speaking at her late brother's recent Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
“Tupac Shakur was a rapper, actor, activist, poet, and revolutionary. This iconic artist has continued to be part of the zeitgeist for decades after his passing and will continue to be an important cultural figure for many years to come,” stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Surely, as one of L.A.’s own, Tupac’s star will be added to the list of most visited stars” added Martinez.
Joining emcee Big Boy for the star unveiling will be celebrated filmmaker Allen Hughes, director of the acclaimed docuseries “Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur” that is now streaming on F/X and Hulu. Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur will accept the star on behalf of the family.
Hughes directed the recently released docuseries, “Dear Mama, a deeply personal account of mother and son, Afeni and Tupac Shakur, and a definitive portrait of a global superstar and the woman who shaped him. A testament to the lasting cultural impact of Tupac Shakur, “Dear Mama” set a new ratings high for the Disney-owned FX when it premiered in May 2023 as the most watched unscripted series debut in cross-platform viewers across FX and Hulu.
The late Tupac Shakur is an internationally recognized artist renowned for his work, defying distinction between art and activism. Though his career lasted just five years, Tupac Shakur remains one of the most complex and prolific artists of his generation with over 75 million records sold worldwide. He is one of hip-hop’s most iconic figures, his body of work constantly reminds us of why he is a legacy that continues to be examined and appreciated for generations. Both his 1996’s All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits collection have been certified Diamond, surpassing the ten-million mark and placing them among the top-selling albums of all time.
Tupac’s life and legacy continue to impact and influence culture today, from a groundbreaking performance via hologram at the 2012 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, to a spoken-word appearance on Kendrick Lamar’s critically praised 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. In 2015, the Grammy Museum opened Tupac’s first museum exhibit, All Eyez on Me: The Writings of Tupac Shakur. In 2022, Tupac Shakur: Wake Me When I’m Free, a fully immersive thought-provoking museum experience exploring the life and legacy of the acclaimed artist and activist, opened in Los Angeles, California.
Rock and Roll of Fame
On April 7, 2017, 2Pac became the first solo rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He entered the Rock Hall in his first year of eligibility.
In July 1999, the foundation began its first annual summer session of PA camps with twenty campers. The camp continued to grow throughout the years. On June 11, 2005, The Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts Peace Garden and visitor center was opened. The peace garden was designed as a tribute to Tupac Shakur as well as others who have died. In 2006, the music video for the single Pac's Life, from Tupac's eponymous album was shot on location. Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur also went to Africa in 2006 and fostered a relationship between the Center and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
After 2006, the foundation showed signs of growth as many additional programs were created such as after-school programs, dance classes, and cultural exchange programs. Fees for these programs resembled prices for joining local sports leagues. The foundation also held Tupac birthday concert celebrations since 2009.
The foundation offered acting, after-school, and dancing classes. In addition, they offered yearly leadership and arts programs. They had also set up cross-cultural exchanges with Japan and South Africa. In August 2015, Afeni Shakur sold the property upon which the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts stood, for $1.2 million. On May 2 of the following year, Tupac's mother died of a suspected heart attack.
A statue of Shakur at the MARTa museum in Herford, Germany.
"Holler If Ya Hear Me is a jukebox musical written by Todd Kreidler featuring the rap music of Tupac Shakur. The musical began previews on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on June 2, 2014, and officially opened on June 19, 2014. The musical closed on July 20, 2014, after 17 previews and 38 performances. Directed by Kenny Leon, the musical staging and choreography was by Wayne Cilento. One of the producers, Eric L. Gold, "blamed the show's closing on 'the financial burdens of Broadway". Gold also told Variety that he made a " 'rookie mistake' by underestimating the amount of capital necessary to keep the $8 million show running".
David Rooney, writing in Billboard, noted: "Critical response to the show was lukewarm. While many reviewers appreciated the attempt to stretch the jukebox musical format in new directions, going beyond the safe parameters of Baby Boomer hits, most found the story of racism, poverty, crime, violence, community and redemption mired in plot cliches and stock characters....It was apparent from the outset that not only was the show's marketing not working, but also that producers had made a mistake in bypassing the developmental opportunities of an out-of-town tryout and the fine-tuning window of a longer preview period.