If you happen to be in Los Angeles, California anytime before January 10, 2016 you have a chance to visit The Grammy Museum in downtown off Olympic Blvd. After paying the $12 entry fee, you will be directed to the elevator where you begin your self-led tour. On the fourth floor where the tour begins you will find a very special exhibit showcasing some of the personal work of one of pop culture’s most influential icons, Tupac Shakur. Receiving donations from the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, the exhibit houses actual notebooks used by Tupac along with artifacts from his career.
The exhibit is split into an inner and outer circle. The inner circle held three pillars that were split into six different sections that represented 2Pac as an artist. The categories are The Early Years, 2Pac: The Rose That Grew From Concrete, Inspirations and Influences, The Businessman and Words of Wisdom. Behind each glass case that makes up the sections, there are poems written by Tupac and his mother, Afeni Shakur, family photos, pictures of ‘Pac on tour and at shows, actual written verses from his personal journals, original poetry on its original paper, books he read, and outlines of multiple business ideas that Tupac had planned for his future. In the outer circle, there are screens that play multiple biographical interviews, music videos, concert footage, and a special freestyle between Tupac and the late Notorious B.I.G. In the middle of the outer circle is a glass case that housed three full outfits and a personalized Death Row Records letterman jacket. The first of the outfits is the Versace shirt and shoes that Tupac sported in the E-40 “Rapper’s Ball” video. The second is the Versace suit that Tupac wore to the 1996 Grammy Awards and was coupled with a picture of him and rock legends KISS before presenting the award for Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. The third is a Duke jersey and some 1996 Olympic Scottie Pippen Uptempos ‘Pac donned at the AIDS Project Los Angeles fundraiser. In the back corner of the exhibit, there is glass room with a wooden bench and a screen playing an interview of a young Tupac in high school from 1988 featured in the film Thug Angel.
As you walk around the exhibit tracks, from the diamond selling (that’s 10,000,000 copies) album All Eyez on Me fitting to the title of the exhibit. There is a mural of ‘Pac that takes up an entire wall and a pillar of microphones lit up as if it were center stage in the middle of the floor. The exhibit gives the viewer a look inside the mind of a genius that is rare and unique. Before this exhibit, very few people have had a chance to look into the actual notebooks that Tupac himself spent hours flipping pages and penning his thoughts. It is a breath taking experience and is something that all fans of Tupac and rap music as a whole who are able should take the time to check out.
