Culture
ARTS: Tupac Exhibit At Grammy Museum Extended
The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles has announced the extension of their exhibit All Eyez On Me: The Writings Of Tupac Shakur. After debuting on February 2nd it has exceeded all expectations. “Tupac Shakur was one of the most original and important of all hip hop artists. His writings are both powerful and provocative,” said Bob Santelli, Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum. “It is an honor to be the first music museum to acknowledge Tupac's legacy and to bring context to what was an incredible career."
Curated in partnership with the estate of the late entertainer, All Eyez On Me is an impressive collection of written materials, video interviews and wardrobe. The first of many displays offers a look into his childhood inspiration that includes Don McLean’s classic American Pie LP, one of Tupac’s first records and an influence on his story telling. In focusing on his writing, the exhibit features a number of beat up notebooks containing some of his most famous songs and poetry. During his publicized incarceration after surviving 5 gunshots Tupac was a voracious writer, penning the classic All Eyez On Me double album, letters to friends and a screenplay. The film, which was never made, titled 32 Bottles 2 Ghetto Heaven can be viewed along with his handwritten casting notes. These are just a few rare and insightful pieces in the collection.
A decade before Kanye West grabbed the microphone out of Taylor Swift’s hands (Taylor also has a Grammy Museum exhibit currently running), Tupac was the master of creating a media frenzy. This talent often overshadowed the brilliance of his writing and poignant social messages. The curators are hoping to broaden the public knowledge of who this man was. In a 1995 MTV interview that is shown in the exhibit the interviewer asks him about his past at which he responds, “I want people to be talking about me like ‘remember when he was real bad?’ They do that about a lot of actors now, like John Travolta. I read stories of his, ‘remember you were wild?!’ and all these other people and now they’re like sweethearts. We all should get that chance. I just want my chance." In memoriam he is finally getting his chance at the Grammy Museum.
All Eyez On Me: The Writing Of Tupac Shakur will be be on display through January 10, 2016
The Grammy Museum
800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015
Regular Museum Hours: M-F 11:30am – 7:30pm, Sat-Sun 10:00am – 7:30pm
photo credit: Duffy Marie Arnoult/WireImage.com
