Walk through the life of Tupac Shakur in this LA exhibit – Orange County Register

Tupac Shakur is one of the most important vocalists of his generation – a complex rapper whose honest and unrepentant music shifts from violent and profane lyrics to heartfelt emotional melodies about peace. equality, feminism and memory of his mother.

But he’s not just one of the leading voices on the West Coast rapHe was also an actor and activist whose cultural impact continued decades after his death in 1996.

In 2012, Shakur’s hologram was “done” during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg .’s show title set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017; and now he is the owner of a 20,000 square foot property exhibition titled “Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free” aims to delve into the rapper’s life to explain his complex and artistic nature.

The exhibition, which organizers call a museum, opened January 21 at The Canvas in LA Live and runs through June.

“We wanted to create an experience that introduces Tupac and inspires people when they come to the museum that he is a product of his social, cultural and political milieu. But through his art, through his worldview, he became the symbol of the generation fighting for humanity, a voice for the voiceless and a true revolutionary,” said Jeremy. Hodges, the exhibition’s creative director.

Named after a poem he wrote as a teenager, the exhibition includes items from throughout the rapper’s life, including notebooks filled with his writings, lyrics, The rapper’s poetry, costumes, music, quotes and even his tattoos, have been recreated into three-dimensional sculptures.

There’s also studio equipment on display as well as Black Panther memorabilia, which is a nod to his late mother Afeni Shakur, a former political activist, and a former Black Panther warrior and one of the biggest influencers in the rapper’s life.

“As you go through it, you get to understand how he grew up in a revolutionary political environment that spurred all of his thinking about the world, his worldview, and his music,” Hodges said.

“He was a poet, he was an artist, he was a revolutionary. He’s a hip-hop star and a musician but he’s so much more and a lot more complicated,” he added.

Shakur was killed at the age of 25 in an unsolved shooting in Las Vegas in 1996 while he was driving a BMW with the rap mogul Knight Suge.

He left an influential legacy that includes hits like “Dear Mama,” “California Love” with Dr. Dre, “How Do U Want It” with K-Ci and JoJo, “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up. His acting credits include roles in films like “Juice,” “Poetic Justice,” and “Gang Related.”

He also often goes through the violent life he raps. He was at the center of the West Coast and East Coast rap feud, and before he was killed was shot five times outside a New York recording studio in 1994.

And like Shakur’s life, there’s also controversy surrounding the exhibit.

Sekyiwa Shakur, Shakur’s sister, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Tom Whalley, trustee of Afeni Shakur’s estate, accusing Whalley of embezzlement and possession of items that instead is his sister’s, Billboard was first reported. Sekyiwa Shakur believes some of those items are in the exhibit, her lawyer says Los Angeles Times.

Hodges said he had no comment on the lawsuit or whether it would affect the new exhibit.

“I’m here to honor Tupac and build a story and I don’t have anything to go into on that,” he said.

And while 41-year-old Hodges, a Shakur fan since he was a kid growing up in Chicago, has never met the rapper, he hopes other fans will feel like him when he walks through the show. exhibition.

“In addition to the beautiful aesthetic of the museum, it is really immersive and makes you feel like you are accompanying Tupac on this journey,” he said.

If you go

Time: Noon – 7pm Monday and Wednesday, noon – 8pm Thursday, noon – 9pm Friday, 11am – 9pm Saturday, 11am – 7pm Sunday to June. Closed on Tuesdays.

Location: The Canvas @ LA Live, 944 Georgia St., Los Angeles

Tickets: $24.50-$44.50 for adults and those over 16, $14.50-$34.50 for children and students.

COVID-19 protocols: Proof of complete immunization (two weeks from last dose) or negative COVID-19 test (within one day for antigen test or two days for antigen test) PCR test). Must wear a mask.

Information: awmewhenimfree.com