A 2Pac musical play is coming to Broadway in New York City possibly as soon as the end of this year, the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation confirmed with XXLMag.com.
“It’s based off the music of Tupac,” Vernal Cambridge, Executive Director of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, told XXLMag.com. “You’ll be looking at Tupac’s life through his music. It’s called, ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me.’ We’re looking at toward the end of the year [for the musical to go live on Broadway].”
Of course, the title of the musical is named after 2Pac’s 1993 single by the same name. The musical will take fans through a span of 2Pac’s music throughout his career, before his tragic murder in 1996. The song selection will be handled by scriptwriter Todd Krickler, whose task should be a tough one, considering how vast 2Pac’s catalog was.
Kenny Leon, an acclaimed Broadway director, will helm the musical. Leon also directed A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs starred in that play.
According to Playbill.com, Leon will start an open-call casting for the role of Tupac and others on March 4. The ad on Playbill reads that Leon is seeking: African American male and female rappers ages 18 – 35. Additionally seeking one Caucasian actor ages 20 – 25 with a strong facility for rap and terrific guitar skills. Strong legit singing voices a plus for all, but not required.
Last year marked the 15th-year death anniversary of the fallen MC, who many consider the greatest of all time. XXL commemorated his life with a special ’Pac tribute issue last September. —Mark Lelinwalla
TyDro Ft. Tupac "Raised This Way" on XXL
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