Childhood memorabilia of Tupac has been placed on the online market.
Forbes reports that the rare “Haiku” is one of the late rapper’s “earliest pieces of writing ever recorded, and is the first of his manuscripts to come to market outside of his already rare personal correspondence.”
On March 23, his early body of work from the age of 11-years-old went up for auction on Sotheby’s with bids looking to reach about $300,000. The sale is their second Hip-Hop themed auction, which includes collected items from late rapper Biz Markie and DJ Jazzy Jay.
The Unpublished Booklet
According to the outlet, Tupac’s booklet is being sold by Jamal Joseph, his godfather, and a Black Panther. Just like Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur, the activist was a part of The Panther 21 — who faced incarceration in 1969 after being charged with conspiracy to bomb New York police stations and public buildings.
The young talent’s poetry was written and illustrated for Joseph and three other Black Panthers, who were arrested in 1981 for an armored car robbery and shootout.
The illustrations show Tupac telling the four men to stay strong and also display him both dreaming and demanding for them to be freed. To seal off his work, he drew a heart and wrote “Tupac Shakur, Future Freedom Fighter.”
The auction began Wednesday, March 23 and the starting bid was $140,000.
Check it out here.
Tupac's Handwritten Love Poem
Tupac’s works are being sold for Sotheby’s latest Hip-Hop auction, but it isn’t the first time.
As previously reported by AfroTech, his handwritten poem titled “All Eye Was Lookin 4” for a woman named Simi was listed for nearly $100,000 on Moments in Time. It was written on Aug. 26, 1995 — a year before his untimely passing.
The online autograph dealer’s website described it as the genesis for his final album, “All Eyez on Me.”
