A wax figure of Tupac was unveiled at Madame Tussaud’s in London last month. Rex Features via AP Images

The late Tupac Shakur was known a prolific artist. And when he died at the age of 25, it has been reported that he left behind a trove of songs and song concepts. Now his mother, Afeni Shakur, has announced she will release her son’s entire body of work.

According to Billboard, the late rapper’s estate is now being handled by Jampol Artist Management. His mother is head of the estate and founder of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. “I believe it is our responsibility to make sure that Tupac’s entire body of work is made available for his fans. My son left many incomplete pieces and even more unfinished ideas. Using the blueprints he gave us, I am committed to fulfilling this duty,” she said in a press statement.

His estate will not only be releasing more Tupac tracks, but also plans to market his name. Jampol Artist Management will oversee licensing, apparel, and other ventures in all media worldwide, as it relates to Shakur’s music, film, name and likeness, reports Billboard.

JAM also handles the estates of The Doors, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Peter Tosh, and Henry Mancini and consults on the estate of Michael Jackson.

“It’s our responsibility — and our privilege — to ensure that new generations of fans experience the power of Tupac’s music, his ideas  and his storytelling,” JAM founder and president Jeffrey Jampol said in a statement.

Tom Whalley, the label executive who signed the hip hop artist to his first record deal, will be working with Jampol Artist Management on the upcoming music projects, notes Billboard.

When Tupac was murdered in 1996, he had registered 11 number one albums on the Billboard 200. He has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide as of 2010.

via AP images. Anonymous/dapd

Ford is hoping to draw the connection between its cars and Tupac Shakur with the launch of an all-new 2013 Ford Fusion Campaign featuring the Tupac’s poem, “The Rose That Grew from Concrete.” The folks at Ford say it symbolizes the “Fusion’s breakthrough in performance, style and innovation – a transformation of consumer expectations of midsize sedans.”

The campaign, called “A Rose,” includes the TV ad below and stars Andre Royo (aka “Bubbles”) from HBO’s The Wire. “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” is recited in voice-over.   

This creative turn by Ford was initiated by UniWorld Group, Ford’s African American advertising agency of record. “The late Tupac Shakur’s poem, ‘The Rose That Grew from Concrete,’ is the perfect description for the way the new Fusion’s design came to be,” explains Shawn Thompson, Ford manager of multicultural marketing, in a press release. “This campaign breaks completely away from anything we’ve done in the past to introduce consumers to a new vehicle utilizing a poem by one of hip hop’s most celebrated artists.This campaign, like the poem, has an inspiring message at its core.”

The car company wants to appeal to the African-American consumer. And no wonder. African Americans purchased 641,090 new vehicles in 2010, accounting for 7.4 percent of all new vehicle sales, found automotive research firm RL Polk. As we reported recently, Muléy cited RL Polk and Yankelovich studies pointing out that black women account for 58 percent of all new cars and trucks purchased by African Americans, compared to 44 percent of women in the general population.

African Americans tend to buy from Toyota while Ford is the black community’s second favorite car company, with 11.7 percent of sales, according to R.L. Polk. Toyota generates 15 percent of sales from blacks.

Thecampaign also includes radio and print ads in addition to a digital component featuring a series of Web videos that will live on www.ford.com/brandnew. And of course, “The Rose” campaign is also featured on the Ford Fusion YouTube channel and Ford Fusion Facebook page.

Would this make you more likely to buy the Ford Fusion? Or do you oppose the use of the poem in a car ad?

Source: Tumblr.com

Juice director Ernest R Dickerson has said that in the ’90′s, black movies, specifically black movies set in the hood, were the “flavor of the month” and Juice was relatively easy to get made. Whether Hollywood’s fascination with “the hood” was a good thing or bad, it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that the cast and crew of this film managed to make a film that’s still relevant today. This year, marks the 20th anniversary of Juice and people still regard it as a classic, to Dickerson’s delight and surprise: “My daughter told me that her friends had Juice parties where they would watch the movie and recite the dialogue. Our little story still seems to resonate with so many young people today and I am very happy about that.” Check out the secrets behind this movie.

Source: ivewatchedit.com

I have just  five words for you: “You wanna smell my punani?” That line alone was enough to make Poetic Justice a classic piece of art. But aside from the raunch, this movie was much more than the critics initially gave it credit for. John Singleton said he wanted to tell the story of how black women in South Central were affected by the way the black men in their lives were dying. He also wanted to show how the characters open up and reveal their true selves when they’re away from the pressures of the city. Some of us loved it, some of us were disappointed and some of us didn’t appreciate it until it came out on DVD. Either way, you have a lot to learn about this one. Check out some of the facts behind the film.

Source: Bet.com

Janet…or her people Didn’t Think Pac was “Clean” 

Janet Jackson must have assumed Tupac was living some type of wild lifestyle because she didn’t mind asking him to take an AIDS test. Even though there were no sex scenes between the two. They just kissed. That move really showed how ignorant Janet and countless others were about the disease back in the day. A person with AIDS would either have to exchange a gallon of saliva with another person or have opening cuts in their mouth to transfer the disease to another individual. Apparently Janet didn’t know all that. She requested it but Tupac refused. Good man. Janet wasn’t feeling Tupac at all actually. He thought the two would remain friends after filming was complete. I’m going to let Tupac explain what happened.

Centric.com

While the recent comedy Think Like A Man remains a smash hit at the box office, toppling the movie Hunger Games after four weeks and bringing in an estimated $33 million in its first weekend out, it’s definitely not the first black film to make money and have everyone talking–in a good way. The ’90s were a golden age for black films based around romance, drama and more, and we have decided to compile a two-part series to call out the best black films from the ’90s.

Source: blog.zap2it.com

From Black Voices

Good news for Tupac Shakur fans! The late hip-hop icon’s music will be featured in a new Broadway musical titled, “Holler If Ya Hear Me.”

According to Playbill, the Kenny Leon directed musical will begin casting in New York City on March 10 and are seeking African American Male and Female rappers between the ages of 18 – 35, in addition to one “Caucasian actor” between the ages 20 – 25 with a “strong facility for rap and terrific guitar skills.”

While Leon previously revealed to The Huffington Post that he has held small workshops with Shakur’s mother, Afeni, he also mentioned during an interview with PBS that he has always wanted to direct a production inspired by the rapper’s illustrious discography.

Get the rest of the story and out when you can expect to see this show at Black Voices.com.

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Earlier this week we reported that a Tupac sex video had surfaced. If you’ve seen the pictures from the tape– there’s pretty much no denying that it was indeed Pac getting served in the video tape.

But Afeni Shakur is threatening, quite convincingly, that if anyone releases the tape for profit, she’ll sue them. As it stands Tupac’s family are the only people who can authorize the use of Tupac’s image for commercial use.

And you can bet she’s not going to have this…less than flattering portrayal of her son out in the world.

Alright Mama Shakur. We hear you.

Source

Word is that the staff at TMZ has personally reviewed a sex video starring the late great Tupac Shakur. In the 1991 video, Tupac receives oral sex, drinks a drank, smokes a blunt, dances with a friend, keeps receiving oral sex, and sings along to an unreleased track of him rapping all at the same time. The big joke making the rounds online is — “Boy that Tupac sure was a great mult-tasker!” And of course, inevitable speculation about what is going to happen with the room full of groupies also present has stirred great curiosity for viewing what was clearly a pre-orgiastic rite. TMZ elaborates:

The tape, shot in 1991, begins with a bunch of groupies in a living room during a house party. Tupac walks into the room with his pants down to his ankles, his shirt off … sporting several chains.

Tupac — whose head is shaved — pulls one of the women toward him, and she begins performing oral sex. As she does her thing, an unreleased song of Tupac’s is playing in the background, as Tupac is singing along and dancing, wiggling his hips.

And it gets even better. As the woman services Tupac, who is holding a cocktail in one hand and a blunt in another, Money B from Digital Underground walks over to him. Tupac puts his cocktail arm around Money B, continues singing and dancing … and the woman never stops.

As the tape ends it appears he’s ready to begin sexual intercourse. It’s unclear if there’s another tape.

We’ve learned the person in possession of the tape is making plans to release it.

I suppose all that is interesting. It is hard to imagine being so enraptured in the 20-year-old sex life of a tragically murdered rap legend, unless your own personal love life is in the toilet. I for one have never seen the R. Kelly sex video, the Kim Kardashian/Ray-J sex video, the Paris Hilton sex video, or even the original that started all this madness — the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee grandparent of them all.

I for one have no interest in seeing random people who are not professionals making love, unless they are absolutely ordinary and complete strangers. Maybe I am odd, but I would rather watch some highly amusing amateur Adult Videos than peer even more deeply into the lives of people who have been warped by celebrity. Especially when they are dead. That seems particularly twisted of us.

My personal thoughts aside, the folks at Uproxx.com state: “More than anything, this tape will lend credence to the long-standing rumor that Tupac would often cross-stitch while performing cunnilingus on a lady.” Perhaps if this is true, the Tupac sex video could act as an instructional video for all the many men in this world who need an education in this area. Otherwise, I’m not interested.

What are your thoughts Madames? Interested in watching Tupac act silly before falling into a pile of groupie “hos”? Or would you prefer to maintain the dark, but complex image of him as a troubled but brilliant artist? I for one prefer the latter.

By Alexis Garrett Stodghill

Yesterday marked the 15^th anniversary of the death of Tupac Shakur. The legendary rapper and actor touched millions of fans with his tough-yet-heartfelt lyrics on beloved albums such as “2Pacalypse Now” and “All Eyez on Me.” Having sold over 75 million albums worldwide, Shakur remains one of the best-selling recording artists ever. To celebrate this luminary’s legacy, the Atlanta University Library has just announced the opening of the Tupac Shakur Collection to the public. According to HollywoodReporter.com:  “Including song lyrics, poems, track lists and video treatments, the collection comprises of approximately 11 linear feet, with 30 boxes of materials. It is one of the few publicly available research collections of an individual hip hop artist. Spanning from 1969 to 2008, a few of the most noteworthy items featured include a handwritten video treatment for ‘Dear Mama,’ a notebook of songs eventually recorded for ’2Pacalypse Now,’ and a handwritten draft of ‘The Rose That Grew from Concrete.’”  What a marvelous way to celebrate the memory of this hip-hop giant. Join us in further commemorating the 15^th anniversary of Tupac Shakur’s death by reminiscing on the ten of the most stellar moments of his brief career.

1991: The release of “2Pacalypse Now”

“Who knew that back in 1991 after he made his musical debut with 2Pacalypse Now that the saggy jean-wearing, wide-eyed MC who rapped about the fictional teenaged Brenda and her baby would grow to be one of the most revered figures in modern American history?,” writes Rob Markman of MTV.com. This album launched 2Pac’s brief five-year career and inspired future greats in the game like Eminem and 50 Cent.

(San Jose Mercury News) — New York City police are investigating an online post from a felon who claims to have shot and robbed Tupac Shakur in 1994, two years before the rapper was slain.  Slain? That just shows how ignorant police are. Everyone knows Shakur is living in a fishing village in Guatemala, handicrafting colorful pottery and biding his time for the big comeback.  Police spokesman Paul Browne said Wednesday that if police determine the post is legitimate, they will seek to interview the prisoner.  The claim, attributed to Dexter Isaac, was posted on the website AllHipHop.com. The site said the original claim came in a letter sent from a Brooklyn prison, in which Isaac said he was paid $2,500 by another hip-hop mogul to rob Shakur outside a studio in Manhattan in 1994.

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