Afeni Shakur, the mother of fallen hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, has announced plans to release never-before-heard music from the rapper. Killed in September of 1996, there have already been several posthumous albums released under 2Pac’s name; but Afeni revealed that her intention is to empty the vaults completely and publish her son’s entire catalog of unreleased material.
“I believe it is our responsibility to make sure that Tupac’s entire body of work is made available for his fans,” Afeni said via a statement. “My son left many incomplete pieces and even more unfinished ideas. Using the blueprints he gave us, I am committed to fulfilling this duty.”
Jampol Artist Management will be overseeing the licensing and other ventures related to 2Pac. “[Jampol] will find innovative ways to continue to keep his music, his message, and his legacy alive,” Afeni said.
“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,” Jampol said in a statement.
With 2Pac gone for 17 years, the question that must be asked is how much unreleased material could there still be and, secondly, how much of it is any good?
With the controversy surrounding an upcoming Drake-produced posthumous Aaliyah album and rumors of a Nate Dogg album on the way, do post-mortem releases add or detract from an artist’s legacy?
The body of work that 2Pac released during his lifetime speaks for itself, but there have been far more albums released since he died. And most of them pale in comparison to his true studio albums. Here are 10 of the worst posthumous 2Pac releases …
–stereo williams
