Ladies and gentleman it's a proud day for Hip Hop and for Tupac Shakur, his family, friends and all who believed in his revolutionary message. "Holler If Ya Hear Me" is a Hip Hop musical on Broadway showing at the Palace Theater in New York City until January 2015. Tupac Shakur's poetic, genuine lyrics are brought to life through an auto-biographical story of friendship, love, family, change and hope scripted by Todd Kreidler. Directed by acclaimed Broadway and film director, Kenny Leon who was recently nominated for the musical "A Raisin in the Sun" that returned to Broadway in 2014. There are a several producers involved with this project, but I must mention that Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, has approved "Holler If Ya Hear Me". Ms. Shakur is an advocate for today's youth by bringing a message of hope to those battling against the odds. She extends Tupac's legacy through the establishment of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and Center For the Arts. Author, performer, lecturer, recording artist Saul Williams has a key role in bringing life to Tupac's lyrics as well as many other Broadway established or debut cast members.
I remember growing up hearing that Hip Hop was a fad, but it's 2014, and it's still here. It's on Broadway. Do you overstand how big this is? Tupac Shakur is one of the best selling artists with over 77 million albums sold worldwide. His words were poetic and prophetic that transcended the streets and communities he wanted to change. He was a socially conscious messenger who understood how powerful and life-changing Hip Hop could be. Tupac was misunderstood like most brilliant mind's are as referenced throughout history. If he was still with us today the state of pop rap culture would be much more substantial and useful for today's youth. Ya heard, better yet, holla if you hear meh.
I hope this musical makes it around the theater circuit, especially, here in Los Angeles. I guess this would give me an excuse to take a trip to the Big Apple. I hope you get to experience "Holler If Ya Hear Me" on Broadway to grasp the depth of Tupac's mind. If you can't, here's an in depth exploration of the themes and content of this musical in study guide form.
