The Blockson Collection in the school of Africology just received a major addition in November – Tupac Shakur’s personal items were donated.
The donor, Goldin Auctions, said it choose to donate the items due to the expansive collection that already exists. The CEO also just happens to be a Philadelphia native, which gives us brownie points.
Among the items donated were jewelry and hand-written notes, some pertaining to the artist’s songs. Tupac’s infamous medallion, from the night of his death, was a part of the donation. It was previously auctioned for $125,000, an estimate to its worth. If you want to see these amazing items for yourself, you can check them out right on campus.
At 25 years old, Tupac Shakur was shot in a car in Las Vegas, Nevada. He passed away a week later in the hospital. The car, referenced above and not obtained by the Blockson Collection, was valued at around $200,000, but the asking price was $1.5 million and appeared on the popular TV show, Pawn Stars. His murder was related to gang wars and it still has yet to be solved.
Housing these items and about 500,000 more, the Blockson Collection is one of the largest leading works of its kind. It shows no signs of slowing down. One of the leading factors in the choice to donate these items to Temple University was the fact that there is a class offered on him. Tupac Shakur and the Hip Hop Revolution is taught by Aaron Smith, who was rumored to have a modern Hip Hop class in the works.