The $75k Tupac Shakur Item John Singleton Left Behind
Tupac Shakur left quite an impact on his peers. The beloved rapper and actor starred in five critically acclaimed movies before his death at the age of 25. Directors have been open about their belief that he would have fully transitioned into acting because his talent was that great. One who feels that way is John SIngleton, who worked closely with Tupac and continued to admire him. Singleton even has an item dedicated to Tupac in his estate that’s now worth $75k.
Tupac was initially supposed to star in ‘Baby Boy’
The rapper was set to star as the lead in the 2001 drama. Singer Tyrese did a dual Instagram Live video with Fat Joe where he spoke about Singleton detailing how Tupac was meant to play the character.
At the time Singleton was set to originally begin casting the film, Tupac was in LA to film the music video for ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’ at a location near Singleton’s office. “He walked up to Pac in the middle of the video shoot and said, ‘I wrote a movie for you’,” Tyres explained to Joe. Tyrese cited how Tupac—like the lead character in the film—was raised by a single mom. Singleton reportedly told Tupac: “I’ve got the perfect movie to tell your story.”
Tupac would die after suffering wounds from a drive-by shooting in 1996. Singleton was so upset over the ordeal, that he put Baby Boy on hold. Years later, he came across Tyres and felt the Fast & Furious star would be a good fit.
“And then he ran into me and said, ‘You remind me of Pac.’ The way we laugh, we’re opinionated, we’re alpha, we’re studied,” Tyrese said Singleton said before casting him.
But initially, Tyrese turned the role down to focus solely on his singing career. He later changed his mind because of Singleton’s persistence.
John Singleton found a way to honor him in the movie with a painting now worth $75k
Despite Tupac not being able to participate in the film because of his death, Singleton paid tribute to the late rapper in the film. In the lead character’s bedroom, a wall-sized mural of the Juice star hangs above the bed. Per Radar Online, the mural is now worth $75,000 and is left in Singleton’s estate. The estate is run by his mother, Shelia Ward, who recently filed a list of assets that Singleton left behind.
As it turns out, Baby Boy wouldn’t have been the first time Singleton and Tupac worked together. They first collaborated on 1993 drama Poetic Justice, starring Tupac and Janet Jackson, along with Regina King and Joe Torry. For his role, Tupac was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.
Singleton died in 2019. Per a coroner’s report the official cause of death was acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and hypertension.
Tyrese makes film debut in ‘Baby Boy’
The coming-of-age urban comedy-drama followed Tyrese as Joseph “Jody” Summers (Gibson), a 20-year-old bike mechanic who still lives with his own mother as he juggles life with two baby mamas. The film earned nearly $30 million at the box office, but became a cult classic.
