In this case, she said, 'we can absolutely say yes.The outspoken nature of Tupac was also evident in the ink he wore on his skin. 'That's kind of a big conversation in the art world - do the artists get any benefit from the sale of their art,' Hatton said. The auction is unique not only in that it's the first of its kind at a major international house, but also because the majority of the consigners are artists themselves or their estates, rather than collectors. 'We wanted to support organizations that themselves supported the preservation of the history of hip hop.' The charity aspect was important, Hatton said, because 'the sale is about celebrating the history of hip hop and how much of an impact it's had on culture.' The sale intends to trace the development of hip hop from its birth in the late 1970s through the 'Golden Age' of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s to the present day.Ī portion of the proceeds will go to non-profit community organizations, including the music and DJ program Building Beats aimed at engaging underserved youth. The letters are expected to sell for at least $60,000 to $80,000. 'Will you call me tonight at 11:40? Just to check to see if I'm okay,' the nascent rapper wrote in a postscript. Still love me?' he writes in one letter signed 'With All My Heart, Tupac Shakur.' The 42 pages of intimate messages written in the deliberate yet shaky cursive of an adolescent paint a vulnerable portrait of the lyrical Tupac in love, both eager to profess his heart's desire and insecure that he could lose his high school sweetheart. Both murders of two of hip hop's most influential stars remain unsolved. Tupac - whose hits included 'California,' 'Changes,' 'Dear Mama' and 'All Eyez On Me' - was also gunned down, just months before Biggie. The other cornerstone of the September auction is a collection of 22 signed love letters penned by Tupac Shakur to his girlfriend Kathy Loy when he was a teenager in Baltimore. 'Even my grandma - and I love Grandma, but she's not hip,' laughed Hatton. All you have to say is 'Biggie's Crown,'' she told AFP. 'You're not so much selling the object as selling the story that's behind it,' explained Cassandra Hatton, the senior specialist at Sotheby's behind the auction set to become an annual event. It's quite a sum for a crown made of plastic that Sean 'Diddy' Combs, at the time Biggie's label owner, at first worried would make the hip hop superstar look like the Burger King rather than the King of New York.

2pac all eyez on me photoshoot