Legendary hip-hop star, actor and poet Tupac Shakur was honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday.
The honor recognized his outstanding contributions to the arts and his activism for racial equality.
Tupac’s sister Sekiwa “Sit” Shakur accepted the star on Hollywood Boulevard during the unveiling ceremony. The event was hosted by radio host Kurt “Big Boy” Alexander, while director Alan Hughes, who recently worked on a documentary about Tupac’s life, was also in attendance.
During his speech, Sekyiwa expressed how Tupac always believed he was destined for greatness. She considers herself lucky to witness her greatness as her younger sister.
He mentioned that the event was not only about honoring a star on Earth, but also about Tupac’s hard work and passion in making his dreams come true. Sekyiwa became emotional, saying that Tupac’s star in the sky will shine even brighter that day, making everyone incredibly proud of him. He ended his speech with a heartfelt declaration of love for Tupac.
Tupac Shakur, who was tragically murdered in 1996 at the age of 25, had a profound impact on the hip-hop genre and gained a global fan base. He sold more than 75 million records worldwide and received six Grammy Award nominations during his relatively short five-year recording career.
Director Alan Hughes highlighted Tupac’s influence on hip-hop music, noting the importance of placing the genre’s most transcendent star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.
Notably, Tupac Shakur is only one of twelve rap artists, including Queen Latifah and Ice T, to receive a star on the Walk of Fame.
Hip-hop historian Kevin Powell believes that this delay in recognition is due to a lack of understanding of Tupac as both a person and an artist, coupled with the nature of his untimely death. Powell described Tupac as the most important hip-hop icon in the genre’s 50-year history and insisted he deserved his star on the Walk of Fame.