It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since the passing of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, but luckily, his legacy is not one we will soon forget.
According to Playbill, Holler If You Hear Me is the newest show to hit Broadway under the direction of Kenny Leon. On March 10, he will begin his search for African-American male and female rappers between the ages on 18-35 and one “Caucasian actor” between the ages of 20-25 with a “strong facility for rap and terrific guitar skills.”
Few ever imagined the late rapper’s music would hit the Great White Way, but Leon knew it was a project that needed to be shared.
“The idea was always to make a musical inspired by his music and not to do an autobiographical approach to his life or anything like that,” said the Stick Fly director in a PBS interview. “And because I always thought that Tupac was a prophet and I thought if everybody could hear his words and hear his stories, they would see what I see. So we are going to probably do a big workshop in New York this summer and I’m going to try to bring it to Broadway in the next Broadway season.”
Back in October, Leon revealed to BlackVoices that he held small meetings with Shakur’s mother, Afeni, to make sure his ideas for the show were on track.
Workshops for Holler If You Hear Me will run from April 23 to May 11 with all selected actors.