News of August 18, 2003
Tupac's Hummer Is Auctioned, His Own Clothing Line Is Announced
Bids over 700,000 dollars for Tupac's 1996 Hummer and plans for a clothing line: August 2003 was about Tupac's value seven years after his death.
In mid-August 2003, an auction was underway that revealed much about Tupac’s market value seven years after his death: his Hummer from the year 1996 was on offer. As Rolling Stone reported on August 18, the minimum bid was 500,000 dollars. Ten bids had been received by then, the highest stood at 701,700 dollars. The auction was scheduled to end the following Saturday. Who offered the vehicle and who ultimately bought it was not clear from the report.
Makaveli as a Clothing Brand
The same report contained a second piece of news: Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur wanted to launch a fashion line by Christmas, named after his pseudonym Makaveli. In December 2003, Rolling Stone counted the brand among the major projects for the following year, alongside a Broadway show and an authorized biography.
The plan became Makaveli Branded, the official Tupac clothing brand. Billboard described it in March 2006 as three years old and available worldwide. According to these details, proceeds from sales were to benefit the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and its arts center in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Rappers such as Ludacris, Scarface, DJ Quik, and Twista modeled for the advertising campaigns. More on the history of the brand: Merch and Fashion.