News of July 6, 2016

What Happened to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts?

Four million dollars invested, sold for $1.2 million: How Afeni Shakur's arts center in Stone Mountain quietly came to an end.

A dance studio, a peace garden, and a bronze statue of Tupac in the suit from the video for “I Ain’t Mad at Cha”: On June 11, 2005, the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts opened in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The property was located near the house Tupac had bought for his mother and served as the headquarters of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. Afeni Shakur had founded the foundation in 1997 to offer young people from the Atlanta area an annual arts day camp. In July 2016, Rolling Stone looked into what had become of the arts center.

Four Million Dollars from Posthumous Releases

According to the report, the center cost around $4 million. Eighty percent of that was reportedly funded by earnings from Amaru Entertainment made through posthumous releases. As revenue declined, running the center reportedly became difficult. A board member called the building “a big mistake”.

Quiet Sale for $1.2 Million

The property was sold in August 2015 for $1.2 million without the closure officially being announced. The statue and memorabilia were removed.