News of October 30, 2016
Prison letter "Is Thug Life Dead?" fetches more than $172,000
In October 2016, Goldin Auctions sold Tupac's 1995 prison letter for more than $172,000, well below the $225,000 asking price.
In May 1995, Tupac wrote from the Clinton Correctional Facility to Nina Bhadreshwar, an employee of Death Row Records. In October 2016 his text “Is Thug Life Dead?” went under the hammer at Goldin Auctions (on the term: Thug Life: meaning and code).
A letter from prison
The letter is dated May 6, 1995. According to Vibe, Tupac had been convicted of sexual abuse three months earlier, which he denied. “Sorry it took so long, I did get your first letter and I enjoyed it,” Tupac writes, saying it helped his spirit rebuild. The text is “long but it’s true”. The sources differ on the page count (four or five).
A well-known buyer outbids an entertainer
A year earlier the letter had been offered for $225,000 (report). At auction, according to Vibe citing Complex, it brought more than $172,725; The Source gave about $173,000. Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions said the buyer is a well-known person who outbid a popular entertainer.