Tupac's earliest known demo tape goes under the hammer in New York

A basement in Baltimore, around 1988: The then 16-year-old Tupac raps freestyle on cassette as “MC New York.” In January 2026, it emerged that Tupac’s earliest known demo tape and handwritten lyrics are being auctioned in New York. The sale traces back to Gerard “Ge-ology” Young, a longtime friend and collaborator from Baltimore. On the never-released cassette, Tupac rapped alongside other members of the youth group Born Busy, including Darrin K Bastfield and Dana “Mouse” Smith.

First the Rhymes, Then the Beats

According to the report by AllHipHop, the recordings were made so that Ge-ology could later build beats around them-the reverse of the usual order. The tracks are part of a collection assembled by Ge-ology.

No release of the recordings has been announced. Whether the estate agreed to the sale is not clear from the article.