Sotheby’s Announces Full Contents of Second Dedicated Hip Hop Auction
Following Historic Inaugural Sale in 2020

Sale Led by Rare Manuscript Booklet of Haikus Written and Illustrated by
11-Year Old Tupac Shakur for his Godfather Jamal Joseph
& Fellow Incarcerated Black Panthers 
Estimate $200/300,000

Also Features Original Art, Fashion, Photography, Hand-written Documents, Historic Studio Equipment & Important Artifacts, NFTs & Much More

Open for Bidding Online from Today – 30 March
Public Exhibition 26 – 29 March
At Sotheby’s New York

NEW YORK, 23 March 2022 –  Highlighted by an array of works on offer from some of the most legendary icons of Hip Hop, Sotheby’s unveils the full contents of our second-ever dedicated Hip Hop auction, open for bidding online today through 30 March. Titled The Art and Influence of Hip Hop, the auction spans art, fashion, photography, hand-written documents, historic studio equipment, important artifacts, NFTs and more, representing key moments from the late 1970s through the present, demonstrating the influence of Hip Hop on art and culture.

The selection is led by an unpublished booklet of haikus written and illustrated by Tupac Shakur when he was just 11 years old, on offer from his godfather, Jamal Joseph (estimate $200/300,000), a Black Panther activist who was gifted the booklet by Tupac 40 years ago while incarcerated with fellow Panthers at Leavenworth Prison, as well as a selection of love letters from Tupac to a cherished sweetheart, written at the age of 17 and just before rocketing to fame (lots 101-107).

A majority of the auction consigned directly from the artists on offer in the sale, including Chuck D, Jazzy Jay, Ice T + Afrika Islam, Bobbito Garcia, Crazy Legs, Sue Kwon, Roberto Lugo, Shirt King Phade, April Walker, Dan Lish, Danny Hastings, Danny Cortes, and Elena Kazi, as well from the Estate of Marcel Theo Hall (aka “Biz Markie”), and many more. In addition, works from the late Shock G of Digital Underground, MF Doom, and Ricky Powell will be represented.

The full Hip Hop exhibition, as well as the archive of the legendary birthplace of West Coat Hip Hop, Skateland U.S.A (on offer as a private sale), will be on public view in Sotheby’s York avenue galleries from 26 – 29 March as part of Sotheby’s inaugural Pop Culture week. The week will also feature a dedicated auction of Modern Collectibles.

Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Global Head of Science and Popular Culture, said: “Following the success of Sotheby’s historic first Hip Hop auction in 2020, our second sale in this series expands on the generational, geographic, and artistic scope of Hip Hop’s creative narrative. From the 70s to the present, from the East Coast to the West, The Art and Influence of Hip Hop seeks to represent and honor the voices and visionaries who continue to move the crowd and redefine culture.”

This years’ Hip Hop auction was once again organized in collaboration with Monica Lynch, former president of Tommy Boy Records (1981-1998), who helped launch the careers of legends Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Digital Underground, Naughty by Nature, House of Pain, among many others. She is widely recognized as a leading voice on the history of the culture, and has appeared in numerous documentaries and podcasts.

THE ART AND INFLUENCE OF HIP HOP
Auction Highlights

TUPAC SHAKUR'S CHILDHOOD HAIKU BOOKLET
GIVEN TO GODFATHER & BLACK PANTHER ACTIVIST JAMAL JOSEPH

On offer from Tupac’s godfather and Black Panther activist Jamal Joseph, this unique booklet of haikus written and illustrated by an 11-year old Tupac is a remarkable survival, and was originally sent to Joseph while incarcerated at Leavenworth Prison. Manuscript material by Tupac is incredibly rare, and this is the earliest known manuscript by him – other than this, only a small number of poetic love letters have appeared free and clear on the market. A tranche of the most important of these letters to be written will also highlight the sale (lots 101-107).

The booklet was created as a gift to Jamal Joseph and is also dedicated to three other Black Panther members: Chui Ferguson-El, Sekou Odinga, and Bilal Sunni Ali.

Nearly 40 years later, the book has remained in Joseph’s care, surviving as an extraordinary document of one of the defining Hip Hop artist’s early explorations in lyrical writing and creative expression. A singular insight into Tupac’s life and creative thinking, the manuscript showcases the artist’s early gift for wordplay and lyricism, and provides a fascinating insight into Tupac’s childhood and the influences that would shape him as an adult – using writing as a creative outlet to express complex issues of race, masculinity, family, black liberation, and incarceration.

Alongside the haikus are original drawings by Tupac, one of which depicts the young Tupac sleeping with a pen in hand (symbolizing his idealizing of writing) dreaming of the Black Panthers being freed from prison. And he closes the booklet by telling everyone be strong, signed “Tupac Shakur. ♥ Future Freedom Fighter."

NFTs