We've seen some pretty crazy auctions over the last year, but this one might take the cake. A letter that Tupac Shakur wrote while incarcerated at New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility sold earlier today for a whopping $172,725. The final sale total smashed the early bid price of $11,000.
Written to Nina Bhadreshwar, the publicist for Deathrow Records, the four-page, single-sided handwritten letter is titled “Is Thug Life Dead?" In his missive, Pac shares some words of wisdom while reflecting on society and the state of the world. "A regular Playa plays women," he writes. "A Boss Playa plays life. A Boss Playa is a thinker, a leader, a builder, a moneymaker, a souljah, a teacher and most of all, a Man! I want all my homiez to know there is another level."
He concludes his letter saying, "Beware of Playa Haters and evil envious 'homiez.' They will bring u harm. It ain't all good my people be aware! Hopefully this will do some of u some good. If it does then I don't sit in jail in vain." He then promises to drop another album, "not 4 me but 4 the homeiz," adding "It will shake the world!" The promise ultimately came true months after his release when he dropped what many consider to be the greatest record in his discography, All Eyez on Me.
Speaking with Complex, Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions confirmed the letter's authenticity as well as the final sale price of $172,725. He said that after a round of spirited bidding that really kicked up a notch in the final 45 minutes of the sale, the letter went to a well known individual in the collecting community who outbid a "household name level" entertainer who wished to remain anonymous.
