Artist memorabilia has always been a pretty decent business — see: The outrageous payout on a book of Drake or Lil Wayne’s old rhymes — but some artists’ old belongings are worth so much, they set records. No, the grass from Kanye’s Coachella Sunday Service doesn’t count, nor does Donald Glover’s half-smoked blunt from his own Coachella performance. However, late rapper Tupac Shakur recently made the record books when his old prison ID card wound up selling for $30,000 to an unidentified collector who wishes to remain anonymous (cue the “Tupac is alive!” conspiracies).
Heritage Auctions reported the sale through a press release, alleging that the sale set a world record for the most expensive piece of Tupac memorabilia ever sold at public auction. The auction in question was held both online and as part of Heritage Auctions’ Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Auction in Dallas. Garry Shrum, Director of Music Memorabilia at Heritage Auctions, explained the sky-high purchase price, saying: “Tupac and his music are just as relevant today as they were more than 20 years ago. Fans haven’t forgotten his impact on hip-hop. They will go to any lengths to own a piece of Shakur’s life and times.”
He’s not wrong: Recently, a public official in Iowa was reportedly let go after a few too many emails detailing his love for the rapper, while some fans take his legacy so personally they actually threatened young rappers like Lil Xan for daring to impugn his musical impact.
