Tupac's albums and singles see a sales bump in the weeks following his hologram appearance at Coachella.
Following Tupac’s appearance as a hologram at the Coachella 2012 festival, sales have spiked for the late rapper.
According to Billboard.biz, his performance during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s headlining set prompted a re-entry for his Greatest Hits album on the Billboard 200 where his album returns at No. 129 with 4,000 copies sold, a 571 percent increase over the prior week. It’s the first time the LP has made it onto the chart since 2000.
Additionally, his albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World also saw a sales bump, moving 2,000 and 1,000 units, respectively.
His tracks “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” both of which were performed at Coachella, had increased sales as well. The former cut moved 13,000 downloads last week for a 1,530 percent sales increase, while the latter sold 9,000 units.
Dr. Dre says that the hologram was "strictly for Coachella" but that he hasn't entirely ruled out the possibility of taking it on tour.
Last weekend, Dr. Dre shocked attendees at Coachella by performing with a hologram of Tupac Shakur. But during a recent message thanking the fans, he killed rumors that he was going on tour with the technology and that it was strictly for the festival.
"It was strictly for Coachella, get it right. I want to get rid of all the rumors out there. This was not done for a tour," said Dre, who didn't entirely rule out the possibility. "If a tour happens, we'll see. This was done strictly for Coachella 2012, just for you."
Dre previously stated that he was in talks to take the hologram on tour, but he left it at that. Many weighed in on the technology, with rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Nas and Common praising the performance. C-Bo, on the other hand, said that Dre and Snoop Dogg were "vultures" for using Pac's image in that way.
Tupac fans must have done a double or triple take when they saw what the phenomenal advancement of technology can do. Looking like he did 16 years ago, tats and all and sounding as hard-core as the day he dropped his last rhyme, Tupac Shakur commanded the stage with his trademark edge, giving fellow rappers-- the ever cool and 'smoove' Snoop Dogg and Dr.Dre-- the rawness his fans enjoyed before he was gunned down in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 1996 at the age of 25. He died 6 days later and fans everywhere were in shock.
Now they get a chance to see him perform again. Did he rise from the dead? No, just the modern marvel of holograms. Many said he looked so real, they were spooked for a minute. The hologram of the late rapper is indeed life-like. Check it out by clicking on the above video to witness 'a miracle:' 2 Pac is back, baby!
(Warning: video performance contains mature content and language that may be offensive to some).
Holograms might be new to the West but they are very popular in Japan and widely used. Singing sensation Hatsune Miku sells out stadiums in Asia and has millions of adoring fans. Many in Japan wait for hours to buy tickets to hear this popstar sing. The punchline? Miku is a hologram like Tupac. (Click on the link below to see this modern marvel perform).
The rapper, born Lesane Parish Crooks in East Harlem, New York June 26, 1971, later changed his name to Tupac Shakur but most called him by his stage name 2Pac. At the time of his murder, the young rapper sat at the top of the pile, along with rival Biggie Smalls better known as the Notorious B.I.G.. Smalls too was gunned down at the prime of his life on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles. He was only 24.
Tupac sang about such violence and lived his life on the edge as well. To date, no was ever arrested or charged for his murder.
But whether he lived "The Thug Life" or not, he was good at what he did --so good that even in death, his music continued to sell, making him na serious contender on the Rap/Hip/Hop scene. By 2007, he had sold over 75 million albums worldwide.
