Atlanta University Center Opens Tupac Amaru Shakur Collection

On the fifteenth anniversary of his untimely death, Atlanta University Center's Woodruff Library has opened up a special collection in honor of 2Pac.

Back in 2009, the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library announced that in conjunction with the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, it had begun amassing the writings and personal works of rapper Tupac Shakur for a special educational collection. Now, on the fifteenth anniversary of Shakur's death, the two years of extensive research and collection has paid off with the official opening of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Collection for Scholarly Research.

According to a recent press release, the Woodruff Library has assembled over 30 boxes of handwritten song lyrics, poems, tracklists, video treatments, manuscripts and pieces of memorabilia from Pac's friends, family and collaborators. Some noteworthy pieces include a handwritten songbook featuring cuts from 2Pacalypse Now and original drafts of poems from The Rose That Grew from Concrete.

“We’re honored to have partnered with the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to preserve the artistic legacy of Tupac Shakur through this collection,” said the CEO and director of the Woodruff Library Loretta Parham. “He transformed the landscape of hip hop culture and was one of the most compelling voices and talents of his generation. As an academic library, we feel privileged to be the stewards of the Shakur Collection and to promote for scholarly research.”

The total amount of materials featured in the collection spans between the years of 1969 to 2008, totaling over 11 linear feet in total. The collection will serve area universities, including Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse University and Spelman College.