Next week, all eyez will be on a new Hollywood Walk of Fame star for late hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced the rapper’s posthumous honor in a press release shared with The Times on Wednesday. Shakur will finally get his star on June 7, more than a week shy of what would have been his 52nd birthday on June 16 .
Shakur, who will receive the Walk of Fame’s 2,758th star, was a New York-born rapper whose work heavily influenced the hip-hop world, especially the West Coast scene.
L.A. radio legend Big Boy will emcee the ceremony, and director Allen Hughes and writer Jamal Joseph will be the guest speakers, the release said. Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, Tupac’s sister, will accept the honor on his behalf.
Tupac came onto the rap scene in 1991 with his debut album, “2Pacalypse Now.” Known for songs “Hit ’Em Up,” “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me,” he died on Sept. 13, 1996, after he was shot four times in Las Vegas. He was 25.
Shakur was initially set to receive the posthumous Hollywood honor in 2014, though a ceremony date was never set in stone, Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez told The Times on Wednesday.
“This iconic artist has continued to be part of the zeitgeist for decades after his passing and will continue to be an important cultural figure for many years to come,” Martinez said in the release. “Surely, as one of L.A.’s own, Tupac’s star will be added to the list of most visited stars.”
Shakur — who also was known as 2Pac and Makaveli — will be the latest rapper to receive a posthumous star on the Walk of Fame. In August, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored slain rapper Nipsey Hussle with his star on what would have been his 37th birthday. Among those in attendance were Hussle’s longtime partner Lauren London, radio host Big Boy and rappers Roddy Ricch, Saweetie and YG.
Earlier this year, Hulu released Hughes’ five-part documentary series “Dear Mama.” The docuseries examines the life and legacy of Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur who was an activist for the Black Panther Party.
The Shakur family’s history of activism also was the subject of the newly released book “An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created,” written by Santi Elijah Holley.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony will be held at at 6212 Hollywood Blvd. on June 7 at 10:30 a.m. and will be livestreamed on the Walk of Fame YouTube page.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
