Zelus and Heritage Auctions are teaming up to auction the iconic painting of Tupac Shakur’s album artwork cover by Riskie Forever with an NFT. The auction will take place starting today, running through to June 18th and will see this unique piece of music history up for sale.
The sale comes with an accompanying NFT that includes a never-before-heard story from Riskie about the piece’s origins.
What makes this Tupac album artwork NFT so special?
The original painting by Riskie Forever went on to make up the album cover for the album “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”. Significantly, Tupac finished recording the album in August 1996, a month before his untimely death.
Released posthumously, the album is the artist’s last piece of work (then known as Makaveli), recorded and is considered one of his best. Some of the songs on the album are regarded as classics. This includes songs such as Hail Mary, To Live And Die In LA and Toss It Up.
Furthermore, the iconic image of Tupac on a cross turned out to be one of Tupac’s last creative decisions. Mere days before his murder, Tupac got to see the artwork for himself and gave his seal of approval. Now, a lucky buyer can get their hands on this iconic Tupac artwork and an NFT.
This Tupac artwork NFT sale celebrates the album and its impact in 25 years. However, it took a long wat to get to this stage. In 2015, Riskie Forever sold the original physical artwork he created in 1996 to a long-time fan. However, in 2021, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of the posthumous album, Zelus helped Riskie retain his artwork.
Riskie created the painting in airbrush and mixed media on a 29″ x 47″ canvas. The Tupac Artwork NFT will provide the buyer with a once-in-a-lifetime piece of hip-hop history.
Zelus and Heritage Auctions are working together to release this iconic NFT
Zelus deals in the creation and issuance of NFTs. In fact, it wants to revolutionize how people interact with art and finance. Zelus has previously worked with Riskie Forever on a Tupac artwork NFT project.
Last year, they teamed up to create a collection of NFTs celebrating the Don Illuminati album with a creative twist.
Heritage Auctions is one of the most influential fine art and collectibles auction houses in the United States. It will host the “HeritageNow” event on May 19th at 445 Park Avenue. The Riskie Forever Tupac artwork painting and NFT will feature as part of the exhibition. It will sit amongst other major moments throughout American and world history.
“The Don Killuminati is, of course, now regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and its cover art by Riskie is no less a masterwork – a true collaboration between two geniuses that resulted in one of music and popular culture’s most indelible images,” said Heritage Auctions’ Executive Vice President, Joe Maddalena.
For those who want to know more about the history of the Tupac album and its importance, Boxing legend Mike Tyson will be discussing this on his podcast, “Hotboxin’ w/ Mike Tyson”. Airing on May 19th, the episode will showcase the Tupac NFT artwork live in the studio.
Tupac fans will also have an opportunity to participate in sweepstakes. When fans sign up for the Zelus wallet through the MakaveliArt.com website, they will automatically join in the draw and receive a free NFT. The prize will take into account the final auction sale price.
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