LOS ANGELES — Family and friends gathered on Wednesday to posthumously honor the late Tupac Shakur as the rapper was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Shakur received the 2,758th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, according to a news release from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The rapper’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, accepted the award, while radio personality Big Boy was the emcee for the event, USA Today reported.
“He defied the distinction between art and activism,” Big Boy told the audience. “Though his career lasted just five years, Tupac Shakur remains one of the most complex and prolific artists of his generation with over 75,000 records sold worldwide.”
Tupac’s sister spoke through tears.
“Tupac knew deep down that he was always meant for something great,” Sekyiwa Shakur said. “And as his little sister, I had the privilege to watch that greatness unfold.”
The rapper, who was killed in 1996 when he was 25, influenced the hip-hop genre, Entertainment Tonight reported. Although he only recorded for six years, Tupac earned six Grammy Award nominations.
Tupac died on Sept. 13, 1996, six days after an unknown gunman shot him four times in the chest at a stoplight in Las Vegas.
Guest speakers at the unveiling ceremony included Allen Hughes and Jamal Joseph, director and executive producer for “Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur.” The FX docuseries was released in April and focused on Tupac’s relationship with his mother, Afeni Shakur, according to USA Today.
“How fitting in the year of hip hop’s 50th anniversary that the art form’s most transcendent star is finally being placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Hughes said as he took the podium. “Tupac Amaru Shakur has become a global symbol of rebellion -- a symbol as visible and important as Malcolm X and Che Guevara and an inspiration to activists today.”
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