Winter Auction 2016 Closing January 30th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/31/2016
An artist who stood at the forefront of an enduring genre – and who, in so doing, also acted as a priceless cultural inspiration – has endorsed this bank check for $4,000. The signature of Tupac Shakur (1971-1996), penned on the back of this Union Bank check, dated July 13, 1990 for the TNT Records account, shows exceptional strength, as if the signer recognized and felt thoughtful respect for its milestone significance. His deliberate, black ballpoint scripting projects with striking clarity from the document's designated endorsement location. Shakur had recently signed on as a back-up dancer and roadie with the hip-hop group Digital Underground, and this check was doubtless issued for those first duties of his in the structured music-business community. His subsequent career activities included acting, rapping and the recording of groundbreaking albums that would sell in the millions of copies annually, even twenty years after his untimely passing. The music world's devotion to Shakur's unique talent remains very much alive and enthusiastically passionate. The clean and barely circulated check displays beautifully, with standard routing stampings posing no visual distraction. LOA from JSA (#Y27490).