The ring that rapper Tupac Shakur wore in his last public appearance was sold for $1.02 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.
The gold ring is designed with a crest on top, studded with diamonds and rubies. The ring carries the inscription “Pac & Dada 1996”, referring to his engagement with actress-model Kidada Jones. The artist ordered the ring after getting released from his eight-month stint in prison for sexual abuse charges. After his release, he got busy with his planned marriage with Jones and his new contract with Death Row Records. It was the latter which fuelled the intense East Coast – West Coast hip-hop rivalry of the 90s. Tupac famously wore the ring at the MTV Video Music Awards of 1996, his last public appearance. Shortly after, in September, he was shot to death by unknown assailants.
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The ring was put on auction by Yaasmyn Fula, Shakur’s godmother. Fula said the ring was designed after the crown of monarchs from medieval Europe. The ring went with a pre-sale expectation of $300,000 but ended up fetching $1.02 million. According to Sotheby’s, this is the most expensive hip-hop memorabilia ever sold in an auction, as well as the only one above $1 million. Apart from the ring, the auction also sold six letters signed by Tupac and an original demo tape from “Trapped”, his debut single. Other items that went on the auction block included a sculpture by KAWS and a sealed vinyl record copy by Jean-Micheal Basquiat.
