19 Years After His Death, What Is Tupac Doing In Atlanta?

The statue of Tupac Shakur, who looks dapper in a suit with rings on his fingers and a Bible in hand, stands amid an overgrown garden and reflecting pool in the shape of a cross. The memorial of the late rapper has been standing alone for about a year now since the center closed.

Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur — who reportedly resides in the Atlanta area — opened the Center for the Arts in 2005, nine years after the death of her son. Tupac Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He later died on Sept. 13.

The foundation held many events throughout the years for underprivileged youth.

“Arts can save children, no matter what’s going on in their homes,” Afeni Shakur said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press. “I wasn’t available to do the right things for my son. If not for the arts, my child would’ve been lost.”

Since his music career launched in the early ’90s with the release of his first album “2Pacalypse Now,” Tupac Shakur is remembered as one of the most influential and lauded hip-hop artists of all time. His 1996 album “All Eyez On Me” has sold over 10 million copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, which gave the record diamond certification in 2014.