Some "California Love" will be opening in Atlanta on Sept. 12 as Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon reprises his 2014 production of Tupac Shakur's "Holler If Ya Hear Me."
Although the hip-hop musical initially had only a brief Broadway run, many hope Lin-Manuel Miranda's GRAMMY- winning impact with "Hamilton" has opened the mainstream mind to appreciating hip-hop on a Broadway stage.
Tupac rates as one of American culture's great inspirations, but it was GRAMMY winner Harry Belafonte who Leon credits with the musical's return with an updated libretto. The director's whole perspective changed after Belafonte said, "You put on display a form of Afrocentrism on a Eurocentric platform. That within itself is a success."
As Leon's True Colors Theatre Company reprises this creative compilation of Tupac's words, music and insights, we could all benefit from taking the spirit of "I Ain't Mad At Cha" and applying Tupac's legacy to today's compelling challenges.
