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Mark Blinch / Stringer via Getty Images and Steve.Granitz / Contributor via Getty Images
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Drake watches on as the Sacramento Kings play the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena and Tupac Shakur at 10th Annual Soul Train Music Awards
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Key Takeaways:
- Drake purchased Tupac Shakur’s original Death Row Records chain from collector Alexander Bitar.
- The pendant features the Death Row logo and an engraving referencing Shakur’s 1996 album All Eyez On Me.
- The chain’s cultural value lies in its connection to Shakur’s legacy and the label’s golden era of Hip Hop.
Another piece of Tupac Shakur’s jewelry has fallen into the hands of Drake. On Saturday (Aug. 23), the “Hotline Bling” artist posted the late rap legend’s Death Row Records pendant on Instagram.
The photo carousel included an outtake image from Shakur’s All Eyez On Me cover shoot, along with close-ups of the pendant’s front and back. The front featured the Death Row Records logo — a man seated in an electric chair with a bag covering his head.
Meanwhile, the back was engraved with the phrase “All eyez on you” and the year 1996, when All Eyez On Me was released. “Copenhagen night one,” Drizzy captioned the pictures, referencing his ongoing “$ome $pecial $hows 4 EU Summer Tour.”
The piece came courtesy of collector Alexander Bitar. While he didn’t disclose how much Drake paid, he told RapTV, “Items of such high historical significance are priceless.”
The late rapper’s belongings ending up with the Toronto superstar has sparked plenty of debate in recent years. In 2023, Drake purchased Shakur’s crown ring — crafted from gold, ruby, and diamond — for more than $1 million at a Sotheby’s auction. Notably, the piece’s last public appearance was at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
The ring itself carries an inscription inside that reads, “Pac and Dada 1996.” It’s a reference to the “Hail Mary” hitmaker’s relationship with then-fiancée Kidada Jones, daughter of Quincy Jones.
Interestingly, Tupac isn’t the only artist whose jewelry Drake has gotten his hands on. According to GQ, he purchased Frank Ocean’s 2021 Met Gala necklace for about $1.9 million.
The Certified Lover Boy rapper also showed off several of Pharrell’s N.E.R.D. and BBC chains in his “Jumbotron S**t Poppin” video. Later, he turned the purchase into a jab on Travis Scott’s “MELTDOWN,” though the Virginia producer admitted he wasn’t bothered: “When you let things go, a huge part of it is actually letting go.”
