Many on the Twittersphere had their jokes and comments ready as the polarizing, digital resurrection of rapper Tupac Shakur captivated everyone during Sunday night’s Coachella Music Festival performance. The slain Death Row lyricist was featured in holographic form alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s headlining set at the California celebration of music and arts. In an exclusive interview with Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, the San Diego company that projected and staged the image, it was revealed that the stunningly detailed hologram could have cost anywhere from $100,000 to over $400,000 to create.
The actual specifics of how the hologram works are being held under wraps until after the festival closes, but Dr. Dre spoke last week with radio station Power 106, and revealed that the Coachella organizers gave him a “blank check” to do whatever he wanted for his weekend sets. With that in mind, “The Chronic” rapper brought out stars both young and old, ranging from the aforementioned Snoop Dogg to 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar. It was originally believed that frequent collaborator, Nate Dogg, who passed away last May due to complications from multiple strokes, would have been the digital guest star for the night.
With a second set coming up this weekend, chances are strong that Coachella may just get a chance to see a West Coast revival of sorts—featuring the ghostly legends of Death Row Records.
