Cost of operation? One million dollars. Canadian rapper and singer Drake became this Friday, July 28 the proud holder of the famous crown-shaped ring belonging to rap legend Tupac Shakur. He got it after an auction. The artist posted, on Instagram, a photo of his hand wearing the famous jewel, designed by 2Pac (his artist name) himself, which left Tuesday for 1.016 million dollars, fees and commission included, at the end from an auction organized by Sotheby’s.
The amount was more than triple the original estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000. Drake has been known to spend lavishly, to the point of buying himself a Boeing 767 for his personal use or shelling out $104 million to acquire the house that was once owned by singer Robbie Williams in Los Angeles.
He was also talked about for having bet a million dollars on Argentina’s victory in the final of the last Football World Cup (sum lost because the score was nil at the end of regulation time). The ring is a unique piece, adorned with a crown inspired by “The Prince”, a book by the Italian writer Nicolas Machiavelli who marked Tupac Shakur a lot, to the point of adopting the stage name Makaveli.
Set with rubies and diamonds, it comes from the personal collection of Yaasmyn Fula, the artist’s godmother and close advisor. Embodying a new generation of rappers who sing more than they speak, Drake has placed twelve of his albums at the top of US record sales, a performance matched recently by Taylor Swift, only Jay-Z (14) and the Beatles (19) having done better.
Tupac Shakur was shot and killed on September 7, 1996 while in a car in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 25 years old.
