*In honor of the upcoming TuPac biopic, “All Eyez On Me,” VIBE has recreated the three issues from the ’90s when the late rapper covered the magazine.
Actor Demetrius Shipp, Jr., who plays TuPac Shakur in the pic, was enlisted to pull off the project. Photographer Cam Kirk shot Shipp for the three covers.
“All Eyez On Me” is the true and untold story the prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist. The film highlights Pac’s early days in New York to his status as one of the world’s most recognized and influential voices. Against all odds, Shakur’s raw talent, powerful lyrics and revolutionary mindset establish him as a cultural icon whose legacy continues to grow long after his death.
The film opens nationwide next week, June 16.
Peep the covers below.
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Read Demetrius Shipp, Jr’s interview HERE, and watch the videos on how the cover shoots and “All Eyez On Me” came together.
Below are some excerpts from the interview:
VIBE: When you were in the production of All Eyez On Me, what helped you get into his role and into his mind?
Demetrius Shipp Jr.: The process of me getting into the mind of Tupac started back [when I was] just doing a lot of studying on him, myself, looking at all of his videos that they have, all of the footage on YouTube. And then my acting coach, Angela Gibbs and I, we took it a step further to read the books that he read, to learn Shakespeare, to dive into the history of the Black Panthers, and just kind of get an overall glimpse – as close as possible – into his world and his ideas and how he was raised.
Did you get a chance to talk to any of his friends? Anybody close to him?
Yes, E.D.I. Mean was onset. He was with the Outlawz in a group with Pac and he gave me a great deal of information and insight on Tupac as the man, and how they were as kids, and just the realness and the intimate details on what was taking place throughout his years.
You’ve been going after this role since 2011 and then you finally got it. What, during the process of the whole ordeal that you went through, you didn’t expect?
To be honest, I didn’t expect for this to happen because there were so many years of it not happening. It was one of those things that I didn’t believe was real. It was like 2011, 2012, ‘13, ’14. Then 2015 came and I was like, “They pulling my strings again and I don’t know about this [laughs].” I was really reluctant to go out and audition again, but I did. The thing is, that audition was my best one of all the years and it wasn’t even like I was studying during that entire time, it just kind of happened that way. I actually felt confident after that, in myself. When I left, I was like, “I can for sure do this. 100%.”
Watch behind-the-scenes of Shipp as Tupac photo shoot:
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