By Mark Kennedy, AP Drama Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — A musical inspired by Tupac Shakur songs is going to bring gangsta rap to Broadway.
Producers said Wednesday that “Holler If Ya Hear Me” will open at the Palace Theatre in June under the direction of Kenny Leon, who helmed the Broadway hits “Fences” and “The Mountaintop.” The new musical sets Shakur’s music to an original story.
Rapper and actor Shakur, who had multimillion-seller albums like “2Pacalypse Now” and “All Eyez on Me,” was known for his raw lyrics that drew on the rage of a coarse urban existence. No casting was announced.
The musical has a story by Todd Kreidler, who was a dramaturg for “Radio Golf” and “Gem of the Ocean,” and choreography by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento of “Wicked.” Afeni Shakur, the late artists’ mother, is producing.
