
The legend of Hologram Tupac continues: Billboard is now reporting that Tupac has climbed back into the Billboard 200 chart for the first time since 2000 following the Coachella performance.
Tupac’s “Greatest Hits,” released in 1998 following the rapper’s death in 1996, hung around the Billboard 200 on and off for two years before finally disappearing in 2000. Following Hologram Tupac’s appearance at this year’s Coachella with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, album sales for “Greatest Hits” jumped 571% to number 129 on the chart.
Tupac’s singles also enjoyed a huge sales boost—not surprisingly, two of the top three were songs Hologram Tupac performed, with the other being his all-time biggest hit:
His biggest seller of the week was “Hail Mary” — the song his projection opened with at Coachella. The song moved 13,000 downloads last week for a 1,530% sales increase. His second biggest seller was his No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “California Love” (featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman), shifting 11,000 downloads (119% increase). His third best-seller was the second Tupac song that was performed at Coachella — “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted” (with Snoop). It sold 9,000 (up 881%).
Those who saw Hologram Tupac as cheap gimmick motivated by opportunism will find a lot to call foul over: Of the three songs that surged back onto the charts following the performance with Dre and Snoop, one was co-written, produced by and features Dre (“California Love”) and another was co-written by and features Snoop (“2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”). Dre and Snoop will definitely see a bump in royalties along with Tupac’s sales. Dr. Dre is also listed as a producer on both “Greatest Hits” and Tupac’s earlier album “All Eyez On Me,” which enjoyed a 95% sales boost following the performance.
Given this week’s announcement of a TLC reunion tour with hologram Left Eye and Jackie Jackson hinting at resurrecting the king of pop for a Jackson 5 hologram reunion, we seem to be headed into the Age of the Hologram, in which nostalgia acts stand in for a dearth of present-day icons.
This is bizarre enough on its own. But the hologram routine allowing the living to profit from the dead, with all us listeners as willing participants in the scheme, is seriously unsettling.





April 27, 2012 at 2:46 pm, Lunchtime Links - The Daily What said:
[...] Climbing: Tupac, up the Billboard charts, for the first time since 2000 [...]
April 28, 2012 at 3:49 pm, Manu Sandhu said:
That's not Tupac in your picture.
April 29, 2012 at 1:09 am, Tabatha Walsh said:
Since 2000?
He had a #1 album on the billboard charts in 2001. (Until the End of Time).
He had a #5 album on the billboard charts in 2002. (Better Dayz). Which was also #1 on the Rap/R&B charts.
He had a #2 album on the billboard charts in 2003. (Tupac: Ressurection) soundtrack. He also outsold every other rapper that year apart from 50 cent who had just exploded onto the scene.
He had another #1 album in 2004 on the billboard charts (Loyal to the Game).
Then another album made it into the top 10 at #9 in 2006/2007. (Pacs life)
He's been dominating the billboard charts the past decade since 2000. Two number ones, a number two, a number 5 and a number 9. That's making it onto the top 10, over 5 times since the date you gave.
April 29, 2012 at 1:13 am, Tabatha Walsh said:
Also, that isn't Tupac in the picture you used. That's a model called Josh Harraway who is dressed up as Tupac.
This article is all types of research fail.
April 30, 2012 at 12:52 am, Amy Russell said:
Umm that picture isn't Tupac….
May 06, 2012 at 8:54 am, Richard Perry Thomas said:
Amy Ur right it's not. It's some old ass poser.
May 07, 2012 at 5:22 am, Josh Harraway said:
It's funny how one minute you are talking to me on the phone about projects, the next minute you're hating on me. Good luck to you, brother. I got nothing but love for you.
May 07, 2012 at 5:23 am, Richard Perry Thomas said:
hahaha!
May 06, 2012 at 9:22 am, Jordon Codd said:
Richard he is not a poser, a big part of his legacy in a positive way.
May 06, 2012 at 4:33 pm, Macho Makaveli said:
Josh Harraway well deserved Brother.