Hip-hop and rap have always had a close connection to urban culture, closely pulling from life experiences on the streets.
Rap and hip-hop have also become staples of popular culture the world over--dual cornerstones for movements in art, music and even theater (STOMP, which actually got its start in the U.K., still runs in New York--on Second Avenue, now--since its first show in 1991).
Arguably, though, rap reached its height in the early '90s and brought with it one of the biggest turf wars in music history.
I am, of course, talking about East vs. West affiliates The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.
However, the West won on Broadway; 2Pac got immortalized via an unconventional performance.
Now...it's all over.
Holler If Ya Hear Me, written by Todd Kreidler and directed by Kenny Leon, is already done at the Palace Theatre on 1564 Broadway. The show barely lasted six weeks: 38 performances and 17 previews.
Last week when Classicalite warned you, the production grossed a mere $154,948 (i.e. just 17% of what it should have made).
"It saddens me that due to the financial burdens of Broadway, I was unable to sustain this production longer in order to give it time to bloom on Broadway," producer Eric L. Gold told the press. "Tupac's urgent socially important insights and the audiences' nightly rousing standing ovations deserve to be experienced by the world."
