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It’s been close to 27 years since Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas at the age of 25, and that unsolved crime (which recently burst back into the news) marked the beginning of the end of a hip-hop era that would essentially conclude when The Notorious B.I.G. was slain in the same manner less than six months later.
The fact that the man known as “2Pac” managed to cement himself as one of the best rappers of all time over the course of his tragically short career means there’s plenty of demand for items associated with the icon, and over the years, some of that memorabilia has fetched an impressive sum after hitting the auction block.
Earlier this month, a literal crown jewel from Shakur’s estate surfaced at Sotheby’s in the form of a diamond-encrusted gold ring featuring multiple rubies that he wore to the MTV Video Music Awards on September 4, 1996, which marked his final public appearance before his death.
While the auction house estimated the ring would sell for around $300,000 when everything was said and done, we were treated to a bidding war that saw it ultimately change hands earlier this week for a little over $1 million, which makes it one of the most expensive pieces of rap paraphernalia ever sold.
It was initially unclear who the winning bidder was, but based on some evidence that surfaced on Friday morning, it appears the proud new owner is Drake, who showed it off on his Instagram Story while drumming up hype for Travis Scott’s new album Utopia.
This isn’t the first time Drake has taken advantage of an auction to secure some bling that belonged to a member of hip-hop royalty; earlier this year, he expanded his collection of jewelry by scooping up a number of iconic pieces Pharrell Williams donned during his N.E.R.D. days.