Tupac Shakur is now a Hall of Famer. Most people tend to forget that the firebrand emcee was born in Harlem. The child of two Black Panthers, Tupac Shakur was born into the struggle. On April 7 Tupac becomes only the sixth rap act to be voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One of Hip-Hop’s most prolific artists, Tupac recorded and released an enormous amount of material during his short but productive career and sold over 75 million records worldwide. More than just an emcee, Tupac was a poet, an actor, an activist and an icon. In fact, his spirit, his music and his legacy seem to resonate now more than ever. Tupac Lives! The 15th edition of the Uptown Arts Stroll will kick off at the United Palace on May 31 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with an opening reception honoring several key members of the local arts scene — award-winning actor Elvis Nolasco, Harlem Stage and Aaron Davis Hall Executive Director Patricia Cruz, Chair of Community Board 12’s Parks and Cultural Affairs Committee Elizabeth Lorris Ritter and dance artist Maggie Hernández-Knight. Harlem is the eternal capital of cool. Greg Miller of National Geographic penned a sweet piece on a humorous 1932 map that illustrates where to get your groove on in Prohibition Era Harlem. Alicia Kennedy of Edible Manhattan introduced us The Shake Down. Bartenders Jairo Taveras and Robert Nieves and friends to the UC have created Mixology/Hip-Hop Pop Up events that have created quite a buzz (pun intended). Carolina “Miss Rizos” Contreras is a super hero. Not just an entrepreneur, Carolina has redefined beauty for countless women across the globe. Great Big Story produced an excellent video on her work in the Dominican Republic. Dating Has No Merci is a super funny series that explores the life of a young woman from Washington Heights as she navigates the perils of the dating game. Shout out to Sasha Merci and rest of the team behind the series. Like I have said before, the Up Theater Company is good money. Up Theater produces top notch theater right here in Uptown Manhattan. They have a new production, Lost/Not Found kicking off next month. Get your tickets pronto. Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com. Led Black Editor-in-Chief The Uptown Collective The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.
April 3 – April 8
