Recently on the eve of the opening night of the highly anticipated Tupac Shakur Broadway Musical “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” Atlanta-based Celebrity Cause rewarded Get Schooled students who performed well in the Attendance Challenge with a night on Broadway. The celebrity cause marketing firm made it possible for nearly 40 students from Newtown High School in Queens and The High School for Teaching and The Professions in The Bronx along with faculty and staff to experience their first Broadway musical, “Holler If Ya Hear Me.”
Students rapped and clapped to Tupac’s words and nearly 20 songs that told the story of two friends, one of whom has just returned to the old neighborhood from prison and is trying to turn his life around.
Written by Todd Kreidler and directed by Kenny Leon, “Holler If Ya Hear Me” tells a story about family, friendship, revenge, change, and hope. Inner city lives struggle for peace against the daily challenges they face. The story is told through the poetry of Tupac giving a window into the realities of the streets that are still relevant today.
“I thought it was important that students get the kind of encouragement that they can only get from someone who has struggled and overcome. Tupac Amaru Shakur embodies that message. In death he continues to defy the odds, break barriers, and achieve dreams. By exposing these young people who may have never been interested in seeing a Broadway musical, to “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” is right in line with Tupac’s words, “I’m not saying that I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee you that I will spark the brain that will change the world,” said Iman Muhammad Ali, CEO of Celebrity Cause.
