Tupac Hologram Opens Doors

A hologram of Tupac Shakur performing at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., created more than just a stir among the tens of thousands of festivalgoers witnessing the event.

The two-dimensional image has opened another door for live entertainment options as the estates of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe are reportedly showing interest in adopting the technology.

The Shakur hologram that performed on stage along with the real Snoop Dogg (recently redubbed Snoop Lion), Dr. Dre and others at Coachella has led to discussions about the commercial benefits of virtually resurrecting deceased stars as well as the legal ramifications of doing so.

“I think we’ve scratched the surface with Tupac,” said Dylan Brown of The Yard Entertainment, who worked with Philip Atwell of Geronimo Films and effects company Digital Domain to create Shakur’s hologram. “If it’s done tastefully, like Tupac was done tastefully, I think if could be a wonderful form of entertainment.”

Atwell added the duo wanted to be respectful of the family and not do anything “in bad taste.”

Likeness, copyright and trademark protections help celebrities maintain control over how their names, images and voices are used after their deaths and for how long. But those rights vary from state to state.

Brown and Atwell are pleased that Shakur’s holographic image is breaking new ground just as the performer did in life.

“We’re part of the hip-hop generation. It shows the growth of that culture, of that business and it says a lot about what we’ve dedicated part of our lives to,” Brown said. “There was a time, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, when people were waiting for hip-hop to disappear.

“Now not only is hip-hop here to stay, even if you die we’ll bring you back.”