Coachella Tupac Hologram Probably Cost Six Figures To Produce

Nicole Sia | April 16, 2012 11:27 am

Who could’ve imagined that the ghostly resurrection of a tragic and legendary figure would be the breakout story of Coachella 2012? Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, the company the created the life-size Tupac hologram that appeared on stage alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and Warren G at the desert music festival on Sunday (Apr. 15), probably did. The stunt was four months in the making and, according to Smith, probably cost somewhere from $100,000 to more than $400,000 to produce.

He tells MTV News:

“I can’t say how much that event cost, but I can say it’s affordable in the sense that if we had to bring entertainers around world and create concerts across the country, we could put [artists] in every venue in the country.”

Smith was careful not to reveal too much of the magic behind the hologram’s creation, but confirmed that it was Dr. Dre’s idea to bring ‘Pac back from the dead to perform “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” on the Coachella stage.

Though Shakur has been gone since 1996, his new iteration is already up to speed on social media. The Twitter handle @HologramTupac has been active since 11:53 p.m. yesterday, and has already netted more than 7,000 followers.

Watch Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem & Tupac’s hologram at Coachella 2012

Did you think Tupac’s hologram was a spectacular tribute or a creepy exploitation of the rapper’s legacy? Tell us in the comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook.