Cynthia Erivo will play Tupac Shakur’s mother in Snoop, the upcoming Snoop Dogg biopic, Universal Pictures have announced.
Cynthia Erivo will play Tupac Shakur’s mother in Snoop, the upcoming Snoop Dogg biopic.
The Wicked actress has signed up to play Afeni Shakur – a prominent member of the Black Panther Party, who was born Alice Faye Williams and married fellow Panther Lumumba Shakur – in Universal’s upcoming film, joining a star-studded cast that includes Camron Jones as her on-screen son and Jonathan Daviss as the Drop It Like It’s Hot rapper.
Snoop and Tupac were labelmates at Death Row Records and worked together on the likes of 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.
However, their relationship reportedly soured when Tupac urged his friend to pick a side in the infamous West Coast-East Coast rivalry.
It was previously announced that Lauren London will play Snoop’s mother, Beverly Tate.
The 41-year-old actress, known for her work in the likes of You People, Without Remorse and Games People Play, has actually worked with Snoop himself in the past, having collaborated on music videos in the early 2000s.
London was previously married to hip-hop icon Nipsey Hussle, and she and Snoop honoured him after his murder in 2019.
The upcoming movie is being produced by Snoop, Brian Grazer and Sara Ramaker, the president of Death Row Pictures.
The biopic explores Snoop’s rise from humble beginnings in Long Beach, California, to the top of the rap industry.
The 54-year-old rapper’s route to stardom saw him join the Death Row record label in the 1990s, where he worked with rap legends such as Dr Dre and Tupac Shakur.
Dre will be played by Myles Bullock in the movie.
Snoop released his debut album, Doggystyle, in November 1993, and he’s now one of the best-selling rap artists of all time.
The What’s My Name? hitmaker has enjoyed success in other spheres, too, including starring in movies such as Half Baked and Training Day, as well as releasing his own cookbook, From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen.
The project has actually been in the works for a number of years, with Snoop being announced as a producer back in 2022.
He said in a statement at the time: “I waited a long time to put this project together because I wanted to choose the right director, the perfect writer, and the greatest movie company I could partner with that could understand the legacy that I’m trying to portray on screen, and the memory I’m trying to leave behind.
“It was the perfect marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni.”
Donna Langley, the chairwoman of Universal, was also excited by the project.
The 57-year-old film executive hailed Snoop as a “singular artist”.
She said: “Snoop Dogg’s life and legacy make him one of the most exciting and influential icons in popular culture.
“We met with Snoop shortly after he acquired Death Row Records and had the opportunity to hear his story in his own words. We are humbled to be able to create the lasting document of this singular artist.”
Cynthia Erivo to play Tupac Shakur’s mother in Snoop
