 |
| Tupac is the DJ during a graduation day cookout at the home of Ge-ology |
Following the record-breaking auction of Mariah Carey’s ultra-rare 1988 demo tape, Wax Poetics kicks off the year with the launch of its next landmark auction featuring rare Tupac items from years before any of the late rapper's commercial studio work.
“When it comes to music collecting it doesn’t get much bigger than Tupac. The fact that this tape and these items are from Tupac’s pre-fame years, and directly from his childhood friend Ge-ology, makes them even more special and incredibly rare,” Alex Bruh, CEO of Wax Poetics says. “It’s an honor to be able to present these items and shine a light on another less-documented part of Tupac’s story.”
The auction is part of the Ge-ology Collection which offers unprecedented access to the personal archive of producer, DJ, and visual artist Ge-ology and is centered around one of the earliest known surviving recordings of Tupac Shakur, referenced in Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur, the acclaimed biography by New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman, alongside handwritten lyrics, original archive photographs, and artifacts documenting a formative chapter in music and hip-hop history. The auction will remain open through February 11th. View the collection HERE.
Recorded around 1988 at Ge-ology’s parent’s home in Baltimore, the cassette captures Tupac (aka MC New York) alongside close friends and fellow Born Busy members Gerard 'Ge-ology’ Young (aka DJ Plain Terror), Darrin K Bastfield (aka Ace Rocker), and Dana 'Mouse' Smith (aka Slick D), then approximately 16 years old, rapping acapella. The recording was made so Ge-ology could later learn the verses and build beats around them, reversing the
production process that would later define professional hip-hop recording. The tape has been preserved privately for decades and has never been commercially released. Reflecting on the origins of the tape and the decision to share it now, Ge-ology says, “This wasn’t meant to be a performance or a release. We were recording acapella so I could learn the rhymes and build the beats around them."
Ge-ology met Tupac Shakur as a teenager in Baltimore, before Tupac had released any records or achieved public recognition. Their bond grew through shared immersion in hip-hop culture, including school cyphers, rap battles, freestyle sessions, parties, and after school hangouts. For decades, Ge-ology chose to be quite reserved about speaking publicly about Tupac, viewing their relationship as deeply personal. This collection marks the first time Ge-ology has chosen to share these artifacts, saying they are historical documents, not memorabilia.
"That tape is one of the earliest moments of Tupac being documented, before the world knew who he was," Ge-ology says. "I’ve protected it for decades, and now it feels right for it to be shared properly, as history.”
In addition to the cassette, the collection includes handwritten Tupac lyrics written in Ge-ology’s family home; offering a rare glance into Tupac’s creative process before fame. A series of preserved photographs provides a glimpse into everyday moments from their Baltimore years, including backyard house parties, school friends and DJ sessions. Also included is a signed 1988 graduation banner capturing Tupac’s presence at Ge-ology’s graduation barbecue shortly before Ge-ology moved to New York City. Together, these materials form a cohesive narrative of Tupac’s Baltimore years, a chapter often overlooked, but significant in his extraordinary legacy. Coinciding with the collection’s launch, Wax Poetics shares an accompanying interview in which Ge-ology revisits his formative years with Tupac. Watch HERE.
Beyond the Tupac material, the collection traces Ge-ology’s broader creative legacy across music and visual culture, documenting his multidisciplinary practice. Highlights include the official reverse-board printed proof of Ge-ology’s original artwork created for the iconic “Body Rock” release with Mos Def, Q-Tip and Tash (an early Black Star/ Lyricist Lounge/ Rawkus era artifact), and the only existing full-format print of “Ge-ology Plays Ge-ology” CD album artwork on canvas, which is packaged alongside a framed CD and original artwork print proof from the same album.
Ge-ology describes the collection as an act of preservation, emphasizing that stories should be told by those who lived them and safeguarded in contexts where they are respected, protected, and historically understood. The release reflects a broader philosophy that physical artifacts, including tapes, lyrics, and photographs, carry meaning and presence that digital files alone cannot replicate.
.jpg)