A rare piece of hip-hop history is now up for auction: Tupac Shakur’s earliest known demo tape and handwritten lyrics from his teenage rap group, Born Busy.

The collection, preserved by his longtime friend and collaborator Ge-ology, includes a cassette recorded in 1988 in a Baltimore basement. At just 16 years old, Tupac — then rapping under the name MC New York — freestyled alongside crew members Gerard “Ge-ology” Young, Darrin K Bastfield, and Dana “Mouse” Smith.

What sets this tape apart is its raw and unconventional creative process. Instead of using completed beats, Tupac recorded acappella verses, allowing Ge-ology to build production around his delivery and lyrics. This was never intended for public release, serving instead as an experimental step in their artistic journey.

“This wasn’t meant to be a performance or a release,” Ge-ology explained in an interview tied to the auction launch. “That tape is one of the earliest moments of Tupac being documented, before the world knew who he was.”

Ge-ology reflected on the tape’s significance during the auction launch, highlighting its role in documenting a pivotal moment in Tupac’s early development long before he rose to prominence. He described it as a snapshot of Tupac’s emergence as an artist, offering insight into his earliest days of self-expression.

After safeguarding the tape for decades, Ge-ology feels it’s finally time to share this cultural artifact with the world. The auction, facilitated by Wax Poetics and launched on January 15, follows the platform’s recent sale of a rare Mariah Carey demo from 1988.

For hip-hop enthusiasts and collectors, this is an extraordinary opportunity to witness the unpolished beginnings of a young artist who would go on to become one of the genre’s most legendary figures.