Today in Hip-Hop History: ‘Gridlock’d’ Starring Tupac Shakur Was Released In Theaters 24 Years Ago

On this date in 1997, the Vondie Curtis-Hall-directed, Gramercy Pictures-distributed flick Gridlock’d, starring Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur, hit theaters across the country.

Taking place in Detroit, this film is about Spoon(Tupac Shakur) and Stretch(Tim Roth), two heroin addicts attempting to change their lives after witnessing their bandmate overdose on drugs the first time she used it. As they attempt to enter a rehabilitation program, they encounter a series of roadblocks, consisting of manhunts by the police and a drug dealer.

Other notable cast members include Bokeem Woodbine, Lucy Liu, Thandie Newton as well as the director himself. Just four months after the movie’s release, Tupac was gunned down on the Las Vegas strip. He succumbed to his injuries six days later, passing away on September 13, 1996.