Award-winning Broadway director Kenny Leon is talking publicly about his latest production "Holler If Ya Hear Me," a stage project that’s based on the work of Tupac Shakur. In Leon’s estimation, the work is important because of 2pac’s outsize influence, which he says should be celebrated among the English language’s best:

"He is a great American artist," Leon told BET. "He belongs in the army of writers with August Wilson and Shakespeare even."