HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME is the Broadway musical based on the lyrics of the legendary rap artist, poet, and actor, TUPAC SHAKUR.

If you're looking for the Tupac story, this is not the one. HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME is a social commentary on the plight of black men, particularly those from low-income communities. Tupac's lyrics and music undergirds the story.

When Tupac was alive he was revered by many and reviled by some. In HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME, you get to see that Tupac Shakur was a rebel with a cause and HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME amplifies his message magnificently.

The principal cast members of HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME are: Saul Williams; Christopher Jackson; Saycon Sengbloh; Ben Thompson; John Earl Jelks; Joshua Boone; Dyllon Burnside; and Tonya Pinkins.

Kudos to director Kenny Leon. From the lead characters to the supporting cast and chorus, they bring their "A" game; you feel their passion and emotions. You will care about some of the characters, and dislike and feel sorry for others.

In HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME, as in real life, we meet young men who are seeking guidance for ways to navigate the world. They are looking for direction from their peers and from older people whose navigational compass should be intact but has gone awry. This is evidenced by examples of the misguided use of sexuality and bravado masquerading as real manhood.

The music will have you at times wanting to dance in the aisles. If you're a purist and want to hear the lyrics as much as the music, well you might be disappointed on that score. The sound system periodically precludes you from hearing the clarity of the singer's voice.

As good as the production of HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME is, there is one element missing.

Star power.

Sure, Broadway has transformed many unknowns into stars. However, when you have a production built on the music of a larger than life figure, the production deserves star power.

The book could have been written with a cameo appearance by a rapper that has street cred that we don't see or hear from every day. There are several rappers that fit this bill and any one of them would have gladly taken on the role. Hey for that matter, a long-standing hip-hop radio personality would have also worked and they could have helped with the marketing. Just ask the founders of FUBU and other urban clothing lines.

As for marketing, I'm still amazed at the number of people who don't know about HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME. It's clear that there were missed opportunities and marketing miscues unless of course, the producers were just trying to reach the traditional Broadway theater audience. The HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME logo is very unappealing. Although HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME is not Tupac's biography, it is a perception of his life through his music. Consequently, the red carpet opening should have featured high-profile friends of Pac and those who worked with him and held him in high esteem, such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Snoop Lion, Malik Yoba, and director John Singleton; not to mention various hip-hop and urban radio and TV personalities, as well as influencers within the New York City urban community.

HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME makes a profound statement and it would be sad if it were to leave the Broadway scene too soon because the marketing plan doesn't match the level of intensity coming from the cast and musicians.

Moreover, the legacy of Tupac Shakur deserves better.

HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME!

WATCH VIDEO: 411 TEAM DISCUSSING HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME

The What's The 411TV panel consisting of KIZZY COX, JACINDA MOTTON, RITA OBI and GLENN GILLIAM discuss the opening of the new Broadway play, HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME. The play's story is undergirded by the music and lyrics of the legendary rapper, poet, and actor, TUPAC SHAKUR.

VIDEO INTERVIEW: ALIA JONES-HARVEY

What's The 411's A Salute to Black Broadway Honors Broadway's Finest

In 2006, Alia Jones-Harvey produced Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for Broadway.

"As lead producers, which is a distinction that Stephen Byrd my producing partner and I are proud to have, we develop the concept, we go after the financing, but then we hire the director we put together the entire company, bringing on the general manger, the company manager, the accountants, the lawyers, so it's really putting together the entire company from the ground up for each production that we do," said Alia Jones-Harvey in describing the role of the lead producers.

Lead producers can get involved with hiring the director and cast and Alia Jones-Harvey and Stephen Byrd were very hands-on with both productions.

"It is our prerogative to be very hands-on in that respect with our current production A Street Car Named Desire and even our last production. We were very honored to work with Debbie Allen on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof..."

As a lead producer of Broadway productions, going in Alia Jones-Harvey thought her sole focus would always be on the money, but something happened to change her mind with her first Broadway production, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

"My mindset was to make money for the investors and then I walked into the room with James Earl Jones and thought this is incredible. I don't believe two months ago I was supporting hedge funds, doing financial statements and investor relations for my hedge fund clients and today I am in a room with James Earl Jones talking about our vision for the first African-American production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway."

Then there is the extra pressure in remaking a classic Broadway production with an all Black cast.

"...there is an added pressure because what we hope for in the mix of audience that we bring to a show like this are the diehard Tennessee Williams fans that know every word that expect a certain interpretation and so we hope to please them as much as a new audience member who has never seen Tennessee Williams but enjoys one of the cast members or is a fan of the cast members."

In commenting about the future, Alia Jones-Harvey would like to produce more Broadway productions.

"I would love to continue to bring other plays to Broadway. There is always a financial consideration and for us as producers we are constantly reaching out for new opportunities to fund classic works. We're looking at more classic works right now that we might do in the future and also looking at what additional life Street Car will have."

Regarding receiving a A Salute to Black Broadway Vanguard Award from What's The 411TV, "I am really honored and it's especially wonderful for me to get a Vanguard Award because I have always looked at myself as someone who would take the path that had not been followed so I feel like this is symbolic of that and I am very honored."