Drake buys Tupac Shakur's diamond-and-ruby ring for more than $1m

Rapper wore the ring during his final public appearance before his 1996 murder

The ring designed and worn by Tupac Shakur during his last public appearance on display at Sotheby's in New York. AFP

The gold, ruby and diamond crown ring, designed and worn by the late US rapper Tupac Shakur during his last public appearance in 1996, has been purchased for more than $1 million by Canadian recording artist Drake.

The custom ring sold for $1.01 million this week, tripling its $300,000 estimate and making it the most valuable hip-hop artefact ever sold at auction, according to Sotheby's, which sold the ring.

Tupac wore the ring during his final public appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 4, 1996.

The rapper was killed on September 7 while he was travelling in a black BMW driven by Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight in a convoy of about 10 cars.

A white Cadillac with four men inside pulled alongside the BMW while it was stopped at a red light at an intersection near the Las Vegas Strip, and one person opened fire, riddling the passenger side of Knight’s car with bullets, police said.

Last week, police said they have revived the investigation into the murder.