Tupac Shakur Tupac Shakur was a lyrical genius when it came to rapping his feelings about subjects, he was one of the bestselling music artists of all time (Rolling Stone) and yet he was taken from us too early at the young age of 25 while partying in Las Vegas. This story is one that shows how a young musician with so much talent can be taken into the rap culture and enveloped by it, towards the end of his life Shakur produced hundreds of songs ensuring that after his death records would be released for many years. Some say he was crazy and some say he was just misunderstood but either way Tupac was an artist that changed the rap game and continues to influence bilingual rappers to the current day. His work and songs still make it into popular culture and will continue for many years to come. His childhood and upbringing are what made him who he was while also influencing the language and culture used in his music. The locations and personal influences are what inspired him to get into the rap game. Tupac’s childhood and upbringing were heavily influenced by his parents and their ideals regarding the Black Panthers, and criminal activity. Many members of his immediate family were either convicted or charged with crimes and all spoke heavy Ebonic influence in their speech. Also growing up in the East Harlem his childhood was based on the street education. He was an avid reader however and enjoyed many styles of classical literature and this is what led him to join and perform in the 127th Street Repertory Ensemble where he learned how to act and also where he began his rap career. He not only succeeded at his new school but also was the starring role in plays like the Nutcracker and A Raisin in the Sun. These influences helped h... ... middle of paper ... ...ged into many situations that probably were detrimental to his health in the long run and created enemies that are what potentially were what caused him his death. Tupac’s music is what I have always enjoyed and is why I chose to pick him for this assignment, he is not just a typical rapper in my opinion and I have enjoyed learning more about him. The biggest thing that I learned about him were the circumstances in his death, It is very similar to the Elvis conspiracy how people believe he is still alive and I believe this is because people had such an emotional connection with him that they feel they can’t let that go. People loved or hated Tupac but he changed many people’s lives regardless of that, he was a saint and a sinner but he will be remembered through his work. Tupac is a hero to me for bringing about this change and bringing awareness to these problems.
In the short story “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life” by Jenee Desmond-Harris she talks about the death of Tupac Shakur and the impact it had on her and her friend Thea. I think its interesting that although Harris and Tupac are polar opposites she uses the connection of their race and applys it to this “coming of age” journey. Harris expresses that Tupacs music made her feel apart of something and that she valued the racial equality being voiced through his music. I can relate to this on multiple levels. For example when I’m feeling down and listen to sad music that i can relate to. Listening to music and lyrics that you can relate to brings you a sense of belonging like you arent the only one that has ever felt this way.
The article “1971-1984 Resurrection” by Tupac argues that he had a good mother that was benevolent and heroic, despite all of the small unpleasant moments between Tupac and his mother. In “1971-1984 Resurrection”, Tupac made the claim that, “She was her own attorney…One black women, pregnant, beat the case. That just goes to show you the strength of a black woman” (6). Tupac’s argument can’t be confuted due to the fact that Tupac showed his respect and admiration towards her keenness and bravery in his song, “Dear Mama”. Tupac poured out his soul to the one being that was a victim of discrimination but came out triumphant due to determination. Also, Tupac made a claim in his book that, “My mom is the bomb...she was really close with me and
Tupac Shakur was one of the most influential music artist of the 20th Century. “Murda, Murda, Murda, and Kill, Kill, Kill…” these are they lyrics to one of the songs written by Tupac Shakur. Amidst all the controversy surrounding his personal life, this artist has managed to overcome all obstacles and spread his hope/hate message to a surprisingly receptive audience. Tupac’s music is borrowed from the styles of early rap and hip-hop yet its appeal rested in Tupac himself. His persona of “Thug Poet” opened up a portal into the new genre of “Gangsta Rap.” This new style of music revolutionized the music industry and allowed several new artists to break through in Tupac’s creation, Gangsta Rap, such as; G-unit, Eminem, and many others.
Through all his family and education issues, he standup himself to become a well-known hip-hop artist according to his history background. From all his released a couple albums and then was offered to be some movies. He make some songs and music videos with them that made it big on the Billboard charts. For example, in this movies and albums called, “Power respect Juice” (1992), “Bullet”(1996), “Gang Related” (1997), “ all eyez on me”(1996),”Greatest Hits”(1998), and “Until the end of time”(2001), according to all these released, he won prizes from music and artist industry, people can recognized him. Tupac was became rich and famous and he is not showing off his own style. This showed that this is him and who he really is. People following his beliefs because he treated people equally and judged people equally. This is a big difference from him and other hip-hop artists. He has a lot of self-values that people are influenced about
In the same fashion that Elvis defined Rock ‘n’ Roll; Tupac Shakur defined the hip-hop music scene, as we know it today. What made Tupac (also known as 2Pac, or Makaveli) so special were his enormous talent, his on screen friendly looks, and the sense that he was “real” and talked the talk, while walking the walk. Tupac was born on June 16, 1971, Tupac Amaru Shakur. He was named after Tupac Amaru, the Inca Indian that was sentenced to death by the Spaniards. He was originally from Brooklyn, New York. Tupac spent a lot of time moving around as he was growing up. He was the son of a Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland. Tupac moved from Harlem, to Baltimore, to Oakland. The constant moving caused Tupac to fit into his new communities by joining gangs, and his lengthy rap sheet was created even before his profalic entry into music and film. He was arrested eight times before even turning twenty (MTV.com).
One of the many adversities he had to adapt to was the feuds of the East and West Coast. This influenced his songs and the way his fans depicted the East Coast, Bad Boys. He also had to deal with the way blacks were treated and looked at by the white community. Although his music brings up many controversy, he is undoubtedly a big part of the way African Americans are being depicted today. He reached the people not just through his music but by the constant protests for equality also while striving for the betterment of his the African American community. The way that society and media looks at African American people and hip hop music are all rooted from
Tupac Shakur (2pac) was known as one of those rappers that has made a difference in the black community during the 90’s. All his music talked about the reality of black lives and the struggle of being black not only for black men but also for black women. His songs gave hope to African Americans, and to help them see that black was/is beautiful. Even though Tupac has many hit songs and albums, Keep Ya Head Up has been one of the best songs that Tupac has ever recorded! “The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice the darker the flesh the deeper the roots”.
Many white rappers have had a difficult time making it in the black industry of rap. Eminem, the most recent white rapper to hit the mainstream has had his own share of difficulties in this industry and in his life as well. The poem written my Marshall Mathers, now known as Eminem, entitled "Life," displays Eminem's views on his life, and just life in general. Eminem has continued on the legacy of the contact zone between the white men in the black man's industry, this being rap.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was an African-American rapper, poet, and record producer during the 1990’s. In his adolescent years, he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts where he took acting and dance classes, like ballet. He was taught radical politics by his mother, which helped him develop ideas about topics he would later use in his many works. At an early age, Tupac had seen the injustices of the real world. His mother was a former Black Panther activist who turned to substance abuse during Tupac’s childhood. Aside from that, he and his mother also moved many times while they lived together in New York City. While Tupac was in Baltimore, he discovered rap; not long after, he and his mother moved to the West Coast where he joined the rap group
Tupac Shakur, born the son of two Black Panthers in 1971, grew up to be one of the best-selling rappers of all time, selling over 75 million records even after his tragic death in 1996. His song “Changes” recorded in 1991 and produced in 1998 (based on Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is") discussed many of the injustices the African American population face, focusing on racism, the war on drugs, the perpetuation of poverty, and the overall oppression the African American population experiences (Statistics Brain Research Institute, 2017). I chose this song to discuss because some of the specific injustices he mentioned throughout the song mirrored many discussions we have had in class.
Tupac Shakur is one of the most influential artists of all time, regardless of genre. Tupac only lived for 25 years, as he was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a Las Vegas casino, which was allegedly the result of a feud between two rap groups. Tupac’s music has always cast a long shadow across the hip hop music industry, because his lyrics discuss deep and meaningful issues that his community was dealing with during his lifetime. The songs that I have selected to break down, in the ways they relate to and portray women during this time, are “Brenda’s got a baby,” “Dear Mama,” and “keep ya head up.” The lyrics, and stories that are discussed in these songs are extremely relatable and are examples of why Tupac was able to rise to prominence, and why his music continues to still be marketable and popular today.
Although this original face of rap music was murdered at the young age of 25, Tupac’s expressions of dreams for black social justice, along with his declaration of “thuglife,” have contributed to his beloved legacy by hip culture, even 19 years after his death. He was considered a figure of empowerment for urbanized communities because of his support in black nationalism that aims to “define, defend, and develop of Blacks as a people,” especially because he grew up in the impoverished intercity (Stanford, 2011, pg. 4). In “Violent” he raps,
Eminem came from poverties that many would not succeed from. Many doubted Eminem for becoming a rapper because of his color, lack of lyrical skills, and lifestyle. It even accumulated when he dropped out of high school and pursued his rapping career. He never believed of failure which motivated him to engineer his own long rhyming skills. He used his own adversities to inspire his songs which many consider masterpieces. His daughter Hailey made a great contribution towards his career as he wanted to flourish in her eyes and give all he had never had. Eminem has changed the interface of rap music and has generated a new era of rap which he will be considered as the ‘Greatest Rapper of All Time’.
At first look, Tupac may not appear to be versatile to a man who had just heard Shakur's fight rap, but Tupac was one of the most versatile rappers in the industry. In the event that you track back his career back to when his name was originally MC New York, you will see the various rap styles he really had. Melodies like Young Black Male are altogether different from his more well known tunes like Dear Mama and California Love. He covered such a wide point of view and there were various sides to him, yet the best part about him generally was that he was a person.
When you hear the name Tupac Amaru Shakur (2pac) you think of a rapper maybe a “Thug”. But Tupac just didn’t rap he was also a Poet. There is much more to his life than him rapping. Tupac positively affected society with his words in his songs and by singing. He was more than just a rapper.