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
C) Listening to the song and watching the music video makes me feel bad for women and disgusted with the behavior of these men that Tupac is talking about. It makes me feel bad for women because all women deserve to be respected the same as all men especially after all that they do and give to us. I am also disgusted with the behavior of men because they degrade the women who made them who they are today. But at the same time it makes me happy, that some people like Tupac realize the problem and want a stop to it.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in New York City to Afeni Shakur, a Black Panther member since 1968. She gave birth to him 2 months after she was released from Women’s House of Detentions in Grenwich Village. She was charged with conspiracy to bomb several New York public locations and just had her bail revoked. In court she represented herself and won against the state of New York in a surprising turn out. In Incan dialect, his name Tupac Amaru means “shining serpent” and Shakur is Arabic for “thankful to God.” For most of his childhood his crack addicted mother shuffled Tupac between the ghettos of Harlem and the Bronx. Young Tupac began his performance career with the 127th Street Ensemble and then enrolled Baltimore School for the Arts where he was educated in ballet and acting. Tupac was forced to drop out of the school because he had to move to California with his mother, where his criminal career began. He left his house at the age of 17 because of the continuous fights with his mother he then began selling/doing drugs, and was homeless for about 2 years. His life was spiraling down wards at a rapid rate. Till one day he got his big break. Tupac always dreamt about being famous someday, now his dream was becoming a reality. He struck a recording deal with Interscope records. He was on his way to super stardom, but as we all know with fame comes problems. He was involved in the shooting of two off duty police officers, although the chargers were later dropped. He was also convicted of rape, and sentenced to 5 years in Clinton Correctional Facilities.
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”.
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.
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
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
“ Poverty, murder, violence and never a day 2 rest.” Those were the words of Tupac Shakur, a legendary rapper. Tupac Amaru Shakur (born June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac, Makaveli, or simply Pac, was an American artist renowned for his rapping and hip hop music, as well as his movie roles, poetry, and his social activism. He is recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-selling rap artist, with over 75 million albums sold worldwide, including over 50 millions in the United States alone. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing up around violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, problems in society, and sometimes qualms with other rappers. Shakur's work is known for advocating political, economic, social, and racial equality as well as his raw descriptions of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and conflicts with the law. Many fans, critics, and industry insiders rank him as the greatest rapper ever.
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.
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,
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 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.
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’.
It is known that his fame is compared to Notorious B.I.G’s fame. But, the most astounding status on the album charts that Biggie at any point accomplished while alive was #13 on the main 200 album charts, and #3 on the Rap and RnB outlines. but in reality it had been able to have the politicians, adults and people who didn't even listen and enjoyed rap music allowed Tupac and all the others that he spoke for to become recognised. Tupac was able to make an impact on those who did not even listen to rap music and have biased opinions about those like Tupac.