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Tupac shakur legacy and impact essay
Tupac shakur legacy and impact essay
Tupac shakur legacy and impact essay
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Tupac Shakur, also known by his stage name Makaveli, writes songs that meditates on racism, class, and politics. Tupac Shakur’s song “Changes,” is powerful because it talks about racial issues African-Americans face on the streets, as well as violence and poverty within the community. For Shakur, the lyrics of this song were more than just filler for a produced, catchy beat; they were a means of relevant expression and social observation. Shakur reference, this time to the Middle East conflict, brings out the fighting of the street in a direct comparison with a fully escalated war. The phrase “Devil take a brother” shows a powerful metaphor for death: Shakur was able to foreshadow the uprising of injustices directed towards the African-American …show more content…
community and others within it. What adheres to a good song is an artist ability to paint a picture through words. Shakur wrote a song that people of all races and gender are able to either identify with; he tells a story of unfair treatment within the black community and forces his listeners to sympathize through his lyrics, message, and theme embedded in this song. Shakur uses the song “Changes” to walk his listeners through the daily brawls faced within the minority population in America.
He goes as far as explaining how being in a low socioeconomic status is twice as degrading when a person is of African-American decent. Shakur raps, “Give the crack to the kids, who the hell cares?/One less hungry mouth on the welfare” (7-8). Shakur effectively ties the relationship between drugs and bloodshed in communities of lower socioeconomic status. Welfare is a government program that provides financial support to individuals or people who cannot support themselves (Ivestopedia 2015). A child being killed due to the use of illegal drugs is not seen as a loss or tragedy but as a burden lifted off the government. Shakur paints a chilling picture of how something as profound as death can occur but still not be characterized as important in the world today. More killings are occurring within communities where the average house hold combined makes no more than eighteen-thousand dollars a year. Mainly because the people being affected are minorities and viewed as bottom feeders within the American country. This song, one of many, allows an audience of listeners to correlate the feelings of frustration caused by the conflicts of life. Tupac Shakur exhibits feelings of hopelessness for a better future due to the challenge of dealing with ongoing interracial
violence. The message behind Shakur’s song “Changes” is that it is hard being an African-American male. Shakur wants to inspire all African-American males to come together and take a stand against all the issues faced against African-Americans. Shakur raps “Cops give a damn about a negro, pull the trigger, kill a nigga he’s a hero” (5-6). Shakur touches the controversial topic of how African-American males are targeted by cops and if they kill an African-American males that it is not a big deal. His observation could be interpreted as a conspiracy into eliminating or significantly diminish the African-American population in the United States of America. According to the Washington post in 2014, it is recorded that law enforcement were responsible for over a thousand unjustifiable killings of African-Americans. For instance, the recent deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice are prime examples of interracial violence. Racism is still a factor in today’s society and, in Shakur’s opinion, that something that will never change. This is a song that catalogs its author’s continuing struggle with being stereotyped and mistreated despite his burgeoning career. Shakur was and still is today one of the most notorious rap artist in the industry. Yet, with all his fame and fortune, Shakur was still in the public eye. Shakur being African-American himself incorporates his own run in with law enforcement. For example, the line “Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me” refers to the incident in 1993 when Tupac was arrested for no apparent reason. Tupac uses his platform as a recognized hip-hop artist to broadcast the unfair treatment people of color are facing daily. By using his own run in with the law, Tupac is able to show his listeners he can empathize with the problem that is faced. Tupac expresses the idea that changes needs to be made to therefore stop poverty and racism that African-Americans are facing every day. Tupac also criticizes the spreading of African-Americans over the idea to unite to overcome poverty and racism facing them. The title of Tupac’s song is called “Changes”. The song is called Changes for numerous obvious reasons. The theme of Shakur’s song “Changes” is that in order to make some changes in the world, a person has to start within themselves. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world (1938),” a famous quote from Gandhi that has become a part of the Good Samaritan culture. Shakur rap’s “We gotta make a change/It’s time for us as people to start making some changes/Let’s Change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live/and let’s change the way we treat each other” (49-52). Shakur want’s people to change the way they live because it is destructive to themselves as well as the community, and others. Shakur’s song “Changes” is about a person doing all they can to change their life and walk on a straight path. He conveys through his lyrics how hard it is to grow up poor and black, and commenting on the fact that the police did not seem to particularly care one way or another what happens within the black community. It also mentions how African Americans, specifically males, view death as a viable option to the hell hole that life has become, surrounded by drugs, and gangs. Challenges are faced every day within the poor communities in America just by being black. But to add insult to injury, a person must rise above being seen less than equal because they are black and poor, with the burden of being frightened of law enforcement. The very law enforcement placed to serve and protect all races and gender of people in America.
The theme of lines 1-5 in, ¨Untitled 1¨ by Tupac Shakur is that African Americans have been oppressed, over many generations. He describes the world, ¨as a ghetto, that they cannot leave,¨ referring to ghettos such as
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.
In a reputable rap album an artist must tell a real-life story. The following three artist come from different but similar backgrounds. One artist from Detroit, one from Compton, another from Brooklyn. Sada Baby along with other Detroit rappers share their experiences living in different parts of the city. Throughout D.O.N. by Sada Baby, he references a lot of weapon use, gang activity, and drug use in his neighborhood. The songs on this album go into so much detail about these things, because this was the life he was born into. This is what he knows first hand. In Sada Baby’s song, ‘Guatemalan’, he goes through the steps of his daily life and even goes on to justify why he is the way that he is based off his experiences.
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.
Such as, how Tupac used his song “Changes” to refer to the institutionalized racism in America in regards to law enforcement and so forth. On example from his lyrics states, “Cops give a damn about a negro/ Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.” Another commonly known song that makes ties with Hill’s is Kanye’s song “When It All Falls Down.” Kanye wanted the ties of her lyrics incorporated into his song so much that after his failed attempted to get Lauryn Hills sample cleared he got a replacement singer to perform it on his song alternatively. However, his concept for this song was different as its purpose was more of a self-contemplation of his individualized battle with consumerism. Today society is affected by artists like Lauryn Hill and her lyrics and often quote lyrics like that of hers as references for equality and moral rights in modern society. Today more than ever the incarceration rates are raising extremely. Not to mention, in the past year we have seen some of the biggest out cries for our African American communities with people using the power of social media to come together on a common ground in regards to law enforcement unjustly killing African Americans and other minorities while in the attempt of arresting them. With that being said as Lauryn Hills lyrics state “Ya'll can't handle the truth in a courtroom of lies. Representing security/Holding the word of God
In one of the chapters, ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’ the author reveals how blacks in America use the music to express their anger and commitment to emerge as great people in an unfair community. Most songs are written to educate the society on the negative effects of racism. They encourage the society to love one another and embrace unity. The human nature is founded through a social platform where philosophers claim that people were created to love one another and live with peace and unity. Through this book, it is clear that the blacks in the hip-hop generation are money minded. However, this is expected in a world where the economy is tough. The author claims that the youth are the people who are majorly affected by racism. Many of them have been arrested for pity mistakes which are magnified in the courts due to the impression that the society has on the black people. They engage in dirty activities like drug dealings that that put them on the wrong side of the
This research proposal will explore the dependent factors that determine why impoverished adolescent Black Males turn to crack cocaine as a means of survival. Survival is defined as, the act of or facts of surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances. Generally, Black Adolescent males engage themselves in crack cocaine by way of dealing or trafficking. This study is important because there are many underlying factors that are not studied in regard to why this population turns to crack cocaine as a means of survival.
On the other hand, "Changes" by Tupac is a song about making social changes. "Changes" is one of his most famous songs. Tupac always stands out as a rapper because of his poetic writing style. The first few lines, "I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black. My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch," showed the listener how many blacks live in poverty and have no choice but committing crimes. Tupac keeps saying hat he sees no changes throughout the song. He wants to see some changes to benefit his people. In this song, he uses epanaphora, the repetition of a phrase. For
Tupac was a African-American rapper, record producer, actor, and poet. Tupac has sold over 75 million records worldwide. He is consistently ranked as the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. On September 7. 1996 Tupac was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He would die six days later at the age of 25. The song I will be using in this essay is regarded as one of his most powerful songs, “Changes.” The theme of the story is to convey a message to the world about racism, equality, peace and unity.
“The Hip Hop Wars What We Talk About - And Why It Matters” by Tricia Rose explores what hip hop has done to society in recent years and what people think it has caused. Though it has become one of the most commercially successful genres in mainstream music Tricia Rose explains that the topics in hip hop music have narrowed. Commercial hip hop mainly consist of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and hoes. In the book she looks into the different points of views of people who think whether hip hop invokes violence or if it reflects life in a black ghetto and if it slows down advancement for African Americans in US. The author goes back and forth with the opinion of the mass on hip hop, she says people view hip hop as a music like heavy metal which people associate with violence but she refutes most of these points by showing the positives of hip hop.
Gangster rap is a subgenre of hip hop that often centered on the troubled lifestyles and poor condition of inner-city youths, ghetto boys are artists most regularly known with the founding of gangster rap. It also exposes the illegal activities of street gangs and thug lifestyle. Gangster was criticized left and right from commentators, as well as religious leaders, saying it encourages crime, murder, serial killing, violence, drug dealing etc. the music became one of the best commercial lucrative subgenre of hip hop. The government that is white house administration of George H.W Bush and Bill Clinton was against gangster, gangster artist was not happy that are singled out and that is not fair to them because they are using their song as a means of getting public to know the changes that the community needs and is not been addressed in the public forum. Journalist chuck Philips make it known in a review of the battle between the establishment and defender of a rap music, that white politicians never budge to know anything happening in the devastated community where gangster was given birth to. Gangster that started in a rural area became a means of exposing critical issues that are not solved or discussed in American politics. Sister Souljah told Philip the journalist that the problem is that the white house administration does not want to deal with inner city urban
In “Changes” he raps about how his community needs change and he is the one to address the problem. Tupac’s lyrics go as follows, “We gotta make a change… / It 's time for us as a people to start makin ' some changes. / Let 's change the way we eat, let 's change the way we live / and let 's change the way we treat each other” (Shakur). In these lines he sets out what needs to happen in Harlem to make it a better place to live. Older rappers and rap groups like as N.W.A, Tupac, and Biggie are leaders that started change for their cities. Biggie Smalls was an iconic figure of this era as well. The song, “Sky’s the Limit” shows that he is trying to send the message that even though he came from a family of poverty, he did not let that bring his life down. “Take a better stand/Put money in my moms hand/Get my daughter this college plan, so she don 't need no man/Stay far from timid/Only make moves when ya heart 's in it/And live the phrase Sky 's The Limit” (Notorious B.I.G.). “Sky’s the Limit” gives the audience the hope that if you are born at the bottom, you do not necessarily have to end up in the same place. The biggest thing the Biggie Smalls is trying to say is that you can always have what you want, but it only matters if you be what you want. Biggie Smalls is drawing attention to
“Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots”. This is the opening lyrics of one of the best songs ever written in the rap industry “Keep Ya Head Up”. It was written by who many people consider the best rapper in history, Tupac Amaru Shakur. Tupac is still considered one of the greatest and is still being played today by true Hip-Hop fans. People that do not know much of Tupac view him as a criminal. A criminal that got tatted “Thug Life” across his stomach and was the center of violence between the East Coast vs. West Coast rappers in the early 90’s. But the true Hip-Hop fans know the real Tupac Amaru Shakur. He didn’t promote violence like the rappers that are around now. Chief Keef, Fredo Santana, Lil Reese all promote Chicago’s war on drug trafficking, guns and murder. Tupac was different. He tried sending positive messages and did a phenomenal job with this song. In this song Tupac focuses on women’s rights which something unheard of in the rap industry. That is quite sad because up to this day, most rappers do not rap about women’s rights or try sending a positive message. That is why Tupac was different and he wanted the ideal women standing up for herself with this song.
In recent discussions of hip hop culture, a controversial issue has been whether hip hop makes people believe that money is everything they need to get respect and power. Some argue that you need to build respect and by building respect you become powerful and that will lead you to money. On the other hand, however, others argue that hip hop life helped them a lot by writing the lyrics and saying the things that they can’t do or say. One of this view’s main proponents, “money brings power,” according to this view, people who have more money will get more power and then they usually use this power to do the most disturbing activities, such as crime. In sum, then, the issue is whether having too much power is good or it’s just a life destroyer.
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...