Today we are looking at one of the most influential and highly controversial names in music – specifically rap – 2Pac.

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16th, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York. As a child his family was constantly moving from place to place and as a result, the young rapper-to-be ended up in Baltimore, Maryland in 1986. Here he attended the Baltimore School of Arts where he was able to gain valuable insights in learning how art is expressed. However, his family moved again before he was able to graduate, placing him in Marin City, California. It was here that he became involved in gang culture selling drugs on the streets of Cali. Providing much of the material for his rap lyrics, this paved the way for Tupac’s journey to becoming one of the most influential artists in rap.

In 1990, Tupac joined a rap group by the name of Digital Underground. He performed on two of their albums in 1991 before breaking away with his solo debut album, 2Pacalypse Now. The young rapper’s West coast style soon broke the charts as the American youth (especially within the African American community) listened to his music. Tupac’s rap songs hit home for many, as he talked of the many struggles faced by blacks within America and the nature of street life.

Many fans worshiped the young star because he represented to them the rise to fame and success from the bottom, a true self-made-man. Not only did Tupac embody the success of a young African American male, he redefined the meaning of  a “thug” or “gangster” through his lyrics. Instead of a hard, blood-thirsty criminal a thug was now a man (most commonly referring to a young black man) who overcame the systematic oppression and societal pressures placed on those living in lower class communities. Not only did he change this viewpoint, he addressed common issues prevalent within the American justice system and gang culture itself in an effort to create societal change on both sides of the spectrum. In his song “Changes”, Tupac raps:

You gotta operate the easy way

‘I made a G today’

But you made it in a sleazy way, sellin’ crack to a kid

‘I gotta get paid’

Well, hey, that’s the way it is

Pointing out that it is wrong to sell drugs to kids on street, but also highlighting the fact that this is the only way many young men are able to make enough money to support themselves and/or their families. In addition to this he raps:

Instead of war on poverty

They got a war on drugs

So the police can bother me

This details Nixon’s “war on drugs” and how instead of finding a way to give more economic opportunity to the poor, thus lessening the need to sell drugs, the government has found a way to get “riff raff” off the streets by putting them in jail for drug related charges. This is just one example of the many social issues Tupac tackled with his lyrics.

Of course there was – and still is –  the huge controversy over  Tupac’s death, Tupac v. Biggie, and West coast v. East coast rap. In my opinion the two are too good to be compared (but if I had to chose one yes it would be Tupac). Though he was highly criticized for his own hypocrisy in the many scandals and crimes he was involved in is his personal life, there is no debate that what Tupac was able to convey through his music had the power to move a nation. His work continues to inspire today as the genius of his lyrics captivates those who listen to them.

***If you are really interested in Tupac’s lyrics or personal beliefs read The Rose That Grew from Concrete – it is a compilation of poems he wrote. It’s a great read!***

 

TOP HITS:

• California Love
• Changes
• Keep Ya Head Up
• Ambitions Az A Ridah
• Hit ‘Em Up
• Dear Mama
• Only God Can Judge Me
• All Eyes On Me
• How Do You Want It
• All About U

THESE ARE GREAT TOO:

• Picture Me Rollin’
• I Ain’t Mad At Cha
• Ghetto Gospel
• Never Call U B**** Again
• Unconditional Love
• What’s Ya Phone #