Tupac Shakur: a point of controversy in the world of hip-hop. 24 years after his death, he is still referred to as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Many wonder if he is truly dead, or alive in a remote country without the media attention he would be receiving in the United States. Despite the dozens of conspiracy theories surrounding his untimely ‘death’, there’s a reason he is considered the greatest. His music and his works of poetry were incredibly influential. Coming from a long line of Black Panthers, Tupac used his voice and his platform to continue the legacy of his ancestors by speaking out on injustices and racial inequality.
Tupac was fiery and passionate in all aspects of his life – from his music career, to his acting career, to poetry, to speaking out on things wrong with society, and oftentimes a mix of all of these. Most notably, his music detailed activism and rally for change. One of Tupac’s most popular songs is titled Changes. This song speaks on the broken racial and criminal justice systems in America. Some of the most powerful, and still relevant, lyrics are as follows:
Cops give a damn about a *****, pull the trigger, kill a *****, he’s a hero
“Give the crack to the kids, who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare”
While Changes was written and recorded in 1992, we have yet to see changes in the systems of America. In today’s world, there is still rampant police violence, horrifying repercussions of Ronald Reagan’s racist and ineffective ‘War on Drugs’, and other devastating systemic issues that remain unresolved by the leaders of this country.
More powerful and relevant songs by Tupac Shakur that will open your eyes — and make you realize that nothing in society has changed for thirty years — are listed below. Each and every one of these songs are incredibly important, and all reasons why Tupac Shakur is the greatest of all time.
This song begins with an intro from Malcom X, and goes on to explain how the Black man is unsafe in the ‘white man’s world’. This speaks to how the systems of society were built upon racism. Another important message to be gathered from this song is to be proud to be Black.
This song touches on police brutality and how Black men are brutalized at a disproportionate rate. After this song was released, Tupac was brutally assaulted by the Oakland police department for simply jaywalking.
Brenda’s Got a Baby was one of Shakur’s most controversial songs. It details the story of a twelve year old girl who was raped and impregnated by her cousin, and throws her baby away after giving birth in a bathroom stall. After retrieving her baby from the garbage, she decides to raise it and turns to prostitution and drug dealing to make a living. She is eventually killed during her time of prostitution. This song is incredibly complex and spoke to the issues in inner cities within families and, again, broken systems.
This song is an ode to Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur. She was a strong Black woman, a Black Panther, and gave birth to Shakur shortly after fighting her own case to be freed from jail. Dear Mama is a song dedicated to strong Black women everywhere.
This is perhaps one of Shakur’s most popular songs. Moreso dedicated to Black women all over than just his mother, like in Dear Mama, it is an empowering anthem. In this, he tackles rape culture, abortion rights, and violence against women. And since we all came from a woman, got our name from a woman and our game from a woman, I wonder why we take from our women, why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
Life Goes On is an emotional tribute to all of Shakur’s fallen friends. It speaks to those who died young and who were trapped in the system. This is Tupac’s most emotional song, and it is incredibly beautiful. How many brothers fell victims to the streets?