Analyzing Tupac Shakur's Song 'Changes'

Although Shakur may have been a victim of his environment, he was also a victim of the times. The racism left over from the civil rights movement and the society’s oppression drove him to become a more and more violent resistor as well a gang banger. Often times in Shakur’s neighborhood police would leave crimes unsolved, culprits free or the wrong man

Like how hard it was living in the ghetto and how he had to look to the streets for money to support his family. Another thing he’d rap about was police brutality in the ghetto. He’d also rap about how to treat women, like how we should treat them with respect because they go through a lot. Tupac was born in 1971, on June 16 in Harlem, New York.

Some things he just couldn't help and some he the choice to change his outcome. It all started with his early life in the article “Tupac Shakur Bio by Rolling Stone Magazine. 2001. Shakur was the son of Black Panther Party members Billy Garland and Afeni Shakur (Shakur is Arabic for "thankful to God"), who was in jail (and later acquitted) on bombing charges while pregnant with him. Sometime after his birth, he was named Tupac Amaru, for an Incan chief whose name translates as "shining serpent."

Many artists who grew up in the drug trade during the 1980s would become labeled as veterans because it was the sole option they had to strive economically. And through this time period, hip hop will alter to a medium in response to a life of drug dealing, police brutality, violence, and incarceration. The effects of this period will lead to the mass incarcerations of African Americans and the lives of people being ruined, which will be further explored. By the middle of the 1990s, the United States Incarceration rate surpassed the rest of the world, damaging a large portion of the African American community.

Tupac was one of the few black men who addressed the fact that African-Americans

Peterson Dorelus Enc1101 9:30 Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru shaker was born in New York 1971; known by his stage name 2pac was an American rapper. ‘’Shakur received an education in radical politics from his mother, but he also saw some of life's hardships through her struggles with substance abuse’ ‘Tupac was like an Elvis to hip hop in my eyes. Tupac was known for his rapping, his many talents like acting, Also his beef between the East coast and the West coast. To begin, ’‘I hear Brenda's got a baby

In Tupac and My Non- Thug Life Jenée Desmond writes a vividly narrated story about a well-known rapper Tupac Shukar and how she relates her image and identity connection with the former rapper. Raised in the white suburb town and the only black high school cheerleader Tupac 's music and lyrics helped her get through her interracial blend as an African American teen. Jenée expresses her emotions toward her former icon as a teen girl. In the contribution to his death, Jenée Recalls vivid descriptions of her obsession with her image through her teen-hood, when his passing accrued Jenée recollects her past and explains her vivid descriptions when he passed away. She described the moment of his death a tragic moment.

If you’re confused and didn’t know what that was, it’s one of Tupac’s well-remembered quotes that is relevant to America’s conversation about race relations and racism. In The Hate U Give, “THUG LIFE” is a relevant theme in the book because it represents a history of racial relations in the U.S., is related to current racial issues that still affect ethnic minorities and the effects of racial injustice towards communities of color decades later. To explain as to why “THUG LIFE” is a relevant theme in The Hate U Give is because it is a representation of a history of racial relations in the United States.

It states that “ justice stubbed her big toe on mandela” meaning that Mandela [Nelson Mandela] was an object that was there but we all know that stubbing your toe doesn't stop you from continuing to walk and that's what justice did it continued its path of destruction moving on blindly. Tupac also states “slavery was the learning phase / forgotten with out a verdict/ while justice is still on a rampage/ 4 endangering surviving black males” Slavery was made illegal in the United States with no reparation taken. Tupac says there are no verdicts on slavery, meaning justice has not been served for the 400 years of imprisonment suffered by black people. Also in this quote it makes you picture justice as being some type of predator out hunting for the black males. Tupac also says that surviving black males are endangered.

In “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life” by Jenee Desmond-Harris, the author writes about how the death of a famous rapper impacted her life. The author first talks about how the day she found out Tupac had passed affected her. The authors mind was thinking about things like her dance routines and exercise techniques. However, after coming home for the day the utterance or the words: “Your friend died” “You know that rapper you and Thea love so much!” from her mother made the whole day change and feelings of remorse and sadness follows.

Hip Hop is seen as something inspiring, but most people see it as a way to speak out the truth about a problem. As in “Hip Hop planet” being able say the truth can sometimes worsen any situation because sometimes what we say can promote violence and whatever happens after is not in our control. The essay is about how hip hop has changed into speaking out the issues that need to be taken care of in order to maintain a proper society. McBride talked about how rappers use violent lyrics to degrade women and gays and because of this it shows how the music has evolved into something entirely different that no one would have ever expected to have changed. In James McBride's essay “Hip Hop Planet,” he argues that hip hop has a negative influence on American Culture despite people thinking of it as inspirational and how people live through different experiences in life despite of your race.

Over the course of human history, music has been an integral part of life. Music’s impact can be seen in every facet of the world today and it is a way to express feelings, tell a story, or prove a point. It can bring people together and can transcend communities, cultures, and ideologies. Although many do not realize it, music has had a profound impact on all human lives, and the lives of all others that have since died. Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come’ is a song that defined a generation while bringing the oppression and injustice that African Americans experienced, on a daily basis, to the forefront of society.

The song Dear Mama by Tupac Shakur relates to the ongoing struggle and hardships that numerous lower class single mothers endure, where Shakur describes how he learned to appreciate his mother and the sacrifices that she made for him as he became older. By formatting the lyrics with verses around a repeating chorus, Shakur was able to emphasize his personal narrative within the verses and allow for a recollection period between each verse to allow listeners to reflect on and comprehend what they just experienced. The form of Dear Mama is consistently strophic, where at the end of each verse Shakur repeats the emblematic phrase, “There's no way I can pay you back, but the plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated.” Appealingly,

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.

Williams argues that hip hop is “detrimental” to the black culture. He believes kids growing up in the hood assume that they have to meet the stereo type mentioned in hip hop. This is the music they listen to when growing up leading them to believe that should be their way of life. Anybody who acts different is “acting white” because they are not following the typical black culture stereotype. (Williams)