Tupac doesn’t mince words, apologize on behalf of men, or justify sexism. “Dear Mama” was also chosen to be a single. The lines above are from the first verse of a song that wasn’t obscurely buried in Tupac’s album, but was one of his hit singles. What’s amazing to me about the verse in “Keep ya head up” is not only its unique presence in a gangsta rap song, but also how unrestrained his critique of sexism is. Among the lyrics of “Dear Mama,” are these:Ī poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did itīut the plan is to show you that I understand Similarly, in his third album, Tupac paid tribute to the tireless efforts of his mother to raise him. I know you’re fed up ladies, but keep your head up. He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one That will hate the ladies, that make the babies Time to heal our women, be real to our womenĪnd if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies Why we rape our women, do we hate our women? Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy You know it makes me unhappy (what’s that) When you come around the block brothas clown a lotīut please don’t cry, dry your eyes, never let upįorgive but don’t forget, girl keep your head upĪnd when he tells you you ain’t nothin’, don’t believe himĪnd if he can’t learn to love you, you should leave himĪnd I ain’t tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see em After a few lines in “Keep ya head up,” Tupac’s verse goes like this:Īnd I know they like to beat ya down a lot However, on his first platinum album, the 1993 release “Strictly 4 my N.I.G.G.A.Z.,” Tupac uncharacteristically used his mainstream success to voice a feminist message. Tupac was an incredibly influential and original figure for his unique voice and skill as a rapper, but the general sexism in his music is undeniable. Tupac’s music is peppered with sexist slurs, violence-driven male dominance, and the objectification of women. It’s not surprising, then, that most of his music reflects and celebrates the conventional attitudes and values of gang life, including all of the violence and sexism that comes with it. I’m not familiar with the particulars of Tupac’s home life, but these lyrics are evidence that he did grow up in a community suffering from the problems I described above. I needed money of my own so I started slangin’. I hung around with the Thugs, and even though they sold drugs They say I’m wrong and I’m heartless, but all along He passed away and I didn’t cry, cause my anger No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn’t there In his song “Dear Mama,” Tupac describes such a situation: For many boys in urban slums, this support comes from gangs, the drug trade, and violence. With high numbers of fathers incarcerated, many boys grow up without stable home lives and turn to dangerous and problematic sources of leadership, feelings of belonging, and kinship. In such an environment, as many domestic violence educators well know, the dire economic conditions are often fertile ground for sexism’s most brutal manifestations: domestic violence, sexual abuse, and rape.
Like many rappers of the “gangsta rap” branch of hip hop, Tupac grew up surrounded by all of the difficulties of America’s severe inequity: a strong lack of the provision of welfare, social services, street safety, and education. Though the rapper generally perpetuated the sexism that is pervasive in hip hop, two Tupac songs had strong feminist messages - an interesting and unique aspect of a rapper from Tupac’s background and genre.
DEAR MAMA LYRICS MEANING TV
If you were to reject hip hop altogether solely on the grounds of its sexism, you might as well reject the majority of other forms of music, and some of the best known works of literature and philosophy, and most movies and TV shows, and…and - you get the point.Īs the highly celebrated rapper Tupac Shakur (usually referred to as simply Tupac) was recently brought up on the blog, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on Tupac’s brief and anomalous expression of feminist values. Hip hop, like all forms of art, is a product of its cultural and historical backdrop and is far from the only artistic genre that carries with it - often very explicitly - the sexism that is still a pervasive problem in society today. However, there is no reason why one cannot appreciate a particular form of art while also lending it a critical eye. For obvious reasons, the two may seem totally incompatible, as much of hip hop carries some of the most noticeable expressions of sexism in music. It’s always interesting for me to be both a hip hop enthusiast and a feminist. Encuentros de Escucha e Intercambio Comunitario.
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