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Tupac Shakur Essay

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Tupac Shakur, born the son of two Black Panthers, grew up to be one of the best-selling rappers of all time, selling over 75 million records even after his tragic death in 1996. His song “Changes” (based on Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is") recorded in 1991 and produced in 1998 discussed many of the injustices the African American population face (Statistics Brain Research Institute, 2017). Focusing on racism, the war on drugs, the perpetuation of poverty, mass incarceration rate, and overall the oppression the African American population experiences, the song mirrors many of the topics discussed in class. Therefore, this paper will discuss, analyze, and draw connections between the lyrics and discussions we have had in class.
The son of …show more content…

The juxtaposition of Tupac’s image of a gangsta’ rapper and utilizing his celebrity to inform audiences of the systemic and structural oppression the African American population encounters is truly inspiring. According to Brown, “through his music, Shakur illustrates that he is a social critic and a good example of Black protest music. At its core, black protest music is characterized by the expression of resistance and the articulation of the heartache and pain that Blacks have endured throughout history. Likewise, Shakur as a social critic conveys through his music the despair, anger, and resentment that resonates with many African Americans” (2005). Just as in, the song “Changes” where he illuminates social oppression that affect the African American population. For example, just within the first stanza, Tupac makes reference to poverty and welfare, issues of substance abuse, and racism. Tupac stated “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black” making the correlation between his skin color and the poverty in which he grew up. He goes on to reinforce this connection further by stating, and “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.” He also illustrates the relationship between police brutality and race by declaring, “Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.”
In the second stanza of “Changes”, Shakur says, “take the evil out the people, they’ll be acting right, ‘cause both black

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