Tupac Shakur - Me Against the World Essay

copies, and I want that so badly, but I can't do that. I would be wrong to do that, knowing what I know and having the brain that I have, for me to even go and write some simple *censored* would be wrong even though I would get paid and I would get more people's money." (Patrick, Tony, n.p.) This means that Tupac has a strong will and values. He resisted the temptation to write some easy rhyming words and get peoples money. He instead followed his values and worked

Tupac’s America was a nation terrified of changes. He wrote, “It’s time to fight back, that’s what Huey said, 2 shots in the dark, now Huey’s dead” (2PAC LYRICS). He believed the government assassinated Huey Newton, the Black Panther leader, a militant group that employed violent means to protect black people from the police. In verse number three, Tupac compared the America’s war in Iraq to the violence in the high poverty neighborhoods (2PAC LYRICS). He then described government policies relating to “war on drugs," which resulted in mandatory arrest policies, harsh drug laws on crack cocaine, and the explosion of the African American population in penitentiaries. Tupac tried to convey to the listeners the society must change, but it will most likely change for the worst.

Throughout the song, Tupac gives an inside look on the social problems affecting African-Americans and suggests possible solutions. In the first stanza of the song, Tupac first talks about how certain social issues are linked together; he makes a correlation between his skin color and being poor. Tupac says “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.” Then he explains how poverty causes crime by saying “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.” And finally, he demonstrates the relationship between police brutality and race by saying “Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.”

To help understand Tupac’s poem, you must grasp yourself around the image of a very young boy, who has no father, grew up in the rougher parts of New York, and was barely supported by his mother.

Tupac Amaru Shakur was a very influential person who overcame many difficulties. Tupac was a rapper of truth that spoke about the things that go on in the “Hood” and the unjust police. He was treated differently because he was black and was even arrested for jaywalking. After he was arrested he was beaten by the cops who wanted him to “learn his place”(Joseph 29). This shows how bad Tupac had it because he was African American. Tupac died an early death at 25 because of a brewing rivalry between the East and West Coast rappers. Shakur was a person who would stand up for what he believed in no matter the cost and died fighting for that. He never let anyone win a battle that he was determined to win and always knew what he was fighting for. His mother was the same, as a loyal member of the Black Panther Party, a group that protected all African Americans from police brutality. Tupac was literally born to be a fighter and carried on his mother's legacy. Despite his rough life, Tupac Shakur became one of the most influential rappers of all time.

Tupac Shakur was one of the most influential artist of our last decade. He not only made several albums, but was also a large role in many films and a poet. Millions of people bought and still buy his albums. He was a pioneer to gangster rap, and he sang about things that mattered. Although, he was a role model and was admired by many, he also had a lot of enemies, and in the end, his enemies over powered his fans by taking his life. Some say that he may still be alive, but no one really knows.

Assata Shakur was born on July 14, 1947 her real name is Joanne Deborah Byron, after she was born her parent divorced. She was living with her mother, aunt and her grandparents in Wilmington North Carolina. As a child she spent time working with her grandparents in a restaurant they own by the beach. Her grandparents instilled in her the love for written word, and she spent a great deal reading to satisfy her imagination. Her family tried to infuse in her a sense of dignity, “you are as good as anyone else”, also not to let anyone said that they’re better than her. Shakur never like her real name Joanne she felt that she was not an African American and she should go back to Africa, because of

I have come a very long way; the four years since I started have only progressed with intensity and involvement with music. I know the next years of my life will only be more intense and more involved with music, and I hope that it can become a career one day. Music has allowed me to express myself during my happy moments, my teenage angst, my depression, my heartbreaks, and it has always gotten stronger, and it carries me with it. I cannot wait to see what music I’m creating in five, ten, or fifteen years. One day, I’ll look back to the songs I have finished in my younger days, and I will be reminded of my high school years, and what I was going through during those times, because, to me, music is

“it's time to fight back," that's what Huey said. Two shots in the dark, now Huey's dead” are all references to the Black Panther Party, a neighbourhood watch who were formed in order to stop the police brutality among African Americans. Tupacs parents were affiliated with this party which would have meant that he had somewhat of an emotional attachment to this group. The use of allusion to a group that Tupac’s parents were a part of and by highlighting their mistakes, in that violence is not the way to solve issues and that changes must be made on how issues such as police brutality are solved. This can be proven through the use of enjambment as Tupac continues his reference to the Black Panther party by alluding to the death of huey newton, the founding member of the black panther party who was brutally killed at an early hour of the morning. Huey Newton’s radical militant viewpoint in order to eradicate police brutality would eventually end up in his death. By bringing up this Tupac hoped for the listener to understand that violence is not the way to solve violence.

His mother and father were Billy Garland and Alicia Faye Williams who were both part of the Black Panthers. The party’s original purpose was to patrol African American neighbourhoods to protect residents from acts of police brutality. His mom started to get more active in the Black Panthers and soon changed her name to Afeni Shakur and named Tupac to Tupac Amaru. He would then get his named changed again to his younger sister Sekiya’s father mutulu Shakur. Tupac’s life was hard. None of his fathers stood around and his family would move from shelter to shelter. His mom would soon later get addicted to crack.

To gaze into the lyrics of both Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur is like living in the ghettos of New York City where violence never stops. Both of these artists grew up seeing and living a life filled with violence. Gunshots and drive-byes, death and murder were a daily occurrence. Although the lyrics of both artists are simply telling their life stories and how hard it was to grow up in their “hoods” they contain vulgar, hateful, and sexual verses that send the wrong message to their listeners. Whether these listeners are teens or adults, white or black, they are continually sending notions of hatred and fear through their lyrics and actions. Ultimately,

Independently, Shakur’s lyrics suggest the inequalities he has experienced throughout his life and of his race in general. In the first verse, Shakur expresses his upbringing without a father and the struggles with the racial tension in his neighborhood. He implies that he has been pushed into a world of violence and crime because of his low socioeconomic status. He states that peace can only be attained if the African Americans are offered a place in the society. The second verse focuses upon the broader oppression of the black body where he addresses the police violence and inequalities of the system. His lyric analyzes the violence in the streets and the fear of police officers that are willing to shoot him because he appears threatening. Finally, the third verse expresses that he is still waiting on things to change, yet the answer is not present. The greater meaning to his

The use of alliteration can be seen in every stanza, and with only reading the alliterations one could see the growth of Tupac. Tupac’s mindset and behavior changes as he matures with his mother’s love impacting his character. In the First stanza, we can see his young disobedient rebellious behavior with, “When I was young me and my mama had beef”; then to, “Suspended from school, and scared to go home, I was a fool. With the big boys, breaking all the rules”. During this time, he also starts to disrespect his mother as he rapped, “When things went wrong we'd blame mama” (10). The reason he would blame his mother is because of her addiction to crack, “struggled with drug addiction and moved frequently around the country, taking her son with

Tupac Shakur released the song “Keep Ya Head Up” first in 1993 on his album “Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z.”, then as a single in 1994. Tupac’s “Keep Ya Head Up”, one of his most notable and recognizable singles, received acclaim upon its release and continues to do so. The record centers on the social climate in the 90’s, and Tupac’s own experiences from his youth. Around the time of the song’s release, Tupac’s indictment in a rape case colored the reception of the song although it remained mainly positive. Tupac speaks on multiple issues through his lyrics, making it effective as a critique of society; moreover, the other creative devices he uses – phrasing, rhythm changes, and samples – make the song effective as an artistic project and back up his social message.

When most people hear the name Tupac, they think of a tattooed thug, a gangsta rapper killed in a tragic shooting who only got what was coming to him, a man who lived by the gun, and who died by the gun. However, those people probably have never taken a chance to look beyond what their eyes tell them, past the ignorance and into the depths of the man who really was Tupac.