Tupac Shakur 's `` Keep Ya Head Up ``

2pac (Tupac Shakur) is known as one of the most influential rappers of all time and his music expresses transcendentalism. In the song Changes he raps about how the world needs change and that its corrupt. People need to change and treat others with respect instead of with hate. In the song it says "It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.-Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live-and let's change the way we treat each other." 2pac wants the people to become something better and make an effort to help and treat others with respect. He is advocating a movement. A movement that is dedicated to peace. He had a hard life in New York with a drug dealing father and a missing mother. Although he had an awful life he was optimistic and hopeful this is shown in all of his music. In the song "Keep Your Head up" 2pac raps about being yourself and doing what you believe is right. He wants to start a movement that influence people to act for themselves. A movement where people will be influenced to change and treat others better like his song

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

“I’m having visions of leaving here in a hearse, God can you hear me? Take me away from all the pressure, and all the pain, show me happiness again” Tupac rapped this in a song released in 1995. For many years people have debated about if Tupac is alive or if he is dead. However most people haven't taken a good look at the details. Unless people start having evidence for their side of the argument they will never truly believe if Tupac is dead or alive. Most people who believe he is alive usually say he is because of a photograph of him, a bad autopsy, and the number 7.

Millions of people in the world listen to music for all different reasons. Most people all over the world listen to different genres of music in order to relax, but not too many people pay attention to the actual lyrics of a song. If you listen to the lyrics of a song you will realize that many songs have important messages or themes to them. An example of this is the lyrics of the song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur. If you listen to this song, you will realize that Tupac raps about not only the problems that African Americans face from society, but also the struggles that poor people in society have to endure and overcome. Many

Everyone knows a guy by the name of Tupac Shakur, but how do people know Mr. Shakur? Maybe it is by the hardcore gangster and obscene rap lyrics directed towards people, more so aimed towards his east coast rivals. As years went on, more and more people viewed a handful of Tupac’s music as a true work of art, containing strong messages along with stories from his troubled childhood and young adulthood. Later on in both Tupac’s life and career, he began to realize the demise of the African American culture as a whole. During his last stint in prison, not only did he realized all of this wrongdoing throughout this life, but also the negative influence rap and hip hop had over the young African American community. What happened during his incarnation,

Even though Tupac is not alive today his music still carries throughout this generation. His music talks about topics that most people are too scared to talk about. He gave people a voice that were not confident enough. He related problems to his real life. He stood up for himself through music and expressed himself through it.

A positive attitude and a good outlook on every situation is the most important thing to obtain and express. The song “Keep Your Head Up” by Andy Grammer defines my eighth grade year and explains it in a great, inspirational way. The song represents the low times, but also gives a positive vibe and motivational lyrics. My eighth grade year was challenging, full of change, and unexpected, but I continued to push through and move on with a positive attitude.

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,

Many contradicting views surround rap music’s controversial subjects and use of language. While some consider it highly offensive, there is some validity to the rhetoric applied in political rap. In the 1990’s racial inequality is rampant with uprisings and segregated neighborhoods that condemn minorities and lower socioeconomic classes to inhumane living conditions. Specifically, Tupac Shakur’s posthumous song “I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto” combines an emancipatory lyric with a hopeful and upbeat instrumental to assess the racial inequality in society and the possibility of a better future.

Capture Attention- “Too Many Murders, Too Many Funerals, and Too Many Tears. Just seen another brother buried plus I knew him for years. Passed by his family, but what could I say? Keep yo’ head up head up and try to keep the faith and pray for better days” (Tupac).

As a teen in high school, Desmond-Harris was truly affected by the murder of Tupac, a gangsta rap icon, for she and her best friend Thea could relate to his very much mixed identity as an artist. He not only had a fun side, but also had a side full of anxiety and anger. Through Tupac’s songs, both Desmond-Harris and Thea were enabled to learn what it truly meant to be biracial. To say the least, Tupac’s songs had aided the coming-of-age journey the two mixed-race girls had embarked on together.

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.

The common notion is that hip-hop music also seems to glorify is that what matters most when looking for a good woman is what her body looks like. This is why there are so many teenagers who have eating disorders or other emotional problems. But today, there are many artists of this genre that care about what women are like deeper than just a physical attraction. For example, Tupac Shakur’s song “Keep Ya Head Up” is a song telling women how important they are to our society, telling men to treat women with respect, and most importantly, keep your head up.

During the 80s and 90s rappers did involve many of the “social” critiques that were being faced. Through out the lives of the emotionally damaged rappers there was usually a story to every one of the songs produced. Usually containing a background story, sometimes in form of prayer because the people that explain this, do not know in what other form to pray to God. Some may say that such rappers as in Tupac who believed that God was present even in the most pro founded depressing situations. Although rapped about many luxuries that were committed to the wants Tupac pertained, also did explore more into police brutality, poverty and corruption with the Government. Tupac was very concerned with the way society was being governed. Believing that the law had turned numb towards the minorities’ situation. Tupac began to think and contemplate. Tupac went through many hard dealing situations as well, thus coming back to why rappers feel as if the voice inside is silent and have no other way to be heard of. Music has been a greatly part of the “rappers” life allowing to express and talk through stories within the lives of one another. Not just to society but also to God. The form of prayer the rapper’s pertain is just a call for someone to hear and act. “There should be a class on why people are hungry.” (Tupac) Why Tupac feels that society does not teach the people about real life but nonsense? Felt that society was being taught extremely immoral and

The first technique that Tupac uses to achieve his message is rhetorical questioning. This can be observed through the lines, “And who’d think in elementary, hey, I’d see the penitentiary one day?” In these lines, Tupac conveys the idea that although he got in frequent trouble, his mother was still always there for him. This reflects on the current issue at the time, that being Tupac’s sentence in jail. In addition, the lines had a side meaning of showing the struggles of dealing with a biased law, which at the time mostly applied to people in Tupac’s situation such as those with a low-income background and being a minority. However, this technique mainly serves to strengthen the fact that Tupac loves and appreciated his mother, and giving a general appreciation to any mother who goes through the dedication for their children.