Brenda+Ferone

Brenda Ferone  October 12, 2009  ENG 101 SEC08 **Social Issues Expressed ** Tupac > Biggie Smalls  Tupac Shakur was an inspirational rapper from the 1990’s. His lyrics dealt with discrimination, drugs, violence and a “gangster lifestyle”. A gangster lifestyle is a street gang member who is involved in criminal activity. Tupac cares about this lifestyle because it he was living through it. During the 1990’s, those particular social issues were arising in America. Through his music, Tupac expressed anger and a difficult way of living, which young teens interpreted as a standard way of living. His message were also about standing up for what you believe in and not letting obstacles stop your from achieving what you want. With Tupac being so popular, a large majority of the population understood the messages he was conveying.

 In the early 1990’s, the violence in America was at an all time high.Outsiders really did not know how bad the situations were unless they were in the middle of the violence. Tupac Shakurs work gave everyone a glimpse of life in the ghetto. In his work, he talked about drugs, violence, conflicts with the law, etc.He wanted people who were not associated with the ghetto to understand how tough life is for them. By listening to Tupac’s music, it gave the outsiders a chance to understand what was going in different parts of the nation. Tupac was involved with selling drugs and all these issues that are expressed throughout his music.Tupac was also an advocate for political, economic, social and racial equality. “Changes” and “To Live and Die in L.A” are two works of art I have chosen by Tupac that incorporates social issues.

 Tupacs’ music was recorded usually with a steady beat, accompanied with quick paced “singing”. His use of rhyme and rhythm engages the listeners to the music and what the artist has to say. His beats draw your to the music. In “Changes”, one of the first ideas Tupac brings up in this song is drugs and social class. There is a distinct stereotype that black people are always associated with drugs in some form or another. In the song Tupac says, “Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares, one less hungry mouth on the welfare” (Lyrics Depot). I understand these lines to mean that people should be ashamed of themselves for giving children these addictive drugs and teaching them wrong ideas. It always seems that the only reason these kids are receiving drugs is because of their social class; being on welfare is sometimes not always a choice but lifestyle that is thrust upon people. “My stomache hurts so I’m lookin’ for a purse to snatch” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac goes on talking about how the poor need to become thieves in order to feed themselves.

Another recurring topic that Tupac brings up in his song is race. “Even worse I’m black” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac is stating that life is so much harder if you are black. “As long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped” (Lyrics Depot). At the time racism was still considered a social issue in America. In the line “Cause’ both black and white is smokin’ crack tonight” (Lyrics Depot), Tupac refers to both races and comes to a conclusion that they are both the same. This line explains to the listeners that people are equal no matter what the color of their skin is.  Tupac discusses the issue of violence quite often. I skimmed through the song and came across at least seven references to the idea of violence. The law enforcement seems to have a grasp on the black community because they believe that blacks are always up to some harm. Tupac states, “Cops give a damn about a Negro pull the trigger, kill a nigga” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac uses vulgar language to express the color of black people and their relation to the cops. Tupac also goes on to say later in the song that, “The penitentiary’s packed and it’s filled with blacks” (Lyrics Depot). The color of someone’s’ skin should not determine whether or not they should be in a penitentiary.

 “Changes” is filled with social issues. In his work, Tupac sent out a message that all audiences could be inspired by. “We gotta make a change. 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. You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do what we gotta do, to survive” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac is trying to send this message out to people in a real manner. Tupac mentions how everyone needs to change in order to improve life in society.

In the song “To Live and Die in L.A”, the same messages are portrayed to the audience. The social issues are racism, poverty, criminal acts, and gang violence. “To live and die in LA, where everyday we try to fatten our pockets. Us niggaz hustle for the cash so it's hard to knok it” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac states that the African American race needs to “hustle” for cash in order to get money in their pockets. “It's the, City of Angels and constant danger. South Central LA, can't get no stranger” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac describes how L.A, an icon for fame and wealth, is in constant danger and there is more poverty than what is shown. “Cause would it be LA without Mexicans? Black love brown pride and the sets again” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac is feeding on to the stereotypes that all Mexicans flee to L.A and that the “ghetto” is occupied by the blacks and Mexicans.  Tupac sings, “Livin life thug style--so I can't smile” (Lyrics Depot), makes the audience aware of how Tupac is incorporating the music to his life. When living “thug style” you need to make sure the image portrayed of you is as a harsh person with no emotion. “You've got to be there to know it” (Lyrics Depot). Tupac is saying that we have to actually be in the presence of all this in order to understand it. That is why throughout his music he tries to engage the audience with what they do not know.  “Live by the gun. Die by the gun”.The quote (as shown in the picture above), combines all of what Tupac states in his music. When living in a dangerous enviorment you need to always be protected and prepare for violence (having a gun). However, if you are living with the violence and you are going to die because of the violence. This held true for Tupac. Tupac was shot dead while riding in a passenger seat in a vehicle. Till this day, his murder remains unsolved.


 *  Bibliography **

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Tupac Shakur Lyrics". Changes. October 15, 2009 <http://www.lyricsdepot.com/tupac-shakur/changes.html>. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Tupac Shakur Lyrics". To Live and Die in L.A. October 15, 2009 <http://www.lyricsdepot.com/tupac-shakur/to-live-and-die-in-l-a.html>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">First Picture · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Brave New Wave". WordPress. October 15, 2009 <http://www.bravenewwave.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/2pac.jpg>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Second Picture · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"2Pac Graffiti". WordPress. October 15, 2009 <www.2pac-online.20m.com/images/2pac_-_graftit.jpg>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Third Picture · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Tupac Shakur RIP". Dr.Jays Inc. October 15, 2009 <http://live.drjays.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/tupac-shakur-wallpaper-6.jpg>.