Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur’s Battle Cry to America
Ron Shelden
20th Century African-American History
Tupac Shakur’s Battle Cry to America Tupac Amaru was an eighteenth century Peruvian rebel leader who, although unsuccessful in profoundly altering society during his lifetime, became a symbol for independence and human rights for his people. Two-hundred years later a second great Tupac Amaru is destined for the same fate. Tupac Amaru Shakur was a revolutionary American rapper who used his art to speak and reveal the truth to the public as well as to corporate, government and judicial powers. Tupac’s rags-to-riches story and his constant attention to and actions to improve the ills of the ghettos and black communities represents themes such as agency in the midst of oppression, African-American culture influencing mainstream culture, as well as sankofa. He was a controversial public figure who, although his heart was in the right place, often did not go about dealing with the societal issues which most concerned him in the best way. At age ten, when asked by a minister what he would like to be when he grows up, he responds, “A revolutionary” (McQuillar and Johnson, 39). He truly was. At age twenty, he says during an interview that his lyrics are his battle cry to America (Tupac: Resurrection). They truly were. Tupac Shakur was born into a life of poverty and hardship to a very involved Black Panther mother and no solid father figure. He spent his childhood living in the ghettos of East Harlem and even when Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, became less involved with the movement it was still very difficult for the high-school dropout and ex-panther with a criminal record to find work to support herself and children. Afeni often did not have an apartment of her own and was forced to take her small family to
Ron Shelden
20th Century African-American History
Tupac Shakur’s Battle Cry to America Tupac Amaru was an eighteenth century Peruvian rebel leader who, although unsuccessful in profoundly altering society during his lifetime, became a symbol for independence and human rights for his people. Two-hundred years later a second great Tupac Amaru is destined for the same fate. Tupac Amaru Shakur was a revolutionary American rapper who used his art to speak and reveal the truth to the public as well as to corporate, government and judicial powers. Tupac’s rags-to-riches story and his constant attention to and actions to improve the ills of the ghettos and black communities represents themes such as agency in the midst of oppression, African-American culture influencing mainstream culture, as well as sankofa. He was a controversial public figure who, although his heart was in the right place, often did not go about dealing with the societal issues which most concerned him in the best way. At age ten, when asked by a minister what he would like to be when he grows up, he responds, “A revolutionary” (McQuillar and Johnson, 39). He truly was. At age twenty, he says during an interview that his lyrics are his battle cry to America (Tupac: Resurrection). They truly were. Tupac Shakur was born into a life of poverty and hardship to a very involved Black Panther mother and no solid father figure. He spent his childhood living in the ghettos of East Harlem and even when Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, became less involved with the movement it was still very difficult for the high-school dropout and ex-panther with a criminal record to find work to support herself and children. Afeni often did not have an apartment of her own and was forced to take her small family to
Cited: Danyel Smith. “Home at Last.” Vibe Nov. 1996: 82. Roger. Web. 28 July 2010. McQuillar, Tayannah Lee, and Freddie Lee Johnson. Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2010. Print. Menon, Mrinal. “Monster to Martyr: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur.” 7 March 2006. Tupac: Resurrection. Dir. Lauren Lazin. Interscope Records, 2003. DVD. "Tupac Shakur: Ready to Die." Vibe Nov. 1996: 78-81. Roger. Web. 28 July 2010.