Tupac Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in New York, New York. He was the son of a Black Panther activist, so he moved around a lot in his youth. In his younger years he explored acting and became a member of the 127th Street Ensemble, a theatre company based out of Harlem, New York. In his teens he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he truly became interested in dance and acting. In 1991 he emerged as a solo artist. He also appeared in the movie Poetic Justice (1993) alongside Janet Jackson. He instantly became very popular because certain people felt as if they could relate to his music. Others found it interesting to hear what he went through as a child and what he goes through on a daily basis.
Shakur rapped a lot about an early death and not making it to the next day. This is why he wrote "Dear Mama." He felt as though the next day was not promised to he wanted to let his mom know how he felt before he died. He served several jail sentences for various reasons in the 1990s. He was mugged in the lobby of a recording studio in 1994. He suffered five gunshot wounds but did survive. On September 7,1996 Shakur visited Las Vegas for a boxing match. He was shot while riding in a car with a friend. He was rushed to the hospital. He died six days later, September 13, due to the injuries he suffered from the shooting. His killer was never caught. After his death, many albums with records he recorded prior were released and made millions of dollars.
Dear Mama (1995)-Tupac Shakur
[Verse 1]
When I was young me and my mama had beef
Seventeen years old kicked out on the streets
Though back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face
Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place
Suspended from school; and scared to go home, I was a fool
with the big boys, breakin all the rules
I shed tears with my baby sister
Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids
And even though we had different daddy's, the same drama
When things went wrong we'd blame mama
I reminice on the stress I caused, it was hell
Huggin on my mama from a jail cell
And who'd think in elementary?
Heeey! I see the penitentiary, one day
And runnin from the police, that's right
Mama catch me, put a whoopin to my backside
And even as a crack fiend, mama
You always was a black queen, mama
I finally understand
for a woman it ain't easy tryin to raise a man
You always was committed
A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it
There's no way I can pay you back
But the plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
[Chorus]
Lady...
Don't cha know we love ya? Sweet lady
Dear mama
Place no one above ya, sweet lady
You are appreciated
Don't cha know we love ya?
[Verse 2]
Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair
No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't there
He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger
wouldn't let me feel for a stranger
They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along
I was lookin for a father he was gone
I hung around with the Thugs, and even though they sold drugs
They showed a young brother love
I moved out and started really hangin
I needed money of my own so I started slangin
I ain't guilty cause, even though I sell rocks
It feels good puttin money in your mailbox
I love payin rent when the rent's due
I hope ya got the diamond necklace that I sent to you
Cause when I was low you was there for me
And never left me alone because you cared for me
And I could see you comin home after work late
You're in the kitchen tryin to fix us a hot plate
Ya just workin with the scraps you was given
And mama made miracles every Thanksgivin
But now the road got rough, you're alone
You're tryin to raise two bad kids on your own
And there's no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
Pour out some liquor and I reminsce, cause through the drama
I can always depend on my mama
And when it seems that I'm hopeless
You say the words that can get me back in focus
When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there's no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me
And even though I act craaazy
I gotta thank the Lord that you made me
There are no words that can express how I feel
You never kept a secret, always stayed real
And I appreciate, how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night there's a brighter day
Everything will be alright if ya hold on
It's a struggle everyday, gotta roll on
And there's no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
[Chorus]
Lyric Analysis
The first verse of this song seems very symbolic to the artist. He talks about his young life living with his mother and how rough they had it. He talks a lot about the things he went through to get where he was, in such a bad place at times. He was in a lot of trouble in his younger years. He believes that he was always in trouble because his father was not in his life. He says "I finally understand, for a woman it ain't easy tryin to raise a man." This is him showing gratitude to his mother for doing what she did to raise him into the man he became. This starts out as if he is talking to his mother about his childhood and he wants to know how she made it raising himself and his sister. They obviously had a hard time with money and other things in their lives causing stress.
The chorus of this song is short, sweet, and to the point. It says things to let his mother know how grateful he is to have her. He talks about how no matter what he will always mean the more to her than anything else in the world by saying "Place no one above ya." You can tell just by listening to the chorus that his mother meant a lot to him. He felt as though even though they didn't have money she always knew how to make it by on what they did have. He really gives her the homage she deserves for doing such things.
The second verse of this song is kind of straight to the point. He still talks about how much he appreciates his mom. He also talks about how when his father passed away he didn't cry because he was a stranger to him and he was so mad about it that he couldn't have feelings or thoughts about the situation. He didn't have his father figure there so he considers him a coward. He is saying he wasn't man enough to stay and help raise what he created. This obviously had a large impact on his music and his life. He also talks about needing some guys to care for him so he hung around with thugs and guys that caused trouble. He started selling drugs because of the guys he was hanging around with and because he liked being able to pay the bills on time.
The last verse of this song is just him thinking back on everything his mother did for him. He talks about how no matter what his mother was always there for him. Even when he was sick she did everything to make him better and happy. Even though he had it rough coming up it made him the man he was and he is happy about that. Even though they struggled he appreciated every little thing his mom did. The things he says means yes, I did have it rough coming up but my mom was there and she did all she could for him and his sister. The main point of this song is to show gratitude and love to his mother. It shows that even though he was in trouble and it didn't seem like he cared what his mother did, he did care and appreciated it all.