Black Panther Movement:

Before we talk about Tupac and the lasting impact that he has had, we have to first touch on what impacted and influenced him. In growing up under a mother who was heavily involved in the Black Panther movement, one must have to understand how this weighed on the development of Tupac and how he saw the world. The Black Panthers was an organization formed by the black community in wake of the civil rights movement (Phu).  This organization was driven to erase the affect of the drug infestation and  empower the black community by engaging in before and after school programs for the children, teaching them about drug abuse and the importance of education. They also provided adult educational courses, food drive give away, and establishment of a safe community environment. Their creation came from the post civil rights movement in wake of the black community still suffering from police brutality and a capitalist government that was derived on racism and segregation of people of color, so in turn the Black Panthers targeted their black youth and stressed the importance of school and black excellence in the belief that blacks are kings and queens and that they should be proud to be in their skin no matter what. They failed to receive the adequate funding to be able to continuously provide this resource and often times reverted to violence out of frustration with the atmosphere of the country at the time. The Black Panthers aimed to create a positive stigma of the black community and the individuals within it. But in turn it did the very opposite, due to some radical groups that “protected” neighborhoods with firearms and got into shoot outs with he police, the Black Panther Movement eventually became targeted by the government as terrorist organization and was slowly shut down (Phu).  This gives background context on to who Afeni Shakur (Tupac’s Mother) was associated with and also provided insight into the revolutionary and advocating tone that Tupac has.

Impact:

His thoughtful lyrics and exemplary work ethics is a source of motivation for youths striving towards self-development and self-actualization even without any formal education. The results continue to manifest in the tremendous success witnessed in the Hip Hop entertainment industry. Following in his blueprints, the Hip Hop community has proven to the rest of the world that the education of self/life is the most important education and that success can be achieved even without formal schooling. A living proof is the Business Man and Rapper, Jay-Z. This lesson is now resonating with big corporations like Google who have removed academic qualifications as a barrier to giving employment.

The message of “Dear Mama” had a wealth of impact, and by this I mean it had a grave impact on the generation at the time but, it also stretched and touched the minds and hearts of the many generations of children that were to come. Tupac created the song’s significance on the sampling of the generation above him and its new modernized flow and lyrics which really allowed for Tupac to reach his wide and diverse audience of the time. Tupac was essentially a visionary in the fact that the lyrics that he promoted in his songs came to fruition years later, down the road, after his death. Dear Mama was only one of many influential works that he completed. Tupac’s influence is still prevelant till this day, we see it through the lyrical testimony of today’s great rappers. One example is of, J. Cole, a famous activist rap artist who started his career off by telling adolescent stories of his childhood and eventually turned into an activist similar to 2pac.  J.Cole wrote in one of his songs, “Tupac was like Jesus, and Nas wrote the bible.”, this was his way of giving credit and glorifying Tupac for his contribution and revolutionary work ethic that changed the rap game and utimately his life.  Another great example to show Tupac’s impact is the 2012 Cochella concert where they dipicted a Tupac performance by way of a hologram. It was the first and only performance done by a dead rapper by way of a hologram.

Tupac wanted to change for the better, “We all come to a point when we become conscious of our environment and take steps on how to relate with it, Tupac moved for positive change.”

“Just cause you live in the ghetto doesn’t mean you can’t grow.” – Tupac Shakur.  Which can impact a lot of young kids who hears these words coming from a man that has been through many struggles in his life yet he still persevered in the face of adversity.