An Obvious Choice
I watched Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel yesterday.
Oh. I am full of surprises, my friends.
Anyway, this particular documentary chronicles the life of rapper Tupac Shakur (duh) and his cultural impact on society. One of the interesting things about this particular documentary was that it featured clips from an interview with Shakur at the tender age of seventeen. This particular interview forces one to reevaluate the terms “gang banger,” “thug,” and mysogynist as they are applied to the rapper. Often, according to the perspective of these filmmakers, the lines between reality and representation become blurred. Even to those who are drawing them.
If you even remotely liked his music, I think you should watch it. Actually, even if you didn’t like his music, you should watch it.
Not just because I’m a fan, but because Tupac Shakur was a significant contributor to American culture as we have come to understand it in 2010. And, apparently, the Library of Congress think so as well, or, at least, someone who works there. On June 23, the National Recording Registry deemed his song “Dear Mama” as “culturally significant” along with several other recordings.
For those of you who have never heard “Dear Mama”… SERIOUSLY?! : (FB users, visit my blog for the video).
For those of you who are completely flabbergasted and appalled by Shakur’s inclusion in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, you should watch the following video where Michael Eric Dyson expounds on the theology of hip hop and Tupac’s role in its creation (FB readers you know what to do).
Go here if you can’t see the last video.
28 Responses to An Obvious Choice
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Oh dear, now that I’m a mama that video kind of got me choked up. I hope in twenty years I’m appreciated by my son as much (if not more) as I am now.
@Holly {ArtistMotherTeacher}, Me, too.
Dear Mama is one of my favorite Tupac songs, and that’s saying something because I am a HUGE fan.
It makes perfect sense to me that this would be deemed “culturally significant”. I haven’t watched the second video, but this song said a lot about a) the role of women and mothers in poor, black society and b) the relationship between those women and their children – especially their sons. It also, like many of his songs, gave a realistic view of the cycle of poverty, addiction and crime.
@Miss Britt, I know your time is valuable, so know that I don’t say this lightly, “You should totally watch that second video.” While your analysis is absolutely correct, Dyson takes the analysis in a completely unexpected direction and one that you and I have taken more than once in discussions together. But not about Tupac, about us. Kind of. Just watch it.
@Faiqa, it should tell you how much I value your opinion that I watched a damn commercial in order to watch this video.
Getting to hear that dude quote Tupac and Snoop made it totally worth it though. Heh.
You’re right, though, I hadn’t thought of this. And it WAS interesting.
I Believe that Tupac had a great impact on society, both good and bad. I believe my workplace gives me a view from an anthropologic side as to peoples responses to him. People who live in a bubble may never be able to see this.
@Becca, Very true, your perspective is unique. Furthermore, I agree that the impact was double edged. I think it has something to do with the commercialization of his work, though. His words were not reflective of a universal experience, but they were marketed as such and this is where the negative aspect came in. IMO.
Britt made me listen to that song. I just can’t stand the guy.
@Avitable, Even California Love? I mean, I know it’s not high art like, say, Ke$ha. But, California Love? Come on.
Just watched the second video. Interesting stuff. Although I never doubted his cultural significance I can’t say I’ve ever listen to an interview about him. Also? I just put the documentary in my Netflix queue. Thanks for the recommendation.
@Holly {ArtistMotherTeacher}, You’re welcome. A nice compliment to that documentary is “Crips and Bloods: Made in America.” It documents the history of gang violence in L.A. Also, both of these are available on the Netlix Instant Queue, so you can watch them on your laptop.
@Faiqa, Or computer, or whatever. )
Love Tupac.
@Sybil Law, Holla.
Great, let’s honor someone who promoted violence and was derogatory toward women. Our society is all kinds of messed up because of “artists” like Tupac.
@Elizabeth Kaylene, I know you feel this way, as I’ve read a previous post by you on the subject. First, I see your point. Second, though, I don’t think he’s being “honored.” He is being recognized and that’s distinctively different. Finally, I think the assessment that he promoted violence is unfair and inaccurate. (Respectfully disagreeing here, of course). Here’s the way I see it. Tupac’s lyrics did not promote but REFLECTED the conditions of his culture. I think it’s easy to say that he promoted violence if you don’t take into account that nearly 15,000 people had been murdered in Los Angeles due to gang wars prior to his death.
The violence was already there, Elizabeth, he just publicly spoke about it and acknowledged the sad reality that it was a cultural norm in his neighborhood. As far as his derogatory descriptions of women, this was once again REFLECTIVE of some of the experiences he had and was a commentary on the kind of thinking that arises from being raised in an environment which was unable to transmit healthy perceptions of masculinity. Like most people in his neighborhood (and surrounding areas), he grew up without his father. In fact, 70% of the children in this area of LA grow up that way. (Another statistic, one out of three men in the areas Tupac raps about will either end up dead or in jail). As a result, and Tupac certainly agreed, a generation of men were never taught what it means to be a “real” man. To them, manhood was violence and sexual promiscuity. Power was dominance and death.
The songs reflect this ethos, I think it’s inaccurate to say his intention was to promote this way of thinking. The fact is, that his words reflect a concrete reality that these particular Los Angelenos face every day. They, as much as anyone else, deserve a voice and representation in some form. They certainly were not getting it prior to Ice T, Ice Cube, Tupac and the like. Make no mistake, these individuals were not alone in promoting violence. To assume so ignores a long and brutal history that created their circumstances and it amounts to a great injustice, in my opinion.
All that said, and I mentioned this in a previous response, I DO think the commercialization of this music (which I consider in its purest form as art and poetry) is where the moral disconnect occurs. This music was glamorized by record labels for mass consumption (read: middle class white kids).
The people who bought these records missed the point entirely. They appropriated the glamor but didn’t recognize the pain. And, I think the same applies to those who would reject this body of work as being culturally significant, they reject the glamor and don’t recognize that it is the voice of despair, of suffering, systematic and concerted disenfranchisement and human turmoil.
At any rate, I do thank you for raising your voice (metaphorical), as your opinion is and always will be important to me.
@Faiqa, The other day, Mike and I were sitting outside having a cigarette and I told him about Tupac being recognized as being culturally significant and how I felt about it. He said all of the things that you said, which prompted me to stop being so close-minded and to actually listen to some of Tupac’s music.
I feel like a douche for what I said, because you were (both) right. I think the biggest reason why I didn’t get it was because I don’t listen to rap or hip hop because the only rap “music” I’d heard was the unartistic derogatory and negative crap. Somewhere along the line I head a couple of Tupac songs and mostly ignored them, because I thought it was all the same — which is incredibly close-minded of me, someone who likes to think she is open-minded.
I apologize for being so obstinate, but thank you for helping me open my eyes and for respecting my opinion at the same time. This is why I love talking with you!
I don’t think it’s a question of “honoring” or condoning violence or misogyny as much as acknowledging the voice and the words as, indeed, culturally significant and a depiction of a life that many of us choose not to acknowledge. I have lived too close to that life myself not to “get” and appreciate what he’s saying.
@Nanna, Umm, yeah, I should have just posted this in my last response. I have a thing with being too wordy. Obviously.
@Nanna, I’ve been close to that life, too, which is why I am so surprised I never really heard what he was saying. My eyes — and ears! — are open now, and I totally get why he is being recognized.
I don’t think it’s a question of “honoring” or condoning violence or misogyny as much as acknowledging the voice and the words as, indeed, culturally significant and a depiction of a life that many of us choose not to acknowledge. I have lived too close to that life myself not to “get” and appreciate what he’s saying.
@Nanna, So nice you said it twice! Did you resubmit or is my blog buggy?
@Faiqa, um. Perhaps I’m just retarded? *shrugs*
Sorry Faiqa. Do not want.
@RW, Well. I was going to write a blog post about slow drivers. Did you watch the Dyson video (the second link to the Washington Post interview) or not? I truly believe you would either (a) enjoy it (b) think he’s a moron. I am SO curios to know which one.
@Faiqa, I’m more a Ludacris fan. STAND UP! is great.
Never been into Tupac, and “Dear Mama” always screamed hypocrite to me. At least Biggie kept it real (and had better music).
Oh, oops. It was “Keep Your Head Up” that seemed totally hypocritical to me, not this. Glorifying and praising black women while he was accused of raping one.