Tupac Shakur, also known as 2pac, was a rapper popular in the early to late 90s. He was more than just a name in hip-hop; he was a cultural icon whose lyrics resonated deeply with listeners worldwide. His lyrics were more than just catchy beats and hooks; they told real stories. He talked about his struggles of being black in America, and he frequently talked about growing up around violence. 

In another song, “Keep Ya Head Up” Tupac focuses on black womanhood, referencing Latasha Harlins directly. Harlins, a 15-year-old, was shot by a Korean shopkeeper in 1991. Harlins was being accused of stealing and was shot despite the video of her killing showing her clearly waving over to the register holding money out. The shopkeeper grabbed her bag and Latasha fought back then turned to walk away. She was shot in the back of the head by a revolver, killing her instantly. 

In addition to the reference to Harlins, Tupac also argues, “And since we all came from a woman, Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman. I wonder why we take from our women. Why we rape our women, Do we hate our women?” Tupac suggests that black men want to be players and treat women with no respect. In countless videos women aren't portrayed in the best way; they are bashed, slandered, demeaned, and sexualized. Men seem to think they can take what they want, when they want from women, without a yes. Tupac acknowledges this isn’t right and questions why do we take from women when we come from them? Why do we treat them with such disrespect when women go through so much?

In Tupac’s song "Changes,” he talks about racism, police brutality, drugs, and gang violence saying, “I see no changes; all I see is racist faces. Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races.” Instead of focusing on our hatred towards the evil things in the world, Tupac suggests people are more focused on hating other races; in this world all people see is race. If you're black, you have this certain stereotype about you, and they hate you because of that. If you're Mexican, there's a stereotype about you, and they hate you because of that. Nothing will change if that's all people look at and see. 

Tupac also mentions that cops do not care about black people; if a cop killed a black person, he would be labeled as a hero. “Cops give a damn about a negro. Pull the trigger, kill a n-, he's a hero." There have been so many cases of cops killing a black men, both before and after Tupac for invalid reasons; they felt unsafe when the person had not done anything to cause such a reaction. Like it was out of Tupac's song, in 2016, 32-year-old African American man, Phliando Castile who was fatally shot during a traffic stop by a police officer. He was shot in front of his girlfriend and his daughter. Phliando had a registered firearm in his car, which he informed the officer of. Castile was shot five times while reaching for his wallet.

A final example of the importance of Tupac's lyrics is where he mentions Huey P. Newton. Huey P. Newton was a founder of the Black Panther Party who was shot dead by a drug dealer in Oakland in 1989. The reference to Huey Newton, is actually a reference to the Black Panther philosophy that we can stop things that have been happening from happening if we all just get together and act like a community. If we stop acting like the people around us are an enemy, if we stop falling for things that are planted in our neighborhoods like drugs, then we could make a change. Tupac sayd, "That's what Huey said. Two shots in the dark; now Huey's dead” showing how much work we still have to do.