...Tupac Shakur was a rapper from California, known for his socially-conscious songs that concern violence, racism, and hardship. Outside of the booth, the rapper was characterized for his vocalness on those issues, as well as his personal conflicts with other artists. While Tupac Shakur is most notably known as a rapper, his poetry is also critically acclaimed. “The Rose That Grew from Concrete”, from his 1999 posthumous book of the same name, is his most widely known poem. In the poem, Shakur describes a rose growing from a block of concrete, despite the odds against it. In the end, he praises the rose as an entity of its own. However, when reading this poem, a question comes to mind: is it a short, clever story of an actual rose growing from concrete, or a symbolic representation of Shakur himself? When reading into it further, it seems to be the latter. The opening lines read, “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?” (1-2) The rose that Shakur alludes to is meant to represent himself. This is something that could be assumed easily, but what is the crack in the concrete? This question could be a lot more complicated for someone who does not know much about Shakur. The crack in the concrete is a metaphor for Shakur's background: the projects. The crack in the concrete is representative of the streets he grew up in, from Harlem, NY to Baltimore, MD and eventually to Marin City, CA. Cities riddled with gun violence, gangs, and drugs during his time....
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...form of music that society would not necessarily approve of. Tupac Shakur was one of the most popular and astounding figures of the rap industry, even today. Although he was a notorious artist for his gang and drug affiliations, he also had an inner beauty that any aspiring rapper would wish to one day achieve. Through personal experience he developed a kind of intelligence that could not be taught by any book. Tupac would demonstrate this wisdom in countless songs based on controversial issues of the time period which gave his music an interesting twist to the already reputable beat. If it was not for the blatant gangster lifestyle Tupac lived, he would be more appreciated for his admirable personality. Tupac was the kind of person to showed respect to everyone and had solid morals that he would try to teach to others, mostly through songs and poems. Tupac Amaur Shakur is a legendary figure because of his amazing talent, his greatly admired personality, and the unbelievable wisdom that he would preach to everybody. One of the reasons rap is abhorrent by many people is because of the vulgarity that it brings. However rapping is actually a complicated and artistic process that is truly undermined by society. And the reason Tupac’s music demonstrates superiority compared to other rap songs is because deep within his lyrics lies a message that everyone can learn from. Tupac was able to turn a mere rap song into a poem with a beat. It was truly remarkable...
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...Hip-Hop is a cultural movement that was formed during the 1970’s among African American youths residing in the South Bronx in New York City. Hip-hop is characterized by four distinct elements, all of which represent the different manifestation of the culture; oral, aural, physical and visual. The term is often used in a restrictive fashion as synonymous only with the oral practice of rap music. The origin of the hip-hop cultures stems from the block parties of the Ghetto brothers, when they plugged the amps for their instruments and speakers into the lampposts on 163rd street and Prospect Avenue; and used music to break down racial barriers. Since 1970’s hip hop has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the world. Hip-hop music first emerged when contemporary disc jockeys and imitators creating rhythmic beats by emphasizing a percussive pattern. It was later accompanied by a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry often presented in 16-bar measures or time frames, and beat boxing, a vocal technique mainly used to provide percussive elements of music and various technical effects of hip hop DJs. In the early days of Hip hop young partygoers initially recited popular phrases and used the slang of the day. It was fashionably for DJ to acknowledge people who were in attendance at a party. Early raps featured someone shouting over instrumental break, which would usually evoke a response from the crowd. Rap caught on because it offered young urban New Yorkers...
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...“I'm not saying i'm gonna change the world,but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world”. - Tupac Shakur I would say that a modern day person in my eyes is Tupac Shakur, reason being Tupac's lifestyle as a young boy and even growing wasn't easy, he faced many obstacles as a child, and without any real guidance, learned the hard way about life from the streets. I admire Tupac not only for the messages he put into his music but also because instead of him just sitting on the sidelines, he stood up as a single voice and started speaking on things that were happening around him, from things happening in his own neighborhood, to the things happening around the country. Despite, people trying to silence him he still stood...
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...Tupac Shakur’s life I will be talking about Tupac’s life from birth to death. Tupac son of Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland was born on june 16 , 1971. Tupac is not his birth name though his birth name is Lesane Parish Crooks.He then changed his name after joining the Black Panther Party he changed it to Tupac Amaru Shakur. He grew up in East Harlem New York later moving to California. Tupac’s mom and dad were both in the Black Panther Party. When Tupac first started his career he wasn't alone he was a backup dancer and rapper for a group called Digital Underground. A few years later he started his solo career with his first album “2pacalypse now”. Tupac was very into Shakespeare and Machiavelli. In high school he attended Tamalpais and took...
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...It was September 7 of 1996 and the famous rapper Tupac Shakur attended to his friends match Mike Tyson in Las Vegas Nevada. After the match, one of Tupac partners spotted a Crip member of California that 1994 shot and robbed Tupac. After the indecent Tupac went to his box and friend Knight to a club name 662 and when they finish they went to their cars and about 11-15 pm, while they stopped at a red light at the intersection of Flamingo road and Koval in front of the Maxim Hotel and a white, four-door, late model Cadillac with an unknown number of occupants pulled up to the sedans and rolled down a window and rapidly fire gunshots at Shakur. He was hit in the chest, pelvis, right hand and thigh and one of the rounds went into Shakur’s right lung and left testicle. While in the critical care unit, on the afternoon of Friday, September 13, 1996, Shakur died of internal bleeding; doctors attempted to revive him but could not stop the hemorrhaging in addition his mother, made the decision to tell the doctors to stop. He was pronounced dead at 4:03 pm. The...
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...The bronze Tupac Shakur statue is a life size statue. It stands on a big granite rock in the middle of a water fountain shaped like a cross. It was unveiled the year 2005, on the 9th anniversary of the deadly shooting. It used to be the centerpiece of the Peace Garden at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, which used to ran by Tupac’s mother. In the statue he is shown wearing a suit with a cross while carrying the bible. On the pedestal it quotes Tupac “I guarantee that i will spark the brain that will change the world.” Some People say him wearing the cross and carrying the bible is a bit to much. There are many theories to who killed Tupac Shakur, some even believe that he is still alive like Elvis Presley, and that he is waiting for the perfect moment to enter the spotlight again. If this is true they say that the Tupac Statue would e a good place to find him, since he would most likely stop by and check on it once in awhile....
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...The nature of Tupac’s assertion of the role of youth in impacting maximum change in this country depicts a correlation amongst maximum impact of change and age. Tupac’s assertion articulates the sociopolitical change ignited by lyrics in relation to the passion associated with youth in Hip Hop. The risk associated with the ignition of sociopolitical change is one that black youth in Hip Hop should take. Tupac’s assertion of the role of youth in impacting maximum change in this country is invalid. The ignition of sociopolitical change is independent of age. The correlation depicted by Tupac’s assertion is invalidated when determining the age of Hip Hop artists associated with sociopolitical change. At the age of 29, Kendrick Lamar exhibits the strength required to initiate change. In “The Blacker The Berry” from his album titled To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar states, “You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture” and “This plot is bigger than me, it’s generational hatred”. In “Freedom” from the album Lemonade by Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar states, “Stole from me, lied to me, nation hypocrisy”. At the age of 35, Beyonce exhibits the strength required to initiate change. At the 2016 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Beyonce referenced the Black Panthers (Elgot, “Beyoncé Williams 2 Unleashes Black Panthers Homage at Super Bowl 50”), “. Her reference to the Black Panthers established a political statement demonstrating change in America. At the age of 46, Jay Z has established...
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...Born June 16 1971, Tupac Amaru Shakur, better known by his stage name 2Pac, was an American hip-hop artist. Selling over 75 million records, receiving six Grammy nominations, winning the American music award and two Soul Train awards just to name a few. These musical recognitions makes Tupac a hip-hop legend and a creditable actor. Beyond his personal accolades, he was a social activist and used his voice to discuss a wide range of issues including growing up in the ghetto, black on black violence and police brutality. Tupac’s music continues to have an enormous influence on today’s artist and their content, as we are still encountering the issues today that he spoke on in 1993. His humble beginnings and rise to stardom has led 2pac to become the voice of the disenfranchised....
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...Introduction + Tone/Meaning The song, written by rapper Tupac Shakur, Keep Ya Head is a song dedicated to black woman. It's a self-love feminist anthem, that showed that Tupac care about the woman in his community. The message of the song is conveyed clearly and concisely, and although it uses similes, metaphors, symbolism, and other literary devices to get the point across, the message is very clear. The song is very upbeat and positive, like it is a song to uplift people, particularly the black woman. It meant to say, life is gonna get better, and no matter what happens you just gotta keep your head up. Song Interpretation The first verse tackles the abuse black woman face from black men, questioning their actions. For example, he says, in the song, “I wonder why we take from our women, Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?, think it’s time to kill for our women, Time to heal our women, be real to our...
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...Tupac Tupac wanted to be more than just a rapper in the eyes of the crowd that so proudly gathered to hear him out. He wanted to be a voice in the midst of suffering, to inspire those who came from the streets where poverty reeks. Tupac was a prosperous actor, a man of tranquility, a man so beautiful he’d make you want to come through the screen and listen to him by any means as he shares with you his every dream. His eyes glowing with every word of sincerity, as he talks about unity between every community. He made you want to love him like your twin. He dared you to find the lies, to prove he’s crazy from within. Tupac wrote a poem named “The rose that grew from the concrete” “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong it Learned to walk without having feet Funny it seems, but by keeping it’s dreams, It learned to breathe fresh air Long live that rose that grew from concrete When no one else ever cared” Tupac represents the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete. He wrote this poem about life and being raised in a place where no one expected you to succeed in life. Tupac promted freedom, but he believed that Freedom wouldn’t come without a sacrifice, a sacrifice to be willing to risk everything for the greater purpose. One person willing to get beat, so others could eat, one person willing to die, so others could get by. Tupac thought of himself be like the man Job, in the book of the bible...
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...death of Lesane Parish Crooks, better known as Tupac Amaru Shakur, that the image of rap music changed. He was considered to be one of the most iconic people to hail from the streets that had a profound impact on hip hop music. The legacy after his death, he was no longer looked at as a stereotype, but now as an iconic figure. He was the very image of one of his famous poems “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”. “Long live the rose that grew from concrete / When no one else even cared…” (7-8). Tupac was the beautiful delicate rose that was held beneath the surface trying to fight his way through the opposition against him. The concrete was his surroundings. A gang infested, drug infested, crime ridden neighborhood. He was also a child of a Black Panther who went to jail and was on drugs. Tupac lived his whole life in...
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...In High school I hated reading and writing with a passion, I struggled with reading I would see words and have to sound them out and either the teacher or students would make fun of me because I didn’t know it which made me embarrassed so that made me not pick up books and read which I think I hurt myself in the long run, when I had to write a paper I would never do it because I didn’t know how to start or how to punctate correctly to be honest I still struggle with that today but I’m proud of myself instead of not doing it I try now. When I first stated Academic Literacy I felt stupid I was telling myself you should know this stuff you shouldn’t have to take a buildup class for English I I kept asking myself what’s wrong with you, I had to realize there’s nothing wrong it’s okay to get help in something this is preparing me for what’s to come and the fact I had a Professor who was really cool and she was always willing to help me and never turned me down no matter how simple the question could have been, she was the first person to tell me I was a good writer which was so shocking that made me feel great about myself like wow I can really do this. My reading has improved tremendously I’m willing to pick up books and read again rather it’s my school textbooks or books in the library even though I hated the first book we had to read which I think was the hardest I’m thankful we had to read it and take notes. I challenged myself and I’m made it through. When we started reading...
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...Tupac’s Mysterious Killer Did you know Tupac Shakur? Or heard of him? Well he was a legendary hip-hop/rap artist that was killed at age 25. It has been 20 years since Tupac was killed and authorities are still trying to figure out who shot and killed Tupac. Although most believe Tupac Shakur was gunned down by gang members that he may of taunted, Some research has moved us more towards those in the music business, Presenting that Tupac’s violence and decision could have caused 3 different people to come for revenge. But due to many theories, the death of one suspect not long after tupac’s, and information about one of the suspects being in the same car with Tupac during the shooting. One of the prime suspects was Christopher George Latore...
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...Ricardo Moss Eng. 113-A Ms. Jennings Tupac Shakur, the Rose That Was “The Rose That Grew from Concrete,” a poem by the late Tupac Shakur, is a poem that parallels Tupac’s life from early childhood until his death and beyond. The concrete representing the struggles and hardships that were a part of Tupac’s earlier days. The rose represents Tupac and his determination to make something of himself against all odds. Tupac Shakur, born Lesane Parrish Crooks on June 16, 1971, spent the majority of his youth in New York City where he was born. In Tupac’s poem the concrete symbolizes his early childhood and the struggles that were a part of growing up. Tupac’s father was absent for most of his life, according to the (urbandictionary.com). Tupac did not meet his biological father, Billy (William) Garland, until after he was shot five times on November 30, 1994, in New York City. Tupac would eventually incorporate the “thug life” persona in his life which would lead Tupac on a downward spiral of misfortunes. Mikal Gilmore, in Rolling Stones article characterizes Tupac as “perhaps the most despised man in America.” Gilmore goes on to describe the late rapper’s music as being merciless and condemned by some of Americas most powerful people (Glimore102-104). Tupac would eventually end up in jail for sexual assault which would not be his last brush with the law. Between Tupac’s vision of what the concrete symbolizes and what was instilled in him from a mother and step father that...
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