An Analysis of Dear Mama by Tupac Shakur - Research Paper Example

An analysis of Dear Mama by Tupac Shakur Richard Lowy locates the resurgent racist culture of the failure of America to deal with the racism of the 1960s. This led to a new brand of racism in the eighties, “yuppie racism”, which was the racism that was perpetrated by people who were from the upper strata of the society owing to the fact that they were employed in lucrative professions; their mentality, however, remained racist since they were born in an period that failed to inculcate the values of racial equality. By the time these children became adults, their racist mentalities had become more widespread. This, Lowy says is one of the reasons that led to the resurgence of racism in the eighties (Lowy, 449). The resistances that took place in the eighties must be seen in this background. Many movements like the Black Panthers Party had recognized the rise of racism in American society during the seventies but could not do much during the eighties when it was finally dissolved. Afeni Shakur was a part of this party. People who were born into the eighties were thus born into an environment of hatred that Tupac speaks of in his song when he says, 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 (Shakur). In these lyrics, there is an understanding of the fact that the poverty and hardships that were faced were not a reflection merely of class but also of race. An understanding of the hardships that were faced by African Americans in the eighties is clearly outlined in these lines, when one takes the context of the song into account. A historical analysis of the song would thus, lead one to believe in the importance of the song that speaks of the poverty that people of a certain race had to suffer and the hardships that they had to undergo as a result of the discrimination that they had to face. The analysis of history would lead one to believe that the destructive potential that racism had in the United States of America was channelized into creating the songs that Tupac did. His songs were an exposition of the racist mentalities that were prevalent in the minds of people in the eighties. Tupac is aware of his personal position within the historical times that he was a part of. The personal dedication of the song to his mother is a proof of the fact that the song owes its existence to the personal experiences that Tupac went through as a child. The song incorporates the problems that the poverty of the African Americans could lead them to. Poverty in many cases also coincided with the use of drugs and other substances that were banned. Afeni Shakur was addicted to crack and this is referred to in Tupac’s song. When he says that despite the fact that his mother was a “crack fiend”, she “always was a black queen” (Shakur), he means to understand the troubles that she went through and also the paths that she took to avoid those troubles. The anger that Tupac feels towards the society for making him and his mother face hardships because of their skin color comes through in Dear Mama. The importance of this lies in the fact that current policy decisions may be able to gain from rap music like the one that Tupac produced. Writers like Ronald J. Stephens and Earl Wright II talk of the possibility of using songs such as Dear Mama as a “qualitative data source” (Stephens and Wright). The personal experiences of Tupac find mention in Dear Mama and these can be used to analyze the conditions that have shaped race relations in the America of today. The song also reveals the conditions of struggle that were to be endured by black women in urban areas of America during the eighties. In this song, Tupac talks of the problems that had to be faced by his mother as representative of the problems that Black women faced. Derek Iwamoto talks of the anger that Tupac felt towards the economic and social inequalities that were perpetrated in the ghettos of urban areas (Iwamoto, 45-7). 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 (Shakur). The contributions of his mother to making his life better through a struggle that many black women went through during the eighties is paid tribute to by Tupac in these lines. It is the excess of hardship that produced in Tupac the understanding of the social situation of women of his race and class belonging. Iwamoto also points out the illusion of the lazy black woman who benefited from welfare projects of the government, which was held by the white populace of America. Iwamoto sees in Dear Mama an attempt to debunk such myths by pointing out how much black women had to work in order to fend for themselves and their children (Iwamoto, 47). A personal analysis of the works of Tupac shall lead us to understand the specific conditions of his childhood that led to his transformation into an artist who was able to create a form of music that was able to articulate the experiences of the marginalized races of the United States of America. The personal becomes representative of the political and the historical and this is why a watertight compartmentalization of the critiques that are applied to the songs of Tupac Shakur is impossible. While analyzing a song like Dear Mama, the personal aspects of analysis assumes special importance as the song is a very personal one that is dedicated to Tupac’s own mother, Afeni Shakur. 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 (Shakur). These reminiscences of Tupac forms a large part of the song and it is a testimony to the hardships that black women, often single mothers, had to face at the hands of a society that gave the “scraps” (Shakur) that it gave grudgingly. Tupac does not subscribe to traditional notions of the caring sacrificing mother to give a shape to his song. Whatever his mother as a black woman did for him is built up as a characteristic of a black woman rather than through the ideas of a woman that are based on white worldviews. The song Dear Mama talks of the discriminatory attitudes that were a part of the America of the 1980s. The intense discrimination that was a part of this period finds mention in Dear Mama. It includes a discussion of the ways in which race was a factor in social relations, drawing upon the personal experiences of Tupac and his mother. Works Cited Iwamoto, Derek. “Tupac Shakur: Understanding the Identity formation of Hyper-Masculinity of a popular Hip-Hop Artist”. The Black Scholar, Vol. 33, No. 2. pp 45-7 Lowy, Richard. “Yuppie Racism: Race Relations in the 1980s”. Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Jun., 1991). pp 449 Shakur, Tupac. “Dear Mama”. 2Pac Lyrics. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/2pac/dearmama.html Accessed on 16th January, 2012 Stephens, Ronald J., Wright II, Earl. “Beyond bitches, niggers, and ho’s: some suggestions for including rap music as a qualitative data source”. Race and Society. Vol. 3, No. 1. Read More