Black History Month Spotlight: Tupac Shakur

The month of February marks an annual celebration of Black History Month. During this time we observe and reflect upon the remarkable achievements of our Black leaders, the civil rights movement, and learn about the many sacrifices and actions that they have taken to fight for our freedom. It is a time to rejoice, bond together, and learn about the power and strength that was encapsulated in their voices and messages. In this article, I write about none other than Tupac Shakur, one of the most influential rappers and writers that this generation has seen who even after his passing has inspired millions around the world to be the spark for change rather than to wait for it. He is everything that a leader possesses and has had an everlasting impact on the Black community whether it be through his music or his efforts as an activist. So let's get to it!

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16th, 1971 in East Harlem, New York. From his childhood upbringing, Tupac was surrounded by members of his family who were affiliated with the Black Panther Party, including his mother Afeni Shakur and father Mutulu Shakur. Later on in his life, he and his family would move to Baltimore, Maryland where he would attend the Baltimore School for the Arts. That along with being around revolutionary movements gave Tupac the inspiration to write, make music, and become an activist later in his life. 

Of course we all know what Tupac was able to accomplish during his career as a rapper, becoming one of the most acclaimed artists of all-time with over 75 million records sold from his 11 platinum-selling albums. But there was more to his music that made Tupac such a revered figure to the Black community. Tupac’s music resembled the people and highlighted the conditions that much of the Black community was dealing with during that time. His many songs talk about violence, discrimination, drugs, and poverty. What he was talking about in his music was very rare for an artist to be so open about in his/her music at the time and that was what won him over to fans, his ability to express his vulnerability as a young Black individual in America made him a touchstone in the lives of African Americans and Black population. 

One of the defining characteristics of Tupac was his voice. His time writing poetry, acting, and being infused in the world of art made him utilize his voice to his advantage. Tupac used his inspiration from powerful Black leaders such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. to further emphasize his messages in his songs. It made him sound bigger than life and made people listen to what he had to say, the weight and feel that he carried in his lyrics was simply unmatched. Coupled with his masterful storytelling techniques, Tupac was able to reach out to his audience and inspire change amongst his listeners and the world abroad.

He used the power that was instilled in his voice to bring awareness to social justice for Black people. He was able to share his views on the issues that Black people have and still go through to this day. His song “Violent” highlights this greatly. This track is famous for having some of Tupac’s most brutally honest views on police brutality in America as shown in this excerpt:

“If this is violence, then violent’s what I gotta be

If you investigate you’ll find out where it’s comin’ from

Look through our history, America’s the violent one.” 

His powerful lyrics can be used as motivation for activist groups and organizations to demonstrate and fight for basic civil rights. The Black Lives Matter protests that went on during the August of last year in response to police officer Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd goes on to show just how much Tupac’s words have influenced generations to fight for what was right moving forward.

Tupac Shakur was also an avid activist in his community. He wasn’t afraid to back down from his morals and would act alongside his peers to bring light to what was going on around him and the rest of the Black community at the time. What Tupac represented in the eyes of many was the conflicting nature of a Black man and he brought forward his passion to fight against and break down these barriers so that the communities around him could live a life of peace that he envisioned them having. His sense of urgency meant that he was constantly working alongs rival gangs and criminals of the system to promote peace and unity within the community and it has had a long-lasting impact on society and how he is viewed to this day. I think this quote from Tupac during one of his interviews sums up his character really well, 

“I’m not saying I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.”

Tupac Shakur’s legacy continues to live on to this day. His impact has been felt deeply in the land of hip-hop with a large number of rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg taking inspiration from him and continuing to strive for what Tupac had envisioned during his short but meaningful time here. The ongoing fight to combat social injustice amongst people of colour today can be traced back to Tupac’s actions and has greatly influenced the motives of many social justice movements that we know about to this day such as Black Lives Matter for example. Tupac Shakur was a Black leader who lived his life with a purpose; which was to challenge us to think outside of the box and be the spark to change rather than to sit back and wait for it to happen.