For my primary source, I chose to analyze one of Tupac Amaru Shakur's most famous songs.
Still I Rise
Dear Lord
As we down here, struggle for as long as we know
In search of a paradise to touch (my nigga Johnny J)
Dreams are dreams, and reality seems to be the only place to go
The only place for us
I know, try to make the best of bad situations
Seems to be my life's story
Ain't no glory in pain, a soldier's story in vain
And can't nobody live this life for me
It's a ride y'all, a long hard ride
[2Pac]
Somebody break me I'm dreamin, I started as a seed the semen
Swimmin upstream, planted in the womb while screamin
on the top, was my pops, my momma screamin stop
From a single drop, this is what they got
Not to disrespect my peoples but my poppa was a loser
Only plan he had for momma was to fuck her and abuse her
Even as a little seed, I could see his plan for me
Stranded on welfare, another broken family
Now what was I to be, a product of this heated passion
Momma got pregnant, and poppa got a piece of ass
Look how it began, nobody gave a fuck about me
Pistol in my hand, this cruel world can do without me
How can I survive? Got me askin white Jesus
will a nigga live or die, cause the Lord can't see us
in the deep dark clouds of the projects, ain't no sunshine
No sunny days and we only play sometimes
When everybody's sleepin
I open my window jump to the streets and get to creepin
I can live or die, hope I get some money 'fore I'm gone
I'm only 19, I'm tryin to hustle on my own
on the spot where everybody and they pops tryin to slang rocks
I'd rather go to college, but this is where the game stops
Don't get it wrong cause it's always on, from dusk to dawn
You can buy rocks glocks or a herringbone
You can ask my man Ishmael Reed
Keep my nine heated all the time this is how we grind
Meet up at the cemetary then get smoked out, pass the weed nigga
That Hennessey'll keep me keyed nigga
Everywhere I go niggaz holla at me, "Keep it real G"
And my reply til they kill me
Act up if you feel me, I was born not to make it but I did
The tribulations of a ghetto kid, still I rise
[Ta'He]
Still I (still I) I rise (I rise)
Please give me to the sky (the sky)
And if (and if) I die (I die)
I don't want you to cry
[Yaki Khadafi]
I stay sharp as always
Runnin ya bricks with blitz, through ya project hallways
Dumpin crews like two's, nigga all day
Secrets of war prepare me for the worst
A life that's lavish full of cabbage or a life that's in a hearse
But now my dreams it seeems though, be placin triple beams and things bro
Diamond pinkie ring got the loot poppin out my jeans
[Napoleon]
Now I plan to keep my glock cocked
If trouble was searchin for me then why not?
Show em what I'm made of plus raised on, on my block
Chancellor Ave, where many turn to the street, thugs snatchin bags
We out for power, makin cash it wasn't fast it'll make me mad
I'm just like, pimpin
My homey on the corner with his gat tucked, in
Youngest they buckin somethin the life he leads
the life he don't need, don't we all know
He tryin to rise up and we just go doe, still he rise
[Young Noble]
Dreams of lost hope
I hit the strip broke where the fiends get coke
and still I rise now I float cowards ghost
Whenever we come around, I'm runnin down
clutchin a pound, live as sirens, duckin the sound
I used to hustle with my moms til the sun came
My homey Harm doin time from this drug game
Stolen cars, war scars, born a Outlaw
Behind bars, go to sleep just to see the stars
Freedom is ours, though we trapped on a firm block
Crackheads only ten learn to duck cops
[Khadafi]
In ninety-six my glock's my plastic, passion for blastin bastards
No faces for open caskets, peelin ya cap backwards
Ya cowards ain't prepared for pistol practice
I send my missiles through your mattress
Leavin holes in your body like a cactus
While me and my crew be boppin more greens than topic
and loot to keep the seams in my motherfuckin jeans poppin
Leavin ya spleen to pick up
Half of you niggaz is softer than a Snicker
Let's go to war and see who draw quicker
and still I rise, and still I rise...
[Ta'He]
Still I (still I) I rise (I rise)
Please give me to the sky (the sky)
And if (and if) I die (I die)
I don't want you to cry
Still I (still I) I rise (I rise)
Please give me to the sky (the sky)
And if (and if) I die (I die)
I don't want you to cry
[some little kid]
Y'all niggaz fake
All day everyday
So now I got roller blades, bitch
Thought you knew
Your mouth is rich
C'mon pops, let's go..
The Anlaysis of 'Still I Rise.'
The environment that Tupac Shakur grew up in typifies the life of many ghetto children in today's society. The definition for ghetto that I will use is an economically poor neighborhood with drug and crime rates that are higher than normal areas. In lines 1 through 4, Tupac describes his birth very vividly while using various detailed words. He says, "I started as a seed, the semen, swimmin' upstream, planted in the womb while screamin" In addition, Tupac points out that “on the top, was my pops, my momma screamin' stop." It indicates that his mom never meant to purposely give birth to him, but rather his father forced her to have sex. Then in the lines 5 through 12, he speaks out about his early beginnings and his theory for the absence of his father. He calls his father a 'loser' and his only plan for him and his mother was to have sex and use her. He even goes as far as labeling himself as a 'product' from his father and mother's œheated passion. These delicate lines help to further reveal his hurt as a youth and his bitterness of being a 'bastard child.' A 'bastard child'is a person who doesn't have a father. Most children have both of their parents while growing up, but Tupac didn't have that. He needed an influence that was strongly connected to him, but it was obvious that his father never was there for him when he needed him most. Sometimes this type of situation can be traumatic for young children who grow up without fathers, but Tupac rose above it and became successful without his help. Many of today's youth who are immersed in the hip-hop culture can relate to this same scenario. The 'ghetto life' is portrayed in a great portion of rap songs today and it is because many of the rap artists choose to speak about their early upbringings. Tupac also talks about poverty and being stranded on welfare in line 8. He says it helped to create yet another broken family because his father wasn't there to help support him, his sister, or mother financially. With all of these early childhood problems, Tupac seemed destined to become another African American in the ghetto living in poverty on welfare, but he was different.
Tupac Shakur was a person who didn't care who he offended and he never held back anything that he wanted to say. Even if the issues were controversial, he would still talk about them without hesitation. He gave eager listeners a taste of his lifestyle and his neighborhood, a sampling that many of his followers had never even seen or heard of before but still chose to believe it. His mother was a Black Panther and he held the same type of black-consciousness about white people and society. An example would be in lines 13 and 14 where he says, “How can I survive? Got me askin' white Jesus will a nigga live or die, cause the Lord can't see us in the deep dark clouds of the projects." Tupac was religious, but it was just the fact that everything powerful was 'white.' He didn't like that and he was a strong supporter of the rise of African Americans. Since he's from the ghetto, he was mainly around African Americans all of his life and they were all poor. All of the people who had money, power, and were controlling things were 'white' people. That's why he sounds upset in lines 13 and 14 because he doesn't like being in the down-one position.
In the ghetto, there are numerous illegal activities that occur everyday such as drug trafficking and crime. The occurrence of these events are much higher in number than anywhere else in the country. Along with Tupac's family problems, he also had to survive in this type of environment as well. The ghetto is a dark and dangerous place as one can tell from line 16 where it says, “No sunny days and we only play sometimes." Obviously it was not a place that would be good for bringing up children. Also, in lines 16 to 24 he talks about his teenage years and how he was struggling to make it on his own and earn money. He says in lines 19 and 20, “I can live or die, hope I get some money before I'm gone, I'm only 19, I'm trying to hustle on my own." Many people in the ghetto choose to be independent instead of in groups because it gives them a sense of pride if they get things done on their own. In line 22 Tupac says, “I'd rather go to college, but this is where the game stops." Here the inferred message is that there is no way to go to college and move out of the ghetto because the people there aren't educated enough and it is too expensive. Also, one can perceive from these lines that Tupac did not attend school as often as he should have because he was always out on the streets trying to make some extra cash. Though education was important (like everywhere else), it was certainly not as important as making money; it was all about survival. In line 24, Tupac talks of how some of the activities that people in his neighborhood participate in are selling “rocks, glocks (guns), and herringbone." The work was easy, it made a good amount of money, and the conditions to sell the products were prime. By reading lines 18,21, and 23, you can tell that illegal activity was going on at all times during the day too. He says, "I open my window to jump to the streets and get to creepin'on the spot where everybody and they pops tryin to slang rocks, don't get it wrong cause it's always on, from dusk to dawn." Everyone was out to make the best situation for themselves and move out of the ghetto, regardless of whether or not it created a worse situation for others. Nowadays, they say in order to make it out of the ghetto, you either have to “slang rock or have a wicked jump shot."
When looking at Tupac Shakur's life through his lyrics, there are definite signs of frustration and anger being shown towards society. It may be because of the environment that he lived in or because of his rough childhood. His environment was not the safest of places to live in with the high crime rates and poverty stricken people. There was always fierce competition in the ghetto to become successful and everybody was always out to get their own. If someone would climb the ladder (become successful), others would try to tear them back down by doing scandalous activity. Also, growing up without having a father as a role model to look up to and ask for advice, Tupac was often alone by himself trying to make it in the streets. He turned to selling drugs for money because that's what everyone else was doing around him. He also had to carry weapons around all the time to keep himself safe. In line 26 and 30, he talks about weapons and getting killed says, “Keep my nine (gun) heated all the time this is how we grind, and my reply til they kill me." School and education was secondary to money for people in the ghetto. And he didn't want to deal with the stress from reality as he frequently smoked and drank alcohol (from lines 27 and 28) like many other people living in the ghetto who had problems. The section from the song “Still I Rise" helps to shed light on some of the reasons why hip-hop is the way it is. Hip-hop music, or rap music, was created as a form of rebellion. And rebellion is a trademark for people in the ghetto because they never like to follow the rules of the greater society. Usually they're poor and less educated than the general public and often result in physical violence and other forms of rebellion. These lyrics also allow a person to see how people in extremely tough situations can actually make it in their lives and eventually become successful, as it all depends how determined you are. Tupac Amaru Shakur made it, and he made it by being himself and hustling his way to the top like many other people in the ghetto.
