I just had the opportunity
to watch an amazing docuseries about the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur and Afeni
Shakur—Tupac’s mother titled Dear Mama. Dear Mama was directed by Allen Hughes who
also directed the cult classic film, Menace II Society (Tupac was originally
supposed to play the character Shariff). I love documentaries, docuseries, biographies
and the like about musicians. That said,
I have watched many interviews, documentaries, movies, etc. regarding the life
and legacy of Tupac Shakur. One thing I learned
from watching Dear Mama is that you cannot speak of Tupac’s legacy
without first speaking about his mother, Afeni Shakur. Their lives are inextricably tied together. Dear Mama did an amazing job crystalizing
this relationship—the good and the bad elements.
I do not want to spoil the
surprise for you if you have not watched Dear Mama. But, after sitting through over five hours of
interviews, footage from shows, and the like, I have had time to think about my
key takeaways from Dear Mama. Because
Tupac and Afeni lived incredible, yet troubled lives, there was much to cover. But for the sake of brevity, I narrowed my
takeaways to five (but this could have easily been ten).
1. Tupac was very young when he passed away.
When you think about what Tupac
accomplished, it is difficult to fully appreciate that he did it all by the
time he was only 25 years old. When you
really dive into the details a bit more, Tupac did not come onto the national scene
in a meaningful way until he was about 20 years old. That means that his music (excluding posthumous
releases, which is a massive body of work) happened during this abbreviated
period. Tupac’s studio albums include 2pacalypse Now, Strictly 4 My
N.I.G.G.A.Z, Me Against the World and All Eyez on Me. Tupac was also a movie star during this window.
His filmography includes classics such as Juice, Poetic Justice,
Above the Rim (my all-time favorite Tupac film) and several other movies.
The legal trouble that fell upon him essentially happened during this brief
period.
Tupac was truly a special
talent. And, from interviews and other
information I have read/seen over the years, it is clear Tupac knew his time on
this earth was limited. And, this realization
seemed to drive him to create like there was no tomorrow. To put this into perspective,
ask yourself what legacy you had established at the age of 25. Or just think about what you were doing when
you were 25. Were you operating in your
passion? Were you making a difference in
the space you occupied? If the answer to
these questions is no, I do not believe you are in the minority. Most of us start to find alignment and
purpose later in life. Tupac was just different and special. He was much more than a rapper.
2. The Apple does not fall too far from the
tree.
From Dear Mama, you
will also learn about Afeni’s experiences with the Black Panther Party. You will learn that she was pregnant with
Tupac while she was on trial along with the “Panther 21.” She was a revolutionary leader. She was a freedom fighter. She was an intellectual titan. And when you
learn about her history, it is easy to understand why Tupac was so militant,
outspoken and, in many respects, controversial.
As stated earlier, Afeni was
on trial for her life. And, while she
did not have the financial resources to retain legal counsel, she took her fate
into her own hands. She appeared pro
se (meaning she did not have an attorney) at her criminal trial where she
was facing many years in prison should she have been convicted. Afeni successfully
represented her own interests at trial. At the end of the trial, the jury found
her not guilty and within a month or so, Tupac Shakur was born. So, Tupac was forged in the bowels of an earthly
Hell.
Tupac had multiple high
profile run-ins with law enforcement. He
was involved in a shooting of what turned out to be two off duty officers in
GA. However, he was acquitted in that
case. Then, a few years later, he was
involved in a lawsuit he filed against police officers in Oakland, CA who
brutally beat him after he was cited for jaywalking. Then, while Tupac was working on the film, Above
the Rim, he was accused of raping a woman (a charge he denied until his
death). Ultimately, he was not convicted
of rape, but he was convicted of a lesser charge. But the part that really stood out to me was
his speech to the judge. His speech was
very similar to his mother’s speech during her closing argument of her criminal
trial in 1971. You will have to watch
the documentary to hear the speeches, but it is uncanny to have two individuals
display such courage in the face of utter doom with the same matter-of-fact
approach.
3. Activism was in Tupac and Afeni’s Gene
Pool.
Tupac’s mother was an active
member of the Black Panther Party. Afeni
was a trailblazer because she was not just a member, but she occupied a
leadership role in the BPP. That is
quite a feat for a woman during the tumultuous 1960s. That she held a
leadership role is a testament to the respect she garnered from an organization
primarily led by men. Afeni fought for
equal rights for Black people; she helped with the BPP’s Free Food Program, as
well as many other acts of activism.
And, not only did Afeni live
this life, but she taught Tupac to be an activist. She taught him to always speak up and never
to let himself be censored. From my perspective,
this character trait was the source of his strength, as well as the cause of many
of his problems. The duality of life is
like that I suppose. The very thing that
makes us strong can also be the thing that brings us down. It is very ironic, indeed.
Although Tupac’s biological
father was not involved in his life, he was connected to other strong male
figures through the BPP. These men were
activists and revolutionaries. Sadly and
unjustly, many of these men ended up dead or locked up in the penitentiary. But, when you think about these men, you see
why Tupac was militant and why he refused to “bend the knee” to people and
particularly when he knew he was right. He
was not built to be weak or to be pushed around. I truly believe this is because of his gene
pool. His people were warriors—literally.
4. A Passion for Life.
Afeni was passionate. In Dear Mama, when they played videos of
Afeni during her trial, you saw her passion on full display. When she talked about Tupac and her love for
him, her passion was on full display. When she talked about Tupac’s legacy and
how she wanted to further advance it, you could hear the passion in her voice
and you could see it in her eyes. People
who have powerful voices and who speak with passion are often misunderstood. And, to be clear, they are feared, which
makes them subjects of attacks as well.
I believe Afeni experienced both.
Tupac was passionate. Tupac was passionate about his music. He was passionate about his movies. He was passionate about protecting Black
people. He was passionate about rebuilding
the Black community. There are several
videos in Dear Mama showing Tupac at a very young age speaking with zeal
about many of the issues that were on his mind.
And from the videos, you could tell that his remarks were not rehearsed. It appeared that he spoke, almost in a stream
of consciousness, about issues that were on his mind. And although his use of profanity may have
been off putting to some, I chose to focus on what he was saying and why he was
saying it. And when you listen, you will
see that he was passionate. Also, in
retrospect, Tupac was barely 20 years old while delivering those speeches, so
he was probably equally as immature as he was passionate. Again, the duality of life on full display.
5. The Mind Never Rests.
Through Tupac’s 25 years of
life, it seems he never rested. From his
unearthly work ethic to legal issues, and several attempts on his life, Tupac did
not find peace on this earth. When you think
about it in those terms, although he lived a life where he blessed the world
with his talents, I feel that he was probably incredibly unhappy (at least at
times) and stressed.
And, when you listen to other
people who loved Tupac and who were around him, it is pretty clear that they held
similar views. In fact, Shock G from the
group Digital Underground and the person who gave Tupac his first opportunity to
rhyme on a big song, said that he believed that Tupac found peace and rest when
he died. Also, when you listen to Afeni
and understand the life that she lived, it is also clear that she did not have
much peace on this earth. I am happy to
know that they both are finally able to rest.
I could write more about Dear
Mama, but I will stop here. I happen
to think that Dear Mama is the best documentary I have seen. In every facet, from the rare interviews of
Tupac and Afeni to the perspective of Afeni’s big sister (and Tupac’s aunt), to
Shock G’s perspective, the documentary is amazing. If you are a Tupac or Afeni fan, without a
doubt, this documentary will make you an even bigger fan.
The documentary is
exclusively airing on HULU. Go support!
Peace
