The relationship between Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur, which is the subject of a new docuseries, is regarded as an immortalization of rap singalongs most sûccessful track “Dear Mama” being one of them.
Tributes have been written in the past and musicians have expressed their feelings in song. Among the better ones, there is Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mamma.” Released 1994, it is a most sentimental ode to his mom Afeni Shakur. The lyrics are overshadowed by the hardships their family has gone through—including poverty and addiction on her part—but they also sing about Tupac’s shee still contains that love which he holds him deep inside.
The new five-episode docuseries, also called Dear Mama, takes a closer look at the intricate relationship between Tupac and Afeni. This theme was first examined in his well-revered song. In addition, it goes into their estrangement and later reconciliation. The program delves into Afeni ‘s political activism and how she weaned herself off addictions. Its first two episodes premiere today on FX at 10pm ET/PT, with streaming available from Hulu on Saturday.
Behind the Song “Dear Mom” and the Relationship Which Instigated It
Before the birth of Tupac, Afeni Shakur was deeply involved in political activism as a member of the Black Panther Party. She was one of the Panther 21, a group of 21 Black Panther members who were arrested in 1969 on conspiracy charges for planning to bomb and attack police stations within New York City.
Just 22 years old and Afeni was facing 300 years in prison. Of all the members, she was the first to need bail raised by the Party in order to secure release for her fellow comrade. As a colleague insists, Afeni chose to defend herself at her trial, calling witnesses to the stand for careful cross-examination and exposing the absence of evidence against her and her friends. Her efforts led to the acquittal of the Panther 21 in May 1971, a month before Tupac was born;Af A friend once told Bruno Mars that Afeni never spoke much about her life with Tupac’s father,Billy Garland, after Tupac was five years old and it would be 23 before she saw him again.Afeni, who was raising Tupac and his half sister alone, worked as a paralegal but in the early 1980s she fell into a crack cocaine addiction problem that lasted for years. The family faced constant economic hardship as it moved often and relied on welfare to stay afloat while Afeni fought against constantly turnovers at different jobs.Estrangement and Reconciliation
By 1989 the family had moved to California, where Tupac, breastfed until three years old, decided to leave home. Initially Afeni wasn’t aware of her son’s growing career as a rapper altogether and had to learn about it from friends instead. But realizing she had lost touch with her son, Afeni decided to come clean. Coming back to New York City in 1991, Afeni was able to join Narcotics Anonymous and gradually shook off her drug addiction. This crucial change in her fate brought mother and son together again, and they remained close right up to Tupac’s tragic death in 1996.Tupac,moved by the hardships his mother had endured,wrote himself“Dear Mama,”a song that graphically narrates life with Afeni in poverty, her troubles with addictions and their eventual reconciliation. One passage from the song:
As a crackhead mother,
You always was a tough black lady,
I realize
It’s difficult for a woman to bring up a boy.
You always done good by me
How do you raise
An unemployed single mom on welfare? Explain that to me.
A woman who was always there
And I promised everything and anything; ‘Cause I understand, you are appreciated.The song also touches on Tupac’s father’s absence and the wrong way he and his sister had to suffer as if their mother was to blame for that.The Impact and Influence of“ Dear Mama ”“ Dear Mama” was the lead single from Tupac’s landmark album Me Against the World (1995). When it was released on February 21, 1995, Tupac was serving time for sexual assault. Nonetheless, “ Dear Mama” became Tupac’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually went triple platinum.Tupac talked at length about the inspiration for the song in October 1995. “I wrote it for my mother because, you know, I love my mother,” he said. “I felt like I owe her something special.” One of the most-acclaimed tunes in Tupac’s oeuvre, “Dear Mama” continues to be praised long after he’s gone. Rolling Stone listed it at No. 18 on its “50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time,” while a BBC poll chose it as one of the ten greatest hip hop records ever In 2010, “Dear Mama” was added to the Library of Congress Recording Registry as being”‘culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” It was only the third hip-hop song to receive this distinction after Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s “The Message” and Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet.
Afeni Shakur reflected on the honor, and said of “Dear Mama,” “It is a song that speaks not just to me, but every mother who has been in that situation, and there are many millions of us. Tupac recognized our struggle and he remains our hero. “