"What is Rap? " by Sesha H R

      We all enjoy different forms of music whether it's classical, r&b, or indie. We all  search for something to move us. Rap isn’t any different. If we look at how rappers like Tupac or J Cole are perceived, they were seen as wrong when they first released music. Most older people and some young people put Tupac in a box and lump him in with all the other rappers. They have a misconception that all rap is “vulgar” and “inappropriate” because white america has commercialized rap as a way to make money off of young black men or women. Although in some ways rap can be vulgar, especially commercialized rap, in many instances vulgarity and profanity is needed to spread messages across when a calm demeanor doesn’t get you far. Society can try to deny the genius of Tupac but they will never succeed, he superseded expectations and sought to bring awareness and action into the minds and hearts of american society about police brutality, the war on drugs, and the disproportionate amount of mass incarceration of black men.
      Why Did Tupac try to create a narrative about all the injustices of capitalist America when in many ways he benefited from it? The answer is simple: he cared about the poor and the other, rather than spend all his money and forget his troubled upbringing he chose to give back and fight back. In many of his writings like “ Government Assistance or my Soul” he spoke blatantly that he wasn’t going to allow the government to attempt to silence him or buy him, this sentiment clearly depicted the feelings of the many of the black community. With the advent of the Civil RIghts and Black Panther Era Tupac found strength in the voices of his predecessors who chose to fight against oppression and continue their mission to fight for the black community. He understood that with the War on Drugs it was another attempt of american society to criminalize the black community and back track their success. Songs like “ So many tears” bring reality to the fact that in black neighborhoods children were forced to endure harsh realities such as police weren’t there to protect but to kill, crack would take your loved ones away, and you can either be killed or kill in that you can either speak and expose this society or succumb to what white america has laid out for you.
      “​All eyez on me ... bet you got it twisted, you don't know who to trust So many player-hatin' n***s tryna sound like us Say they ready for the funk, but I don't think they knowin' Straight to the depths of Hell is where those cowards goin. ​ ’” Tupac was right all eyez were on him to be the savior, to be the fuck up, or to be the massive thug everyone wanted him to be. In his later years being signed to Death Row records he became in many ways the man he loathed and rapped about. Perhaps it was the image of Death Row that changed him since they were known for using violence and using their gang affiliation to get their way. Because, as he stayed with them his lyrics were increasingly more violent and that vulnerability that many loved him for became harder to find.