Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur Essay Example

the author wants to justify Tupac’s actions and his intellectual excellence in music and social work and his incongruous societal behaviour to the early influences.

He clarifies in the beginning itself that he belonged to family of revolutionaries. In the second chapter the author deals with the subject when Afeni first helps Tupac realise his hidden talent after shifting to Baltimore and enrolling him in the Baltimore School of Arts. He really broke the barriers and came out with flying colours. His early traumatic experiences gave him an immense advantage in giving more depth to his music and arts from an early stage as he had a lot to draw from his own life.

He became a revolutionary himself like his family and participates in social activist work but does not get the right guidance to uplift his social stature without getting entangled into the murky life of the community in those times. After reading these two chapters, I think the writer wants the reader not only understand the revolutionary singers life but also apply the lens of social and cultural life of Afro- American community, their influences, hardships and the reason for their rebellion.

He also delves into the psyche of the human mind, how frustrations can extol the better out of a tremendous talent. He also expects the reader to comprehend the highly volatile Afro-American behaviour. (2) After reading this book he wants the reader to take with him, the evolution of rap music. The underground movements gave direction to youth of the community in exploring their latent desire and expression through dance and music which was an anti-thesis to

the conservative majority “white” lifestyle.

This book will in some way also trace the origin of the rap music, why their music was full of abuse just like their lives were full of abuse, marginalisation at the cost of “whites” and pathetic economic status. Through the opening lines, the writer gives us an insight that he wants to explore the arena of physical abuse and no dignity for womenfolk except the mothers.

With someone of the potential of Tupac, who was known for his social activist work regarding “oppression, brutality, poverty and life in a ghetto”(2) goes through a cycle of drug usage, leads a “thug” life, gets convicted for sexual abuse charges and dies due to rivalry will make this book a compelling read. The author might also want to delve into the impact that Tupac has left on the world of music and society and how he might have still not reached his best effort. Since a lot of his albums released posthumously, the writer might also want to shed some more light on the work that 2Pac left behind.