"Changes" Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur is widely considered to be one of the greatest rappers of all time, often using deep lyrics to reveal what life is like for many African Americans living in the inner city. The song "Changes" by 2Pac is one of the most meaningful rap songs of all time, released 1998. The songs reveals problems in African American communities including racial-profiling, poverty and racism The first few lines give just a few problems facing African American in inner cities

I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black

My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch

Cops give a damn about a negro

Pull the trigger kill a n**** he's a hero

Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares

One less hungry mouth on the welfare

In the first few lines of the son 2Pac articulates great examples of how black people as a whole have been dehumanized and are stereotyped as thieves, thugs, and useful members of society. The line Pull the trigger kill a n**** he's a hero, is so strong because it relates so well to present day problems and just shows much of a forward thinker 2Pac was. Cops are always seen as heroes because they put their lives in danger to protect the public, but when a cop kills a black man, it is automatically assumed that the black man is the aggressor and is violent when in reality, this is not always the case. When 2Pac talks about black kids on welfare, the is clearly aware of the stereotype that black people don't work hard and coats off government welfare. 2Pac is so aware of what life is actually like for many black people living in the inner cities, as well as public perceptions of black people which make his music so special.

After the chorus, 2Pac brings up race relations in a way that is very true in society.

I see no changes all I see is racist faces

Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races

We under I wonder what it takes to make this

One better place, let's erase the wasted

Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right

'Cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight

“Both black and white is smokin' crack tonight” is a line that stands out to me above all other lines in this song because the imagery is so real. You can see a black man struggling with the same problems as a white man and it re enforces the lines above about hate being a disgrace to all races. People of all races discriminate against other races simply because of stereotypes that society promotes and by placing hate on somebody that you don’t even know or understand, you disgrace all humans.

Lastly, 2Pac talks about the harsh realities and truths about what many black people have to face in inner cities.

And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped

And I never get to lay back

'Cause I always gotta worry 'bout the pay backs

Some buck that I roughed up way back

Comin' back after all these years

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is.

Now 2Pac moves from talking about changes in society to speaking about what is happening in tough neighborhoods and that change is not happening as quick as he wants. He talks about how in the hood, you always have to watch your back and that if you are black you have to carry some type of weapon simply because it is not safe and you cannot trust everybody. These lines are especially sad because of the way 2Pac died, as he foreshadowing about future struggles that he may have, when in reality, these are problems that eventually led to his death.