Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. Raised by his mother, he relocated to Baltimore in 1984 and to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. With the release of his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he became a central figure in West Coast hip-hop for his conscious rap lyrics. Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993) and Me Against the World (1995). His Diamond certified album All Eyez on Me (1996), the first double-length album in hip-hop history, abandoned his introspective lyrics for volatile gangsta rap. In addition to his music career, Shakur also found considerable success as an actor, with his starring roles in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), Above the Rim (1994), Bullet (1996), Gridlock'd (1997), and Gang Related (1997).
During the later part of his career, Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio and experienced legal troubles, including incarceration. In 1995, Shakur served eight months in prison on sexual abuse charges, but was released pending an appeal of his conviction. Following his release, he signed to Marion "Suge" Knight's label Death Row Records and became heavily involved in the growing East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas; he died six days later. Following his murder, Shakur's friend-turned-rival, the Notorious B.I.G., was at first considered a suspect due to their public feud, but was also murdered in another drive-by shooting six months later in March 1997 while visiting Los Angeles.
Five more albums have been released since Shakur's death, all of which have been certified Platinum in the United States. In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Shakur among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. While born Lesane Parish Crooks, at age one he was renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur. He was named after Túpac Amaru II, the descendant of the last Incan ruler, Túpac Amaru, who was executed in Peru in 1781 after his failed revolt against Spanish rule. Shakur's mother explained, "I wanted him to have the name of revolutionary, indigenous people in the world. I wanted him to know he was part of a world culture and not just from a neighborhood."
Shakur had an older stepbrother, Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, and a half-sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, two years his junior.
Changes -
2Pac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself
Is life worth living should I blast myself?
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 nigga he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
First ship 'em dope and let 'em deal the brothers
Give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
Two shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere
Unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin' changes
Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers
And that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids
But things changed, and that's the way it is
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
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
And only time we chill is when we kill each other
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact
The penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
But some things will never change
Try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game
Now tell me what's a mother to do
Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you
You gotta operate the easy way
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way
Sellin' crack to the kid. " I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
We gotta make a change
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
And let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
What we gotta do, to survive.
And still I see no changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets and the war in the Middle East
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs
So the police can bother me
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back with the blacks givin' it back to you
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up,
Crack you up and pimp smack you up
You gotta learn to hold ya own
They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone
But tell the cops they can't touch this
I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this
That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool
My mama didn't raise no fool
And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped
And I never get to lay back
'Cause I always got to 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 uhh
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
Some things will never change
The song "Changes" by Tupac Shakur is a powerful commentary on social injustice and the need for change. Tupac begins the song by questioning the worth of his own life and whether or not he should resort to violence to escape poverty and racism. He then goes on to express his frustration with the systemic racism in the police force, where the killing of black people is normalized, and the drug industry, which perpetuates cycles of violence and poverty in black communities. Despite these challenges, Tupac promotes unity and calls on people to see one another as brothers and sisters, rather than as distant strangers.
Towards the end of the song, Tupac shifts his focus to the personal struggles he faces as a black man in society. He expresses his anger over the fact that he is constantly under surveillance and is a target of police brutality, even though he has never committed a crime. He touches upon the paranoia and tension he feels when he's in public, knowing that he could be attacked by someone who holds a grudge against him from the past. Despite this bleak reality, Tupac still maintains his determination to stay strong and fight back against oppression.
Overall, "Changes" is a poignant and relevant commentary on the systemic issues that still plague society today, such as racism, poverty, and inequality. Tupac's lyrics are emotional and powerful, and serve as a reminder that real change is only possible if we unite and work together towards a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on come on
Let's get ready to face the hard realities of life
I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself
Is life worth living should I blast myself?
Facing the same struggle and pain every day, makes one question whether it's worth living or not.
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black
My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
I'm frustrated being poor, and my own community is struggling, so I may resort to unethical ways to make a living.
Cops give a damn about a negro
Pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero
The police are biased and don't care about black people. Shooting and killing one of us is easy and earns them praise instead of justice.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
One less hungry mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope and let 'em deal the brothers
Give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
The government overlooks the distribution and use of drugs and weapons in poor communities, causing chaos and destruction to those who inhabit them.
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
Two shots in the dark now Huey's dead
Activists and leaders who speak out against injustice and inequality are often met with violence and hate instead of support.
I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere
Unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin' changes
Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers
And that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
We must unite as a community and help each other out instead of tearing each other down. The devil can only succeed in dividing and conquering us if we don't see each other as brothers in need of support, love and compassion.
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
The current state of the world and society is depressing, and there's only so much one can do to change it.
I see no changes all I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
Racism is still present in society, and the hate against different races is causing more harm than good.
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
We need to come together and find a way to make the world a better place, by eliminating evil and negativity. We have more in common than we think.
And only time we chill is when we kill each other
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh
We tend to relax only after we've hurt someone, but it's time for us to heal ourselves and each other. We're not progressing enough as a society to have a black president, even though it would be a positive change.
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact
The penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
But some things will never change
Try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game
The prison system is biased against black people, who make up the majority of the prison population. Even though we're trying to change things, some people persist in negative and illegal activities.
Now tell me what's a mother to do
Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you
You gotta operate the easy way
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way
Mothers who want their children to do better must realize that their children are more likely to be influenced by negative messages and criminal behavior. They may choose the easy way out, even though it may harm others.
Sellin' crack to the kid. " I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is
People in struggling communities may resort to supplying drugs to young people for financial gain, even though it's wrong.
We gotta make a change
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
And let's change the way we treat each other.
It's time for us, as a community, to take control and make positive changes to our lives and society. We should focus on improving our health, living standards and the way we interact with others.
And still I see no changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets and the war in the Middle East
The world is still full of conflict and violence, and even within our own communities, we can't find peace.
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs
So the police can bother me
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back with the blacks givin' it back to you
The government focuses on punishing drug users instead of helping those in poverty. The police target black people even though many of them haven't committed crimes. Those who do make a living, have to give back to their communities.
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up,
Crack you up and pimp smack you up
You gotta learn to hold ya own
They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone
But tell the cops they can't touch this
I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this
That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool
My mama didn't raise no fool
And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped
And I never get to lay back
'Cause I always got to 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 uhh
Don't let anyone take advantage of you or intimidate you. Learn to protect yourself, and be cautious of those who may wish to do you harm. It's unfortunate that even though time has passed, old foes can still cause trouble and harm.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRUCE HORNSBY, TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR, DEON EVENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nathanieleko8767
This how many people miss Tupac!
💔
Legend never dies
👇🏽
@nathanieleko8767
MR. SMALLS this song really hits me
@dyllongreen1932
80 people lol
@LL-nr3zr
Nathaniel Eko stop using his name for likes and just comment ‘i miis 2pac’ dont say ‘like’ if u me is tupac most people do miss 2pac but don’t need to show u that they do, they could just simply comment it. plz don’t exploit anyone.
@user-bz9zp1ek6t
Always. This type of love never dies
@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm3153
Tru
@jaedaedeculus9089
Tupac is still alive whenever I press play on the song
@steelersnation9527
Jaedae Deculus nice
@unknownhomie3467
Jaedae Deculus lol xD
@tamarileach9358
wicked king you must be blind, deaf and fucking dumb.
I'm curious who do you think has talent.....I can't wait to hear this response.