Professor Sabir's Posse

Lyla Holloway
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

What is the difference between conscious rap and political hip-hop?
 

Gregory Belton
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201 A 1:30 to 3:20
Semptember 15, 2011

Tupac most definitely etched a mark in hip-hop, we all know. His core fans and people who knew him say he was a “prophet” to society and hip-hop culture. Why do his former peers and core fans emphasize this so greatly?
 

Keno Mapp II
Professor Sabir
English 200A 1:30-3:20
1 September 2011
Question: What are some of a few things people got out of 2pac’s music and what do you think he was trying to get across?
 

Mickey Thomas
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

Chapter 3

How are Tupac and Malcom X similiar and/or different?
 

Arthur Gilbert
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30 to 3:20 PM
15 September 2011

How did Tupac influence the teacher, Steinburg, to take her teaching to the next level?
 

Keno Mapp II
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011
Question: What are some of a few things people got out of 2pac’s music and what do you think he was trying to get across?
 

Julio Orantes
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20pm
15 September 2011
Chapter 3 Holler if you hear me
Why did Tupac’s mother make him read newspaper articles and magazines?
 

Anthony Jones
Professor Sabir
English 201A 130-320pm
15 September 2011

1. How do you think afeni was viewed as a mother . do you think she was hard on him or easy.
2. How do you think beening a son of a panther effected his views on life.
 

Julio Orantes
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20pm
15 September 2011
Chapter 3 Holler if you hear me
Why did Tupac’s mother make him read newspaper articles and magazines?
 

Latasha Bullock
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

In book Holler if you Hear Me, Dyson states among young black males predictable behavior like: “loving my Momma while at the same time loathing my Baby’s Mama”…chpt.1
How can a man say and or feel this unconditional love for their mother, but at the sometime greatly show dislike for the mother who bared their offspring’s (Baby’s Mama).
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Ayo Hogue #10077222
prof.Sabir
english 201a 8a
How did Tupac's learning hurt or help him in his attempt to better himself
 

Leslie Meekins
Professor Sabir
English 201 A 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

Chapter 4, In the text of hip hop and rap why do women have to be exploited in the music industry to become sexy and popular.

Chapter 5, Why are men considered real niggas because of there abuse of drugs,women and drug violence.
 

Jennifer holloway
15, September 2011
chapter 4 question
In 1979 2Pac would become a inspiring artist what made other artist look up to him.
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Diego Saldana
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20 PM
15 September 2011

Chapter 3 in "Holler If You Hear Me" Does Tupac like to learn about allusions to ancient philosophy?
 

Alissa Franklin
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

In what ways does Tupac help his mother Afeni, stay truthful?
 

Joseph McFarland
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20
September 15, 2011

In chapter 1 of Holler If You Hear Me at the bottom of page 22 its says "Single black mothers who are poor have been maligned in the media(displayed or portrayed as Evil in disposition, nature, influence or intent) for cruelly misshaping their offspring, with some critics claiming they are at least partly responsible for absent black fathers." How do you think this applies to Tupac and his mother's relationship? Should she be at fault or partly at fault for Tupac's father being absent and his negative feelings towards his father?
 

Ali Esmatyar
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

What kind of affect did Afeni have on Tupacs life and career?
 

Michelle Nam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50am
15 September 2011

Question 1: How is the relationship from Tupac and Afeni Shakur in their life?
Question 2: Since Steinberg and Tupac met and went touring schools together with teaching and rapping, how does it effect him being a famous artist selling millions of record’s?
 

Jasmine Guillot
Professor Sabir
English 201B 8-8:50
15 September 2011

Question: How did Tupac's legacy SIMILAR to the actisons of the Black panthers?
 

Jennifer Holloway
Professor Sabir
english 201a 1-30-320 pm
15 september 2011
chapter 5 question
In chapter 5 Jada Pinkett reveals that Tupac stated to her "When i am gone the (people) will understand." Why is this?
 

Jennifer Holloway
Professor Sabir
English 201a 1-30 pm-320 pm
16, September 2011 f
In response to Anthony Joen’s question: 1. How do you think afeni was viewed as a mother. do you think she was hard on him or easy?
Afeni was viewed by Michael Dyson as a good mother that had it hard in the beginning of her life. In the book Holler if you hear me you read in the beginning how Afeni was a part of a gang black panther.
“If the mother is central to black life, she is also made a scapegoat for the social disintegration of black culture,” Dyson writes, this such a beautiful quote how Dyson describes how she was a single black trying to make it as a single mom. So many young woman say it is hard, but “she could turn scraps in to a great meal” Tupac describes in the song dear Momma. Another quote that describes this in the chapter Dear Momma dyson states:” The decisions that Afeni made in her life would shape and mold a young and growing 2Pac maybe up until the day he died. “Tupac declares his love in a moment of unsparing criticism: ‘And even as a crack fiend, Mama/You always was a Black Queen Mama.”
After Tupac was born Afeni would get a job as a paralegal. You could really tell she loved her son and was proud to be a momma. She wanted to make the best for him. By showing him she had to get out and get a job it showed Tupac he needed a education to get a job as well. Life is not always easy in this big world.
Afeni as hard on Tupac because she wanted him to have a better life then she did growing. Growing up in the gang world trying to make it as a black in the 1960s was not always easy. She got beat up a lot for making the wrong move. She made Tupac start to read at a young age. She wanted him to have a proper education, so he could make something of himself when he was of age to do so.

When he was two years old and did something wrong, I would say to him, an independent Black man wouldn't do that. He was always an independent Black man!” says Afeni of her son. Afeni taught Tupac to stand strong in what he believes, and I think this is good it taught him to stick up for what he feels is right.
Tupac and his mother are very close you can feel the love and the connection they share. It is a love that will never die. It is a bond that can not be broken. In his songs he talks about hard life, but in the end he is proud of what he has become because of his mother Afeni. She taught him no matter how hard life is you keep pushing until you get to the top.
 

Selma Adam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50 AM
September 17 2011

Question 1: How does Tupac's mother "Afeni Shakur" affect on Tupac's life?
Question 2: What was the school role in Tupac's life?
 

Corazon Tinio
Professor Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50am
16 September 2011
1.How does Tupac feel about the Black Panther? And site examples from his experiences.
2. Why does Tupac feel that he needs to prove himself?
 

Michael Boyles
Professor Sabir
English 201B 8:00-8:55am
September 18, 2011

Question #1: How did Tupac cope with the constant abandonment by his mother, Afeni, and being virtually independent for the majority of his childhood?

Question #2: Can Tupac in any way be compared to Martin Luther King Jr?

Question #3: How did Tupac Shakur redefine the the phrase "Thug life"?
 

Jasmine Guillot
Professor Sabir
English 201B 8-8:50
18 September 2011

Question: How have rappers been affected by the legacy of Tupac and how has rap music been affected by Tupac's work?
 

Lyla Holloway
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20
18 September 2011

In response to Keno Mapp's question: What are some of a few things people got out of 2pac's music and what do you think he was trying to get across?

Tupac's music touched so many people especially black youth because they could related to his truth."The notion of truth, of authenticity, of the real is a recurring theme in the narratives that swirl around Tupac and that he spun for himself." Keeping it real" is a mantra that Tupac lived to it's devastating perhaps even lethal limits." say Dyson in the book Holler if you Hear Me.

Several interviews by Dyson about Tupac revealed how people in the music industry felt about his music. "He laid down a real message that you can fell from the heart you know what I'm saying," stated Warren G. Dyson then interviews Big Tray Dee about Tupac. "I know he was a
workaholic," he said,echoing Warren G's observation. "He would write three or four songs a day...He was phenomenal to watch."

I think what Tupac's intentions for writing his songs in part were to inspire, tell his truth however complicated and contradictory it may have been. He brought to light social injustice and to influence people to live better lives.
 

Jasmine Guillot
English 201b 8-8:50
18 September 2011

In response to Jennifer Holloway's question, "What made other artists look up to Tupac", many artists defined that Tupac was very different and intellectual.

Dyson sources many rappers from Mos Def to Big Tray Dee to Snoop about how he has influenced the world. Rapper Big Syke has even talked about the effect of Tupac's intelligence,"He had the words and he was articulate. That's what made me start reading books. I wasn't reading no books, but the more I started dissecting him, the more I knew where his game was coming from," (100). This shows how even rapper friends wanted to know many things and become smarter than they were before.
In Chapter 4, Dyson describes how Tupac had made a difference with rap, "Tupac has come to symbolize the blights of hip- hop's troubled soul. His self destructive behavior and premature death inspired a great deal of hand wringing over hip-hop's influence on black youth,"(109). Tupac made a legacy by teaching not only the youth by rappers and adults how we should change the world to make it a better place for every one to live in. Many artists found this inspirational and understood him more for who he was.
 

Jasmine Guillot
English 201b 8-8:50
18 September 2011

In response to Jennifer Holloway's question, "What made other artists look up to Tupac", many artists defined that Tupac was very different and intellectual.

Dyson sources many rappers from Mos Def to Big Tray Dee to Snoop about how he has influenced the world. Rapper Big Syke has even talked about the effect of Tupac's intelligence,"He had the words and he was articulate. That's what made me start reading books. I wasn't reading no books, but the more I started dissecting him, the more I knew where his game was coming from," (100). This shows how even rapper friends wanted to know many things and become smarter than they were before.
In Chapter 4, Dyson describes how Tupac had made a difference with rap, "Tupac has come to symbolize the blights of hip- hop's troubled soul. His self destructive behavior and premature death inspired a great deal of hand wringing over hip-hop's influence on black youth,"(109). Tupac made a legacy by teaching not only the youth by rappers and adults how we should change the world to make it a better place for every one to live in. Many artists found this inspirational and understood him more for who he was.
 

Jason Kim
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201 B
18 September 2011
Essay questions
In the context of rap and hip-hop how should artists maintain the search for profit with keeping artistic integrity?
As a why does it always seem that a younger generation that grows older seems to disapprove of the artistic styles of the newer generation?
 

James Kwon
Professor Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50
15 September 2011


Many people think success as graduating from a good college and getting a high paying job. However, what is truly “success?”
 

ayo hogue
eng. 201a m-th 8a
Prof Sabir
19 September 2011
I chose to answer Lyla H. question
conscious rap is when you hear me say in a song 'I love you like a sister but you need to quit, so nigga dont call you b!*&%'. Political rap is when i say " the got money for wars, and cant feed the poor'.
 

Arthur Gilbert
Professor Sabir
English 201 B 1:30 to 3:20 PM
16 September 2011


In response to Jasmine Guillots’ Question: How have rappers been affected by the legacy of Tupac and how has rap music been affected by Tupac's work?

Tupac is the center of influence for all rappers around the world. He shows everyone how he can still live without fear through all the horrible things he went through. Mos def says in the Dysons book Holler if you hear me “You grow up to be like Pac. You grow up in the street. You grow up doing street things, there has got to be something better, because you come from something better.” Tupacs role in this life has influenced many rappers to comprehend that there must be hope to fight through struggles in life. In order for them to do so, the other rappers must shout out their words without fear in order to reach out for the people that need the help.
Rappers aren’t the only people that have been affected by Tupacs’ Legacy. Tupacs teacher, Steinburg says in Dysons book Holler if you hear me, “I have been teaching now for the past fourteen years, and Pac changed my teaching. He changed who I am as a woman and as a parent, because as Pac entered our group, he took a lot of my infantile thought processes to the next level.” Tupac has other ways of influence besides his lyrics. His teacher has felt that he has shown the reality of things and that she doesn’t have to teach kids what to expect for the assignment, but rather tell them the reality of the class assignment.
I believe that Tupac could do anything as long as he puts his heart into it. He is a unique artist amongst the rest, and never fears to show his compassion for life and courage to speak out for the rest. This type personality is of rare quality, which many other artists want to pursue. If they want something to pursue for, they should pursue the ideas that Tupac left for us to unfold.
 

Jason Lee
Professor Wanda Sibir
English 201 A/B 8-8:50 AM
18 September 2011
Essay Questions
1. How come Tupac’s music is deep and philosophical but also “real” why is the material of the lyrics seems poetic? From the book Holla if you hear me, the more he poured his soul into his lyrics, the more he voiced the stinging lack of self-worth…. Pg. 44
2. When African –American refer the term “thug life” why is this relevant in American culture? “It’s not thugging like I’m robbing people,’ cause that‘s not what I’m doing”. Pg 113
 

Deandra Bryant
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
19 September 2011

Question:
How did Afeni's drug use infulence Tupac's life as a adolescent, and his career later on?
 

Jason Kim
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201 V
19 September 2011
Response
Tupac and Malcolm X were both bred in the radical political scene of the sixties. Where as Malcolm actually got to participate in the events directly Tupac was a child of that generation. Tupac and Malcolm were both very gifted with the spoken word. Unlike Tupac Malcolm made a complete split with his radical stance later in life Tupac always nurtured both sides.
 

Isaiah Teague
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50am
20 September 2011

Question 1: Tupac, have you ever felt like you weren't succeeding in life? everything was just crashing down.. you yearn for guidance but no one provided it..
Question 2: have you ever had a silent cry?where no can sense the agony you felt
 

Question 1: Tupac, have you ever felt like you weren't succeeding in life? everything was just crashing down.. you yearn for guidance but no one provided it..
Question 2: have you ever had a silent cry?where no can sense the agony you felt... if so how did you feel?
 

Keno Mapp II
Professor Sabir
English 200A 1:30-3:20
18 September 2011 Answer to Question
Question: By Gregory Belton- Tupac most definitely etched a mark in hip-hop, we all know. His core fans and people who knew him say he was a “prophet” to society and hip-hop culture. Why do his former peers and core fans emphasize this so greatly?
I choose this question for the reasons: I consider myself a “core fan” so I can relate, the statement about him being seen as a “prophet” by his core fans and him etching his mark in hip-hop and the people having his back (in a sense).
Tupac has been called a lot of things but “Prophet”. I was very interested in trying to find some facts to back that statement up. I spent some time in Dyson’s book Holler if you hear me trying to find some supporting text to the “prophet” statement. The best quote to support that out of Dyson is a line from people who knew him. That line is on page 4 when an old friend of Tupac, Tate states “It’s really weird how a person can predict things the way he did. When he passed away, everything he had talked about before he died actually happened.”
After reading this I was even more intrigued about this prophet accusation. So I went to my IPod where I have over 40 of his songs and started to go through some, to find some meat to sink my teeth into about this “prophet” thing. That has now taken over my weekend (no complaints though). The first of many came to me in the song “When we Ride” off his album All Eyes on Me, when he says “out for revenge on B@#$h niggas that blasted me” talking about when he was shot. Some more are “I heard a rumor I died murdered in cold blood dramatized, pictures of me in my final state you know mama cry” This is a line used many times in his music, it is as if he knew one day he was going to die by the gun. There are way too many lines to quote, but yes he is most defiantly a Prophet.
While digging in Dyson, I came across a good number of lines supporting the fact that he etched his mark in society and hip-hop, and why. The quote that seemed to hit the nail on the head, and answered these questions, was on page 13 line number ten where Dyson is talking about a trip to a warehouse, where he got to talk to some of Tupac’s friends and coworkers about his life; “all the themes that surfaced in the conversations I had when I went to the warehouse are important: his strong black masculinity, his willingness to speak up, his entrepreneurial exploits, his prophetic stances, his heartfelt messages to the urban poor, his incredible work ethic, his unfulfilled potential, his ascension to Elvis-like status, and the grief that was provoked by his premature death.” In my opinion these key points are precisely the reasons why he has made such a big mark in society and hip-hop today.
 

Joseph McFarland
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20
September 20, 2011

Chapter 5, Why are men considered real niggas because of there abuse of drugs,women and drug violence?

Some men do consider themselves real niggas because of those factors but its more than that. It's the pain and abuse they had to suffer in their environment weather it was their fault or not. People go through adversity (some worse than others)and if you make it through those situations you feel relief that its over but you take pride in the fact that you went through the pain. The drug abuse and the women abuse could be outlets for the pain. Why think about your own problems when you can drink, smoke and fuck your pain away. Its not always the best outlet but if you been through hell your going to bring the hell with you unless you find it in yourself to rise above the adversity. Also, society paints a nice picture of the American Dream in the media but that is not as accurate when you walk on the other side of the tracks or go down the hill. People want to praise people when their doing well and write them off or forget about them when things go wrong or not as planned. At that point you have to create something for yourself and despite the abuse. If you except whats going on and can deal with it, talk about it, and be truthful with everybody and yourself, you are real.
 

Manuel Flores
Professor Sabir
English 201A 8:00-8:50
15 September 2011




How can people look at Tupac as a scholar and a thug at the same time?
 

Aman Bharji
Professor Sabir
English 201B 8 to 850
21 September 2011

What was the purpose of the governments decision to turn their heads away when crack was being distributed in black ghettos and urban areas?and did that cause a problem for revolutionary blacks trying to make change?
 

Aman Bharji
Professor Sabir
English 201B 8 to 850
22 September 2011

Did Tupac's view on his mothers addiction and the lifestyle he experienced have an affect on his decision to live a life that consisted of contradictions between his music and his actual actions?
 

hello ms sabir.. this is latasha bullock.. iam sooooo lost and confused in your class.. can you please help me. i cant even send you my old assignments ..why?? because i dont know how to. im overwhelmed with useless work like stewart pidd( a waste of money) really if the person dont get the assignment.i like tupac and all but what happen to teachers giving out work like 5 page papers about interesting things such as myself. if you can help me get it like understand this. i will feel like im learner and not being ripped off money and education wise.. thank you..
 

Manuel Flores
Professor Sabir
English 201A 8:00-8:50
15 September 2011


how was Tupac a like with malcom x and martin luther king?
 

Latasha Bullock
professor sabir
english 201B 1:30-3:20

my goals for this semester

1.make sure Iam attending every class meeting date.
2.hopefully have mastered essay writing with very little trouble.
3.Get the neccessary books for this class Asap so I can ensure my sucess in this class.
4.I want to understand the MLA formatt, read more
5.Ultimately I want to do very well in your class .I LOVE TO WRITE
 

Latasha Bullock
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20
22 September 2011


1. What does it mean when Tupac states “He knows rich people or just well off people who are lost, that people who make sacrificial choices like his mother Afeni really pay-off... “(Dyson 51)

2. What does Tupac say about the price revolutionaries pay for their honesty and truth?

He says of his mother’s sacrifices that “she could have (chosen) to go to school and get a degree in something and right now (could have) been well off” (Dyson 51).

3. Was Tupac happy with that payoff? How so or how not?
 

Alissa Franklin
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
22 september 2011

In response to the question by Anthony “How do you think afeni was viewed as a mother .Do you think she was hard on him or easy”. I think Tupac Shakur respected his mother. I believed he loved his mother past everything. He expressed in songs his love for his mother no matter her decisions in life and the effects it had on him growing up and his family circumstances they were placed in. Tupac like any child that lived in the hood had love and appreciation towards his mother. He knew her struggle as a person and it could not define or shape him as a man.
Tupac did not get much attention from his mother Afeni and it seemed as though he was doing certain things to get her attention. It seemed as though she was to in the streets to give her babies the love they needed. I feel like he got more attention from friends because his mother was to busy trying to make a difference in her community. She did not balance her time to maintain and keep her family stable while being a panther. Although she was not the mother he needed her to be she was somewhat of a good mother. Afeni is still his mother and no matter what she did it could never change his unconditional love for her.
I think that she was easy on Tupac. The reason I feel she was easy is because he was able to stop going to school without her saying that’s where he needs to be. She was already in the streets and that gave Tupac the path to follow her ways. He could have been a part of the streets and still got a school education but he felt as though education was not for him as if he wasn’t learning what should have been taught. He taught himself in which he became more educated than his peers.
I think Afeni ways of raising him may have had negative and positive effects on his life. She could have been a better mother to him. If she did not raise him the way she did we would have never been introduced to this great artist/writer. His struggle and outlook on life is what changed hip-hop and made it what it is today.
 

Arthur Gilbert
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30 to 3:20 PM
22 September 2011
Response to Jennifers question: In chapter 5, Jada Pinkett reveals that Tupac stated to her “When I am gone the (people) will understand. Why is this?
Tupac is an artist of many inspirations. He has spoken out to the people his feelings and desires for a better world. Smith confesses in Dysons’ book Holler if You Hear Me, “I have met so many Pacs. We’ve got an industry full of them, and they might not be as magnificent and they might not shine as bright, but I’ll be damned if they ain’t Tupac one way or another.” (100). There are many people that may be like Tupac, but he was the one to reveal the truth of reality. So for him to be gone, many people will understand the fact of life.
When Tupac passed away, many people will realize the true desire that Tupac wanted for the world. He wanted to show the people that you should be brave to step up out of the shadows and reveal the light within oneself for the world to progress into a better place. A world of sorrow, pain, grief, war, and consistent anxiety of fear needs to be end with oneself finding their true identity within oneself. If Tupac did not take that big step, then how would he be remembered? A thug that just had a big criminal history with no relevance to his hardship of life, or will he be remembered as the hero that died with a legacy to reveal for ages to come?
Tupac always will be remembered as an inspiration for people in ages to come. His literature in music will be passed down for those to reference back to when in trouble or in need for something to follow by. His music acts like a bible which instills hope into those that need the guidance. Without people like him, the world will definitely be a different place. His death has revealed the truth behind reality and also a reference to his mistakes he made in his life that led to his death. His death got many people to comprehend what he tried to say for the world to become a haven for all.
 

Lyla Holloway’s question: “What is the difference between conscious rap and political hip hop?” (Ch.4)
“Tupac ranged freely over the lyrical landscape of hip-hop, pursuing themes that bled through a number of rap’s subgenres, among them conscious rap, political rap, party music, hedonism rap, thug rap and ghettocentric rap.”(Dyson 107)
Some of the artist that fall into the category of conscious hip hop besides Tupac is: Mos Def, The Roots, Nas and Common. “Conscious hip hop or socially conscious hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop that focuses on social issues and conflicts.”(Wikipedia.org-political hip hop)

Political hip hop is also a subgenre of hip hop that developed in 1980(wikipedia.org)Some of the musicians included in political hip hop are Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy, Dead Prez, and Mos Def who was a cross over rom consious hip hop like so many other artist.
 

Leslie Meekins
Professor Sabir
English 201 A 1:30-3:20 PM
September 22, 2011

Response to keno Mapp, ll what are some of a few things people got out of 2pac’s music and what do you think he was trying to get across?
Tupac was an influential rapper/ speaker, poet and a music artist who many people looked up to. Many of his fans were influenced by Tupac and what he did. His peers got the wrong image about Tupac because of his past history using drugs, drinking and enduring violence. Throughout Tupac’s music career, people learned what it was to be a thug. They learned how to cope with their life situations and also how there is a heaven for sinners. In the book Holler If You Here Me, Chapmen says that” Tupacs interest stretched well beyond music.” You could have a conversation with him about everything. “He knew about everything and he was open to everything.
Many of Tupacs fans were confused about what he stood for exactly. One minute he’s talking about “I wonder If Heaven Gotta Ghetto. Then he’s talking about killing and violence, while having that altercation with Biggie Smalls. People got out of Tupacs music how to be a father a positive black mother. And also how to be a free African American is important.
Tupac was trying to get a message across to his community but failed to as he was killed at the age of 25. Tupac sent many mixed signals to his fans but was still perceived as a great man who could have accomplished more than what he had if he would still be alive. We all love him for different reasons and I have never heard anyone speak otherwise.
 

Arthur Gilbert
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30 to 3:20 PM
22 September 2011
Response to Jennifers question: In chapter 5, Jada Pinkett reveals that Tupac stated to her “When I am gone the (people) will understand. Why is this?
Tupac is an artist of many inspirations. He has spoken out to the people his feelings and desires for a better world. Smith confesses in Dysons’ book Holler if You Hear Me, “I have met so many Pacs. We’ve got an industry full of them, and they might not be as magnificent and they might not shine as bright, but I’ll be damned if they ain’t Tupac one way or another.” (100). There are many people that may be like Tupac, but he was the one to reveal the truth of reality. So for him to be gone, many people will understand the fact of life.
When Tupac passed away, many people will realize the true desire that Tupac wanted for the world. He wanted to show the people that you should be brave to step up out of the shadows and reveal the light within oneself for the world to progress into a better place. A world of sorrow, pain, grief, war, and consistent anxiety of fear needs to be end with oneself finding their true identity within oneself. If Tupac did not take that big step, then how would he be remembered? A thug that just had a big criminal history with no relevance to his hardship of life, or will he be remembered as the hero that died with a legacy to reveal for ages to come?
Tupac always will be remembered as an inspiration for people in ages to come. His literature in music will be passed down for those to reference back to when in trouble or in need for something to follow by. His music acts like a bible which instills hope into those that need the guidance. Without people like him, the world will definitely be a different place. His death has revealed the truth behind reality and also a reference to his mistakes he made in his life that led to his death. His death got many people to comprehend what he tried to say for the world to become a haven for all.
 

Arthur Gilbert
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30 to 3:20 PM
22 September 2011

Response to Jennifers question: In chapter 5, Jada Pinkett reveals that Tupac stated to her “When I am gone the (people) will understand. Why is this?

Tupac is an artist of many inspirations. He has spoken out to the people his feelings and desires for a better world. Smith confesses in Dysons’ book Holler if You Hear Me, “I have met so many Pacs. We’ve got an industry full of them, and they might not be as magnificent and they might not shine as bright, but I’ll be damned if they ain’t Tupac one way or another.” (100). There are many people that may be like Tupac, but he was the one to reveal the truth of reality. So for him to be gone, many people will understand the fact of life.

When Tupac passed away, many people will realize the true desire that Tupac wanted for the world. He wanted to show the people that you should be brave to step up out of the shadows and reveal the light within oneself for the world to progress into a better place. A world of sorrow, pain, grief, war, and consistent anxiety of fear needs to be end with oneself finding their true identity within oneself. If Tupac did not take that big step, then how would he be remembered? A thug that just had a big criminal history with no relevance to his hardship of life, or will he be remembered as the hero that died with a legacy to reveal for ages to come?

Tupac always will be remembered as an inspiration for people in ages to come. His literature in music will be passed down for those to reference back to when in trouble or in need for something to follow by. His music acts like a bible which instills hope into those that need the guidance. Without people like him, the world will definitely be a different place. His death has revealed the truth behind reality and also a reference to his mistakes he made in his life that led to his death. His death got many people to comprehend what he tried to say for the world to become a haven for all.
 

Joseph McFarland
Professor Sabir
English 201B 1:30-3:20
September 22, 2011

Many people think success as graduating from a good college and getting a high paying job. However, what is truly “success?”

I view success as excelling in what you’re doing or meeting the goal(s) that you set for yourself. You could be a politician or a criminal but if you’re excelling in what you’re doing, you are successful. The concept of success is relative to the person or group it applies. You could view what you did as successful while others might feel you need to do more. On the other hand, you could have accomplished a lot and feel you are not successful because your goal is not met while others could view you as successful because you excelled pass their potential.
I think that there is a misconception when applying success to graduating from a good college and having a high paying job. I feel those could be factors of your success but like I stated earlier, its relative to the person. I could have graduated from a good college, have a high paying job, and have a nice car but, if I still live at home with my momma, I as well as most people would not feel that successful. I feel that’s due to the media portrayal of success. Graduating from a good school, having a good job, a nice house, a nice car, good looking spouse and lots of expensive toys is viewed as being successful (ex. soap operas and reality dating shows).
In some Eastern cultures, reaching a certain degree of knowledge, restraint, control, or awareness is considered successful. In some cases that applies here, but to most people, those are factors of your success and it’s not enough. In our culture we always need some kind of material object to define our success, and when we acquire it, we throw it in people’s faces like we are above them, sort of like a general and his ranking medals of honor. I personally don’t like to share my success because it’s important to me and I’m the only one it applies to plus I know how easily a person can get jealous. As far as I’m concerned the more successful you get the more isolated you become.
 

Lyla Holloway
Professor Sabir
Englsih 201B 1:30-3:20
22 September 2011

Question by Lyla Holloway:What is the difference between conscious rap and political hip hop?

Tupac was a very powerful young man when it came to influencing other black youth. He used his voice to share the truth about his life’s struggles, challenges, grief, shame over poverty and his victories. His fans respected him because they could relate to his plight.Being sensitive to the pain of others, he was aware and very upset that," Baltimore has the highest rate of teen pregnancy, teens killing teens, suicide, and the highest rate of AIDS in the black communities."(Dyson 84) Tupac was defiantly a conscious and political rapper. Others like Leila Steinburg his first manager recognized Tupac as a "...somebody who has that political connection and the social connection, but is really ready to also move past ...a world of ...black and white." Trying to make sense of the staggering numbers of the teens afflicted with AIDS and teen pregnancy Tupac organized a stop the killing and a safe sex campaign to no avail. Shortly following the campaign two of his close friends were murdered.


As far as the political side of Tupac goes, he had extremely strong views on America and President Ronald Regan's stance on homelessness."Why can't he take some of them people off the streets and put them his White House? Because he doesn't want to get dirty."(Dyson 82) As a child he spent time in and out of homeless shelters due to his mothers inability to care for him and his sister while engrossed her drug addiction. He lived as a poor youth surrounded by violence and crime yet still found a way out of the insanity for a short time. His success in the music industry took him and his family out of poverty into another way of life.


Because of his experiences growing up in such a dysfunctional family his music reflected the chaos. He had to have an outlet to express his rage, pain and pure outrage against society. He was definitely controversial in his lyrics portraying women as bitches and men as niggas to glorifying violence he "kept it real." The term keeping it real refers to telling the truth about whatever you are about. Critics,musicians and fans all had labels for what his music was. I think it was something different to everybody depending on what song you were listening too. “Tupac ranged freely over the lyrical landscape of hip-hop, pursuing themes that bled through a number of rap’s subgenres, among them conscious rap, political rap, party music, hedonism rap, thug rap and ghettocentric rap.”(Dyson 107)
 

Aman Bharji
Professor Sabir
English 201B 8 to 850
22 September 2011

Answering Aman Bharji question aka my own
What was the purpose of the governments decision to turn their heads away when crack was being distributed in black ghettos and urban areas?
"In the 1980's, Crack concaine ruined lives of the black community"(34). The reason the times were so devastating because they were also victim to the 1970's was the pre-destroyer to the next decade. In the 1980's was full of unemployment and hard lives for many blacks because they couldn't pay bills to support themselves. Economically they took a hit from incipient globalization, deregulation, and loosened trade restrictions which hit the main manufacturing industries that caused a loss in jobs. The only way black community could escape poverty was to move to the suburbs which was the home of the "well-to-do blacks" and losing jobs didn't help because they couldn't pay the bills in the ghetto.

This financially hard times for urban areas was at its worst during this time and started to lose sight of what was important for the black community and violence with addiction hit the ghetto streets"(35). And it instigated the rise of crack addiction,economies, and crimes."
I think the government decided to look away from this as to help their by trying to stop something like drug addiction so that the black community wouldn't be able to fight for rights anymore because they community would be the nucleus of a terrible addiction. How can you fight for something and have Crack heads back up what your fighting for? Gangs and middle class management forced the crack in ghetto districts through the law of predatory capitalism and rational choice theory. I think that these gangs and middle class men weren't thinking about what they were doing to the community and what kind of power a bunch of crack heads could be fighting for, but for the purpose of receiving profit by planting this distribution in places that economy doesn't really pay attention to.
"first , as the exploitation of black and brown populations through crack addiction was established by permitting huge amounts of the drug to drench our domestic terrain and, second, as officials directed the profits of exploited populations to finance th
e illegal disruption of foreign governments in the name of guerilla democracy"(35). this quote sums it up
 

continued AMan BHarji..
This quote sums it up because it telling me that this drug was placed into a community that really had no choice because their own government first of all put excessive amounts of crack in the areas,a and second the profits were being used for foreign illegal disruption opposed to going towards community. I feel that i was a way to make a group of people who were trapped lose all leverage in fighting for what their right and in the end contributing to illegal things the government were doing. I don't think this could help Tupac or any other black revolutiony visioned man trying to make a difference because he had a community that behind that was trapped in a addiction and financial poverty that they were struggling to even keep basic needs in their lives.
 

Aman Bharji
Professor Sabir
English 201B 8 to 850
22 September 2011

In response to Latasha Bullock's question
1. What does it mean when Tupac states “He knows rich people or just well off people who are lost, that people who make sacrificial choices like his mother Afeni really pay-off... “(Dyson 51)

Im using Tupac voice..I use the quote "I know rich people or well-off people who are lost, who are lost" , that people who make sacrificial choices like his mother Afeni really pay-off" Dyson(51)i feel that being financially wealthy doesn't lead to knowing what you want out of your life because a lot of times the people that are rich are puppets to the world and go along with everything.

I feel that my moms purpose in life was doing things for other people and not being so self-centered. "But she chose to analyze society and fight and do things better" really impacted my mind and shaped my personality to follow her footsteps in a way and achieving what i believed in. I became a image of my mother because not falling for anything and standing what i believe in makes my feel like i stand for a individual and not an imitation of a generation.

Do you see where my mindset is coming from? the life or an morally wealthy human being and a financially wealthy human being? theirs a difference

in my quote"Because you know if money was nothing, if there was no money and everything depended on your moral standards and the way that you behaved and the you treated people, we'd be millionaires" really exploits the subliminal message of my previous quote because i feel that the wealthy you are the more you care about the money instead of the people around you. I think its hard for a human being such as my self to establish a balance between fighting for the right things and following the requirement to be a successful human being.
 

Jennifer Holloway
Professor Sabir
english201a 130-320pm
22, September 2011
In what ways does Tupac help his mother Afeni, stay truthful?
While sitting in prison for a bombing charge Afeni learns how to be truthful to herself.
Tupac helps his mother stay truthful, because she know she had a son to raise. The fact that he helps her stay true to her race. This would help
her later on help Tupac stay true to what he is, and not be ashamed for what he is not.
” The decisions that Afeni made in her life would shape and mold a young and growing 2Pac maybe up until the day he died. “
While growing up Afeni stays true to herself when she tells him to read at a young age. This was her punishment to him. She did not have the best, but she wanted her son to have the best. Afeni stayed true to him by telling him he was a strong black man. She was a strong black lady and she always kept it real with him even if it hurt.
 

Great conversation! Everyone has not submitted an essay or commented on another classmate's argument.
 

1) Do you believe that you are the amongst the most influential rapper ?

2) Is it true that the way you made your music was easy for others to make something of the poetry you left be hide?
 

Sabrina Ehrenfeld
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

We all know Tupac was a legend, but what affect did he have on people with hip hop music? What was he trying to say in his music?
 

Sabrina Ehrenfeld
Professor Sabir
English 201A 1:30-3:20
15 September 2011

We all know Tupac was a legend, but what affect did he have on people with hip hop music? What was he trying to say in his music?