“Changes,” Tupac
In arguably Tupac’s biggest posthumous release, the child of a Black Panther took on issues heavier than his 169 lb frame could carry and more oppressive than his 25 years of living could bear. This song addressed things very specific to the community that nurtured him from birth and was a poetic cry for change.
“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 n*gga, he’s a hero … 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 … It’s time to fight back, that’s what Huey said … Two shots in the dark, now Huey’s dead.”
Aptly entitled, “Changes” addressed poverty, racism, the dynamics of the Black Family – and more interestingly calls on us to heal our own wounds.
“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.”
Throughout the song, he further acknowledges the pain that we sometimes bring to our own communities in the form of drugs and Black-on-Black violence; but doesn’t forget the role that our oppressors have play in all of this. ‘Pac was different. He was prophetic in every sense of the word. On one hand he spoke truth to power like the freedom-fighting blood that ran through his veins would require … and also in the mystical sense. He could see what many of did not see…
“And although it seems heaven-sent, We ain’t ready to see a Black president …” From his grave he speaks … as if he knew Jan. 6 was inevitable.
Yup … Pac was different.