“2Pac on Police Brutality in Unseen Interview with Tanya Hart (1992) RARE”
This interview with host Tanya Hart featured Hip-Hop rapper and activist Tupac Amaru Shakur during the LA riots. The use of hip-hop and rap rapidly grew as an outlet for unequal treatments in low-income neighborhoods. These genres helped artists like Tupac Shakur, create music that tells meaningful stories through its lyrics. During the LA riots before and after, low-income neighborhoods have been targets of a malfunctioning justice system. Shakur’s music touches the social issues revolving around violence, racism, and difficulties minorities face. Both of his parents were members of the Black Panther Party and were involved in large confrontations with the police. With activism in their backgrounds, Tupac would publicly speak about social issues like poverty and racism for people who needed someone to represent them. In the modern era, there are more individuals raising their voice against injustices compared to how it was back then.
In this video, Shakur speaks about being victims of police brutality. He speaks of his mother’s personal experience with police brutality during her era. His mother was beaten by police officers while she was seven months pregnant. As explained in the video, the police put a match to the door and yelled out “fire!” early in the morning and as soon as they opened the door, the police put a shock gun to her pregnant belly and placed a gun to her head telling her not to move. His mother was a leader of the Black Panther Party and she fought hard for freedom that “she knew she was never going to receive” (video). Tupac shared, “Any black male can identify that I could truly pass off, I could die, and I’ve left a mark and for a white person would say ‘why would he say that’ but for a black person in today’s society where we’re not promised to live to 21. At 20 years old I get a future film…” (11:30). Data has continuously shown the negative effects the United States criminal justice system has had on black communities; especially younger black males and the LA riots clearly show evidence of it. It is important to listen to the voices that are continuously being shut down.
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