Comparison Of Tupac's Dear Mama 'And Hit' Em Up

Although written by the same rap artist, Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama” and “Hit ‘Em Up” could hardly be more different from each other. Both songs, considered to be Tupac’s most influential for different reasons, showcase a contradiction in the personas he embodies in them. Described as “a moving and eloquent homage to both the murdered rapper's own mother and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference” by the Library of Congress, “Dear Mama” has Tupac rapping about how, despite growing up in poverty with a crack cocaine addicted mother, his love and deep respect for her allowed him to rise above these bad experiences as a better person (Library of Congress, 2010). In contrast, “Hit ‘Em Up” is better described as a “diss track” due to the overtly explicit lyrics Tupac uses, such as “We’re gonna kill all you motherfuckers” and “All of y’all motherfuckers, fuck you, die slow motherfucker. My four four make sure all your kids don’t grow,” to describe his violent intent towards his competitors – Biggie Smalls and Sean Combs – …show more content…
Suspicious of the assault due to the assailants leaving his Rolex watch, Tupac accused popular East Coast rappers Biggie Smalls and Sean Combs, who both had a grudge with Suge Knight at the time, of perpetrating the attack. This event was the primary impetus behind Tupac writing “Hit ‘Em Up” as a “diss track” against Biggie Smalls and Sean Combs evidenced by the following lyrics calling them out “We bust on Bad Boy niggaz fucked for life. Plus Puff tryin’ta see me weak hearts I rip. Biggie Smalls and Junior M.A.F.I.A. Some mark-ass bitches” (Shakur, 1996). Hailed as the greatest “diss track” ever made by many, “Hit ‘Em Up” managed to escalate the tension that had been brewing between Los Angeles and New York – West Coast and East Coast