Tupac Shakur & Black Vernacular
CSU Chico
Nicholas Pedroza
There has been widespread debate on the creation and use of Ebonics, or black vernacular within the education system, it has not been inputted into the schools, but nonetheless the use of it is very popular and the reason for that are rappers. Black vernacular is widely spoken throughout the black community so when rappers rap in black vernacular and whatever they rap about the people can relate to it. Stated by Matthew Feldman, “Lyrical musical performance is different from any other genre of language use, but it does not exist in a vacuum. The lyrics to songs written and performed by African Americans are to some degree reflective of other forms of African American …show more content…
Tupac explains in his music about the bad things that happen on such a normal basis within his community, mainly the several deaths of his friends and the aftermath of that caused depression. Black-on black crime, he constantly referred to, pointed out black males who were in the same situation as he was (Stevens 21). When he rapped about the death of his friends he wasn’t afraid to express his true emotions because he knew that those who were in similar situations as him felt the same way and wanted those that hadn’t experienced to really feel the pain that Tupac felt. According to Stevens who went really in depth on Tupac’s explanation on the death of his friends, “They got a n****. Sheddin’ tears, reminiscing on my past fears. Cause s*** was hectic for me last year…For all the brothers that are buried in the cemetery. S*** is scary, how black on black crime legendary… My tear drops getting’ bigger but can’t figure what I’m crying for” (Stevens 23). When Tupac describes that the tears he cries continue to get bigger and bigger because he is continuously losing friends to black on black crime. Black …show more content…
Tupac used black vernacular in his raps because that’s how he spoke on a regular basis, not Standard English, so why would he rap one way and speak another, it just wouldn’t work. He grew up in the ghetto, the people spoke AAVE, African American Vernacular English, just like him, so when people would listen to his music they would completely understand what he is saying, Rappers, including Tupac, were the main reason that the spread and use of black vernacular was so popular throughout their communities, they came from the ghetto, they spoke the language as well as rapped it, so when a fan listens to Tupac’s music and listens to the lyrics and recognizes what he is saying, that fan can relate to Tupac. Walter Edwards and Leslie Ash explain how critical rap was in regards to black vernacular, “The language in which such narratives are encoded is the vernacular; these tales in Standard American English (SAE) would sound ‘unreal’. We believe that Gangsta rap, with its language and content rooted in Black historical and everyday experiences, resonates more powerful among PIY that
CSU Chico
Nicholas Pedroza
There has been widespread debate on the creation and use of Ebonics, or black vernacular within the education system, it has not been inputted into the schools, but nonetheless the use of it is very popular and the reason for that are rappers. Black vernacular is widely spoken throughout the black community so when rappers rap in black vernacular and whatever they rap about the people can relate to it. Stated by Matthew Feldman, “Lyrical musical performance is different from any other genre of language use, but it does not exist in a vacuum. The lyrics to songs written and performed by African Americans are to some degree reflective of other forms of African American …show more content…
Tupac explains in his music about the bad things that happen on such a normal basis within his community, mainly the several deaths of his friends and the aftermath of that caused depression. Black-on black crime, he constantly referred to, pointed out black males who were in the same situation as he was (Stevens 21). When he rapped about the death of his friends he wasn’t afraid to express his true emotions because he knew that those who were in similar situations as him felt the same way and wanted those that hadn’t experienced to really feel the pain that Tupac felt. According to Stevens who went really in depth on Tupac’s explanation on the death of his friends, “They got a n****. Sheddin’ tears, reminiscing on my past fears. Cause s*** was hectic for me last year…For all the brothers that are buried in the cemetery. S*** is scary, how black on black crime legendary… My tear drops getting’ bigger but can’t figure what I’m crying for” (Stevens 23). When Tupac describes that the tears he cries continue to get bigger and bigger because he is continuously losing friends to black on black crime. Black …show more content…
Tupac used black vernacular in his raps because that’s how he spoke on a regular basis, not Standard English, so why would he rap one way and speak another, it just wouldn’t work. He grew up in the ghetto, the people spoke AAVE, African American Vernacular English, just like him, so when people would listen to his music they would completely understand what he is saying, Rappers, including Tupac, were the main reason that the spread and use of black vernacular was so popular throughout their communities, they came from the ghetto, they spoke the language as well as rapped it, so when a fan listens to Tupac’s music and listens to the lyrics and recognizes what he is saying, that fan can relate to Tupac. Walter Edwards and Leslie Ash explain how critical rap was in regards to black vernacular, “The language in which such narratives are encoded is the vernacular; these tales in Standard American English (SAE) would sound ‘unreal’. We believe that Gangsta rap, with its language and content rooted in Black historical and everyday experiences, resonates more powerful among PIY that