This is in allusion to the song “Sadie” which is not only sampled in this song but is also in a lot of ways the template for this piece. At 23 seconds the introduction of guitar to the melodic layers with a very blues/funk timbre. The beat is slightly swung as it hangs near the back of the beat, however it sounds very tight on the beat by comparison to Tupac’s sense of syncopation and backbeat delay. A bright cymbal crash brings in the beat consisting of not only the snaps (now more prevalent) but also ride cymbal, snare, and bass in a standard 2-4 accent pattern with an eighth note pattern on the cymbals. We hear some hints at the rhythm through reverberated snaps as she finishes her monologue the melody crescendos as Tupac enters with lyrics. She talks about being in jail pregnant and getting released just before Tupac’s birth. A spoken intro from Tupac’s mother comes over the top.
The introduction opens with subtle harmonic tones with an almost ghostly resonance fading in from the background as an electronic organ plays a simple rhythmic melody. These things combine with Tupac’s lyrics to form not only a tribute song to his mother, but also a song she could be proud of and feel comfortable listening to. This is reinforced with 70’s sounding backup singers filling in the background of the chorus as well as the light male tenor voice characterized in the chorus. The choice of a 70’s sounding blues/funk guitar and an electronic organ speaks to a time gone by and the classic sound of music that his mother would have listened to, possibly this sound represents memories of songs from Tupac’s youth, and his mother’s musical influences on him. The subtle harmonies and melodies and delicate rhythmic choices allude to the softer touch Tupac is trying to present in this, one of his lighter, more delicate works. Other inductees include Morton Subotnick’s Silver Apples of the Moon, the first commissioned electronic music album, the Staple Singers’ Stax classic Soul Folk in Action and Max Mathews’ 1961 recording of “Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)” that featured the singing voice of a programmed IBM 704, which later served as inspiration for the final HAL scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey.This song is a tribute song to Tupac’s mother, and in a lot of ways to women and mothers coming up in difficult neighborhoods everywhere.
2PAC DEAR MAMA STEREOTYPES FREE
R.E.M.’s “Radio Free Europe,” the opening track on their seminal debut Murmur, was credited by the Library of Congress as “setting the pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio in the face of mainstream radio’s general indifference.” “Radio Free Europe” is the second significant ’80s alternative rock release, along with Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation, that has joined the Library of Congress’ 300 inducted recordings to date. 1995’s “Dear Mama” also becomes the Recording Registry’s most recent entrant, coming four years after Nirvana’s Nevermind, which was previously the “youngest” Library of Congress inductee. The Library of Congress called Tupac’s “Dear Mama” “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.” “Dear Mama” marks only the third hip-hop recording to gain entry into the Library of Congress following Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” and Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet. Recordings must be at least a decade old to be considered for the Library of Congress, Reuters reports.
2PAC DEAR MAMA STEREOTYPES PLUS
Loretta Lynn’s Coal Miner’s Daughter, plus songs by Little Richard and Howlin’ Wolf will also be honored this year. Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama,” R.E.M.’s “Radio Free Europe” and three of Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Patti Smith’s Horses, the Band’s self-titled second album and Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger - are among the 25 recordings that will be inducted into the Library of Congress’ Recording Registry, which preserves “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” works.