Alec Arts Award Silver Review

I've chosen to review two music video's by Tupac. The first one is "Dear Mamma" and here it is on youtube:

The video starts with his mother speaking about when she was pregnant with him in Jail shows what is supposed to be her in the cell. She says she was acquitted just before she had him, but that she was ok because she had a son. The video shows tupac when he was young and kicked when he was seventeen because he fought with her and he never thought he would see her again but that there "ain't another woman alive who could take her place". He then says that he messed up in school and was hanging with drug dealers. In the video it shows him with his baby sister crying and he raps about how he was poorer than other little kids. He says he blamed his mum for his problems. He then talks about that he was a normal boy but that he was thrown in jail for no reason and that he was hugging his mum from a jail cell but that when he got home he was beaten by her. He talks about his mum being on drugs "Even as crack fiend momma you always was a black queen". He says that it isn't easy for a woman to raise a young man when they're getting in trouble as a poor single woman on welfare. The video is so strong because it shows he isn't lying and shows his true life. There are loads of rappers who rap about their mums but Tupac does it in a way that is heartfelt and honest.

He talks about how his mum told him that his dad had died and that he wasn't there for him, that thugs and drug dealers replaced his dad and showed him love. He then talks about how he's happy that he can now pay his mums rent and buy her diamond necklaces.

The second video I've chosen to review is Biggie Smalls "Big Poppa" because it has good vibes and a great beat. Here is the video:

The production is really good and he's using real instruments. In the first verse he's talking about he's up in clubs all the time, how the girls love him, and how he brings his crew and how he is a proper ladies man. He's basically saying how his life is glamorous and how all his friends are rich. The Chorus is "Put your hands in the air, if you're a true player" which is a reference to gangsta culture. In the video it shows him in two different clubs followed lots of girls and young people just having a good time. The second verse he talks about how he approaches girls, how his chat up lines are better than other girls. This part is interesting because he's saying that he knows how to get a girl by having proper conversations with them about their interests. He then makes a joke about taking them out and eating lots of good himself (He's a pretty big guy and indulges himself). He talks about how he brings his bro's into his life and buys them what they want and how he has money. The video and the track are all about how he is the big man and how a rappers life is all about status.

Both of these artists inspire me because they make me want to write music like them and have it played in clubs. My aim is to try to bring back old skool hip hop with my rapping. Tupac has influenced my rapping because he makes me want to talk about my life and be honest. He also inspires me to put more effort into making it.