American Rap

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American rap has changed very much over time. A big reason for that was the work of Tupac and Eminem. Although Tupac isn’t around anymore, Eminem is still changing the rap game forever. In the early stages of rap, it was mainly popular to african americans and performed by african americans but since the emergence of Eminem, rap music is more popular to all races and is being performed by all races as well. Rap has changed very much over time and the similarities and differences between Tupac and Eminem had a great impact on the American rap industry and American culture. Tupac “Amaru” Shakur, also known as “2Pac,” was born on June 16, 1971 in New York, New York (Scott). According to the article, Shakur,Tupac by Cathy Scott, Tupac was a rapper, film actor, and a poet. He was known as one of the most influential and greatest rappers of the 1990’s (Scott). The song that launched his career was “Same Song” when he appeared in the music video in 1991 (Scott). After the video aired, rap fans across America were asking who the young man was in the African outfit with beads beaming down his chest like an “African King.” (Scott). It was this when Tupac “first realized the thrill of putting a rhyme on tape and getting it to the public.” It was after this that Tupac bursted on the rap scene with his 13 rap song album, 2Pacalypse Now. The album was destined to change the face of rap music in America and even the world. Tupac vowed to to use his poetic power to tell the stories from the streets and ghetto that the main media would not talk about, including the rights of black males and other African Americans in America, police brutality, and poverty. In his song, Rebel of the Underground, he foreshadowed the conflict between h... ... middle of paper ... ...usic. Works Cited “Reflections on Tupac Shakur.” News and Notes13 Sept. 2006. Student Resources in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. McLeod, Kembrew. “Rap and Hip Hop.” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast Vol 4. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 174-176. Student Resources in Context. Web. 18. Feb. 2014. “Eminem and 8 Mile.” Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. “Eminem.” Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014 McConnell, Veronica Bruce, et al. “Music: Hip Hop Trends (1990s).” American Decades: 1990-1999. Ed. Tandy McConnell. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Student Resources in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. “Tupac Shakur.” Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

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