Long Live the Rose: Looking back at Tupac Shakur’s poetry

In his poems “Ambition Over Adversity” Tupac Amaru Shakur advises the reader to take one’s mistakes and struggles and turn it in to something positive.
Better known as 2Pac, this lyricist was a rap artist who pushed his way through the music industry and developed a message with a punch.
Tupac dominated the rap game with resonating hits like “Ambitionz Az a Ridah,” “California Love,” “Hail Mary” and “Hit ‘Em Up,” arguably one of the most memorable and most vicious diss tracks in rap music.
Before Tupac’s rise to fame, before his brief acting career, and his murder in Las Vegas — he wrote a collection of poetry.
Tupac’s words overflow with passion, anger and sorrow.
“The Rose that Grew from Concrete,” published Feb. 3, 2009, is a 176-page book comprised of Tupac’s handwritten poems and sketches between the years 1989 and 1991.
His handwritten revisions and corrections are reproduced in their original form.
The book is broken into four sections.
The segments are titled after the first poem in each: “The Rose That Grew from Concrete,” “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” “Just a Breath of Freedom” and “Liberty Needs Glasses.”
Poems such as “And 2morrow,” “The Rose That Grew from Concrete,” “The Power of a Smile” and “Can U C the Pride in the Panther” show his sense of pride and joy while poems such as “Life Through My Eyes” and “’U R Ripping Us Apart !!!’” reflects distress.
“The Rose That Grew from Concrete” and “Life Through My Eyes” can be found on the first section, “The Power of a Smile” ca be found on the second section, “’U R Ripping Us Apart !!!’” and “Can U C the Pride in the Panther” are in the third section titled “Just a Breath of Freedom.” “And 2morrow” can be found in the final section “Liberty Needs Glasses.”
The poem “No More Pain” could be considered his final sign off with the first line stating “When I die I wanna be a livin’ legend…”
April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month.
This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Tupac’s death.
Tupac died at the age of 25.
His is murder case has not been solved.
But his brutal honesty guarantees his place as one of the most influential artists in the rap industry and in the world of poetry.
In the same manner as Shakespeare, Poe, Angelou and Frost, rappers Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Notorious BIG, Nas and Tupac used their experiences to give insight through poetry.
Out of Tupac’s ashes has risen a new school of rappers such as 50 Cent, Eminem, The Game and Kendrick Lamar. From this generation of new school artists comes the potential for a new bred of not just rappers, but poets.