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I come up hard, I had to fight.1 Gutta ways, I live the thug life. These lyrics may be familiar or may be unrecognizable due to the way that they are superimposed upon each other, and because of the intangible time that they represent; an unreachable time when Tupac Shakur and Marvin Gaye would have dialogued. Gaye would discuss, through his music, the love between men and women, personal and social struggles in the time of a war strung society, and his good times. Tupac, on the other hand, would use his music to pose appreciation for women against controversial degradation of them, discuss his intrinsic and social struggles, and his perilous revelries. Yet, aren't these the same things? Both artists' lyrics were shaped by personal and social circumstances. Both artists used their music to convey some message. Different words, approaches, and genres yes, but still the same textual themes, functions, and sometimes similar messages. This paper is an exploration of the correlation between Shakur and Gaye's musical style of reflecting and translating personal and social experiences into sound. Using a variety of lyrics that reflect the life situations and conditions of each artist, this paper will expose the esoteric link and evolution between the musical functions of Marvin Gaye and Tupac Shakur. In similar respects, both Shakur and Gaye began their musical writings with lyrics that functioned to propel messages undaunted by their imperfect existence into the minds of their audiences. With lyrics such as Naw, they can't keep the black man down from Shakur's "Trapped", and If this world were mine, I'd give you anything from Gaye's "If This World Were Mine", these two artists began with a motivating and inspirational reflection on the oppressions of society and the power of love. In time, however, the lyrics of each artist turned more passionate and raw, serving to affirm a more socially depreciated outlook. In lyrics from Tupac's songs "Dear Mama", "That's Just the Way it Is", and "It's all About You" and Marvin's songs "Inner City Blues," "What's Going On," and "Let's Get it On," a new focus appeared that functioned to reflect outlooks on personal strife, politics, and women. When Gaye's first album received little attention, Motown pushed him to record up tempo soul music material. He also recorded a number of romantic duets with Tammi Terrell. However after Terrell's death in 1970, Gaye established a new style of soul music with the album What's Going On, a deeply personal and spiritual reflection on family and social issues. A work that focused on current events rather than romance. Similarly, Tupac Shakur's debut album, 2pacalypse Now, revealed cultural indebtedness with almost disarming naiveté.2 The first sounds of Tupac developing social views through an artist's voice has untold promise. However, like Gaye, in Shakur's subsequent albums, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z and Me Against the World, Tupac's lyrics appeared to coarsen and the "untold promise" seemed to break; culminating into the controversial and notorious sound of his first Death Row album: All Eyez On Me.
Approximate Word count = 1903
Approximate Pages = 7.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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