Tupac Shakur and the political soul of hip-hop

Episode Summary 

Politics is a battle over elections and policies, but underneath it’s really a battle over stories, the cultural myths that shape our sense of identity, power, and possibility. And few stories loom larger in the American imagination than the saga of Tupac Shakur, the rapper and actor whose influence continues to resonate across the globe nearly 30 years after his death.

It’s easy to see why. The problems of poverty, racism, capitalism, and inequality are as present today as they were when Tupac and other early hip-hop musicians began telling stories that no one else would.

Talking about all of this with me today is Dean Van Nguyen. He’s the author of a new biography of Tupac Shakur called “Words for My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur” that highlights the political legacy that was lost when the emcee was gunned down in the streets of Las Vegas in 1996.

While today’s rap industry has largely been absorbed by the capitalism its pioneers once resisted, the radical spirit Tupac embodied still echoes—sometimes in unexpected places.

One of those places is Donald Trump’s political movement. In a bizarre turn, Trump has increasingly styled himself as a hip-hop folk hero—and, surprisingly, more than a few rappers have gone along with it. This is a conversation about symbolism, masculinity, memory, and resistance.

The video of this episode is available, the transcript is below. Because of its length, some podcast apps and email programs may truncate it. Access the episode page to get the full text.

Theory of Change and Flux are listener supported. We need your help to keep going. Please subscribe to stay in touch!

Related Content

—A flashback look at how Donald Trump reached out to hip-hop stars to push his 2024 message

—Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and toxic gravitation: How reactionaries bond over mutual narcissism 🔒

—Why the decline of the black church is helping Republicans reach new voters

—Doja Cat and the lies we tell ourselves about sex and race

—Many Black Americans don’t like Democrats, but they loathe Republicans even more, which disdain will prove stronger?

Audio Chapters

00:00 — Introduction

05:53 — Tupac’s continued global resonance

09:14 — The origins of hip-hop and its commercialization

11:35 — Tupac’s legacy of contradictions

18:41 — The Black Panthers’ influence on Tupac’s mother

23:50 — Masculinity and gender within hip-hop

29:06 — Gender and sexuality in the Black Panther Party

35:56 — Obama and Trump in rap

39:12 — Former Panthers still have hope for the future despite Trump

41:31 — Trump’s 2024 campaign reached out heavily to hip-hop artists

46:22 — ‘Coolness’ as a non-political voter persuasion method

50:22 — How Van Nguyen brought oral history into his book

58:19 — Eazy-E, another political West Coast emcee

01:01:55 — The meanings of ‘thug life’