BLACK MUSIC MONTH DAY 4: KEEP YA HEAD UP – TUPAC FEAT. DAVE HOLLISTER

K eep Ya Head Up is a late 1993 hit by Tupac Shakur featuring Dave Hollister. Dave was listed as “The Black Angel” on the singles credits. The song addresses issues concerning the lack of respect toward the female gender, especially poor black women. It has a very positive message and is often used as an example of Tupac’s softer side.

Many consider it to be one of the deepest rap songs ever made, building Tupac’s persona as a very conscious and influential rapper. The beat is sampled from Zapp & Roger’s “Be Alright” and the chorus is sampled from The Five Stairsteps’ “O-o-h Child”. The song peaked at #2 on the U.S. Rap chart, #7 on the Hip Hop/R&B chart and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The video opens up with the words “Dedicated to the memory of Latasha Harlins, it’s still on”, in reference to the L.A. Riots. The video has a basic format with Tupac rapping in the middle of a circle surrounded by a crowd of people and in some scenes seen holding a young child. At times the video shows scenes of what Tupac is rapping about. The music video also features Jada Pinkett-Smith.