Abstract
Rap music is a monumental aspect of popular culture in American society that deserves to be critically analyzed. The purpose of this study was to critically examine the ways in which Tupac Shakur, a deceased rap emcee, utilized his lyrical and non-discursive musical elements to illustrate Black Nationalism. In order to complete the analysis of Shakur’s songs, I employed the method of ideological criticism. Utilizing an ideological criticism, I critically analyzed Tupac Shakur’s four songs “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” “White Man’z World,” and “Changes.” Within these four songs, Shakur’s rhetoric illustrates his political voice regarding sexism, war on drugs, and peaceful empowerment in black society. This study helps uncover Tupac Shakur’s black activist rhetoric.
Advisor
Bostdorff, Denise
Second Advisor
Atay, Ahmet
Department
Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Edson, Patrick C., "The Political Voice of Tupac Shakur: Lyrical Rhetoric on Black Nationalism" (2016). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 7263.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/7263
Disciplines
Critical and Cultural Studies
Keywords
Black Nationalism, Ideology, Social Oppression, Rhetoric
Publication Date
2016
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2016 Patrick C. Edson