Brenda's Got a Baby

Three verses follow a twelve-year-old girl from pregnancy to death. With Brenda's Got a Baby, many listeners perceived Tupac as a storyteller for the first time: a clear indictment of family, neighborhood, and society, entirely without pointing fingers.

A Newspaper Report Becomes an Indictment

Tupac wrote the song after reading a newspaper report about a twelve-year-old girl who had become pregnant by a relative and tried to dispose of her newborn. In the song, her name is Brenda. She gives birth to the child alone, puts it in a dumpster, is cast out by her family, and falls into drug dealing and prostitution. The story ends with her death. Dave Hollister sings the chorus.

In 2025, biographer Jeff Pearlman tracked down the child from the newspaper report, now a grown man, and facilitated a reunion with his mother.

Black-and-White Images Shortly Before "Menace II Society"

Brothers Allen and Albert Hughes directed the black-and-white video in January 1992, shortly before rising to prominence with Menace II Society. Actress Ethel “Edy” Proctor plays Brenda.

Double A-Side on Cassette

This edition is a US maxi-single featuring both A-sides. On Discogs, the same tracklist is documented as cassette 4-96212, with If My Homie Calls in the first position (see If My Homie Calls).