Keep Ya Head Up

In the fall of 1993, Tupac Shakur took aim at men who abandon women. Keep Ya Head Up speaks to Black women, to young mothers whose partners have vanished, and to children growing up without fathers. The song established his reputation as a thoughtful rapper.

Comfort for Women, Criticism of Fathers and the State

The beat is built on Zapp's Be Alright, while the chorus draws on the Five Stairsteps' O-o-h Child. Lyrically, Tupac combines comfort and indictment: he offers encouragement to women, criticizes men who father children and disappear, and denounces the state for cutting welfare. Critic Alyssa Rosenberg later wrote that the song connected a reckoning with irresponsible fathers, a plea for abortion rights, and a sharp analysis of misogyny.

The song is dedicated to Tupac's godson Elijah and to Corin, the daughter of Salt from the duo Salt-N-Pepa.

A Child in His Arms and a Dedication to Latasha Harlins

The video opens with a dedication to Latasha Harlins, who was shot dead in a Los Angeles store in 1991 at the age of fifteen. David Dobkin directed. Tupac raps surrounded by people, holding a child in his arms; his mother Afeni Shakur and actress Jada Pinkett make cameo appearances.

The US Maxi-Single and the 1997 Original Version

Shown here is the US maxi-single (CD 95972-2, also on 12").

The final track is the original version of I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto, which became a single in 1997 with a new production.