And Still I Love U

No money, no possessions, in fact nothing at all: And Still I Love U begins right in the midst of deprivation. The direct, almost plain love poem draws its power from confessing its own poverty. In the book The Rose That Grew from Concrete, the text appears in the second part; it is sometimes listed as And Still I Love You.

A Promise from the Poverty of Marin City

All that remains for the speaker is the dream of a better day and the person addressed, who is meant to help him find his way. That fits what is known about Tupac’s living circumstances around 1989: after the move to Marin City, the family lived in poverty. Poems from this period return to it again and again, such as Life Through My Eyes.

What follows is a series of promises. He admits mistakes that he will make as a man, but promises to do everything to preserve the relationship. He would die and watch over her if that would prove his love. And even if she turns away from him, he wants to go on loving her; that is where the title comes from.

Dying for a Principle or for Love

The readiness to die for something runs through many poems in the book. In In the Event of My Demise it is a principle, here it is love. The pathos feels youthful but sincere: it shows a nineteen-year-old capturing grand emotions in grand imagery.

Set to Music by Red Rat in 2000

On the 2000 album The Rose That Grew from Concrete, the poem was set to music as And Still I Love You, performed by the dancehall artist Red Rat. According to the preface by Afeni Shakur, it was written between 1989 and 1991; a more specific date is not documented. An overview of the entire book and all poems is provided in the introduction.