Some may know The Rose That Grew from Concrete, as one of the many popular songs by Tupac Shakur. But not only was it a popular song, it was a poem. For those who do not recognize Tupac Shakur, he was an American rapper who is known as one of the most influential best-selling music artists, selling more than 75 million records worldwide. Unfortunately, his life was fatally taken in 1996 when he was just the age of 25 before he could reach any further accomplishments. Tupac’s poems were released only after his untimely death revealing his most intimate and honest thoughts at the time he was alive. The poems were written in his own handwriting, – potentially in a notebook – when he was around the age of 19. These personal entries highlight his feelings at the time on different aspects of love, poverty, and racial discrimination.
The four different sections of the poem are labeled, the rose that grew from concrete (poverty), nothing can come between us (love), just a breath of freedom and liberty needs glasses (discrimination). “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete – proving nature’s laws wrong it learned to walk without having feet – Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams it learned 2 breathe fresh air – long live the rose that grew from concrete”. This is an intro poem that represents the growth from the struggle. The rose represents the growth out of poverty and struggle which symbolizes the concrete. This steers the rest of the book as he writes about his relationships with a multitude of different women and other poems about poverty. He also writes about his relationship with his mother and makes dedications to different celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Huey P. Newton. One of my favorite poems is The Eternal Lament, which means a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. He expresses in the poem his motivation to achieve his goals and that despite not having certain traits he will prosper using his talents.
Tupac’s poems create a beautiful book that offers a message of resilience and hope that encourages his readers to persevere despite the hardships they may face.
