S. Samuel
Late rapper Tupac Shakur's "Dear Mama" song will reportedly be preserved in the Library of Congress.
According to reports, Pac is only the third emcee to placed in the Library of Congress.
The rapper’s 1994 song “Dear Mama,” about a mother struggling with poverty and addiction, was selected for the 2009 National Recording Registry for its cultural significance, alongside works by Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Patti Smith and R.E.M.. Tupac is the third rapper to be included, following Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy. (Washington Post)
The terms on what songs are allowed to enter the library have also been released.
Selections for the 2009 National Recording Registry are being announced Wednesday. They must be at least 10 years old and be culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. Organizers said Tupac’s “Dear Mama” was a heartfelt homage to mothers struggling with addiction and poverty. It’s also a “relatively tame” recording, and the cultural impact of hip-hop is undeniable, program coordinator Steve Leggett said. (Access Atlanta)
Additional reports suggest that a limited amount of songs may be chosen each year.
Annually, 25 works are nominated by the public and expert panelists to be preserved for their cultural significance. “Dear Mama,” released in 1995, is a song about mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of poverty and addiction. The song will be the third rap act to join the registry, joining tracks from Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy. (TIME)
A film based on the life of Tupac is also reportedly being worked on.
“It looks like we’re doing Tupac Shakur’s movie next in September, that’s what I’ve been starting up and working on now,” filmmaker Antoine Fuqua said in a May 2010 interview. “I’ve been working on that for a while with Morgan Creek and Jim Robinson. I just got the greenlight from him and we’re going in September. I’ve just started to prep that.” Fuqua added that he is hoping to find an unknown actor to portray the iconic hip-hop star, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. “That’s the goal, I want to discover someone new,” he explained. “I want to discover a lot of new people if I can. Obviously I’m going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world.” (Digital Spy)
No further details have been revealed as of now.
Check out Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama” down below:
