He goes on to explain that his actions as a kid did not help the relationship between the two. Shakur says, “when I was young me and my mom had beef, seventeen years old, kicked out on the streets”. The first verse of the song focuses on how the relationship between Shakur and his mother was off to a rocky start. This is the thesis of the whole song, in which you see how Shakur places no one above his mother. For example, he sings, “sweet lady, place no one above ya, you are appreciated”. Tupac Shakur shows how the mystical bond between a mother and her child is hard to separate. Instead of using his “Gangster Rap” style of music, he chose a meaningful sound for his listeners to understand his situation with his mother. The song has a very sad piano tune mixed in with a rap beat. He is currently working on a Makaveli film surrounding Tupac Shakur’s life.This style of music was rare during that time period. He also spoke on the song this week on TMZ Live, revealing he had been in communication with Afeni Shakur recently. Tupac Shakur’s Estate Is Now In The Hands Of The Man Who Signed Him when Tupac comes in the studio very upset and proceeds to explain to us that we had to take out Yo-Yo’s part because a person by the name of Pat Charbonet would not give us the clearance to use that part in the song, so we had no choice but to take it out and that’s where even the Richard Pryor excerpt, which you will hear, is completely off the released version of the song.” The day after we had finished up on everything we were in Echo Sound in L.A. The sample was ‘Wouldn’t be a damn thang without a woman,’ which was taken from the original song from Ice Cube’s ‘This Is A Man’s World,’ with the scratching done, of course, by yours truly DJ King Assassin. Originally, the hook was a sample of a song from the legendary rapper and friend of both of ours named Yo-Yo, from Ice Cube’s Lench Mob. King Assassin (who was present for much of the Me Against The World recordings) shares the record today, explaining the following: “The original version of ‘Dear Mama’ was far different than the version that was released, as far as the hook was constructed. To Hip-Hop Heads, the song features a sample of Ice Cube protege Yo-Yo, who was a then-star on EastWest Records in the early 1990s. Approaching Mothers Day Weekend, one of ‘Pac’s earliest collaborators, DJ King Assassin, has released audio of the original demo version of “Dear Mama.” Apparently, the song took shape long before Shakur’s legal battles and public image surrounding women had been called into question. On Monday night (May 2), Afeni Shakur died at her home in Northern California. Tupac’s Pivotal Classic Me Against The World Turns 20 Years Old (Food For Thought) Just as Shakur put his mother on a pedestal, he was unafraid to point out her flaws, while acknowledging his own. Now emerged in conflict with Rap peers, a changing industry, and the legal system, the MC turned to his rock, and painted un-blurred gratitude. “Dear Mama” followed singles like 1991’s “Brenda’s Got A Baby” (Shakur’s first 2Pacalypse Now look) and 1993’s “Keep Ya Head Up,” which went to #12 on the charts. She received the gift, and even introduced the song in the video single version. While the Thug Life front-man was in prison for felony sexual assault (which he vehemently denied throughout his life), this Top 10 video single emerged to show Tupac’s tender side towards women, but also the most important woman in his life: his mother Afeni. In 1995, Tupac Shakur would release what may be the most definitive song of his career in “Dear Mama.” Appearing on the #1, multi-platinum Me Against The World album, the Tony Pizarro-produced first single countered the Shakur portrayed in the media.