Why I Reacted To This Song
It’s rare to hear a rap track from that era speak this directly.
Original by Artist
About This Song
Released on October 28, 1993 as the third single from 2Pac’s second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…, the song was actually recorded back in 1992. DJ Daryl produced the track, building the beat around a sample of Zapp’s 1980 song “Be Alright” and layering in The Five Stairsteps’ 1970 hit “O-o-h Child” for the chorus. 2Pac dedicated the song to Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old Black girl fatally shot by a Korean-American store owner in 1991, an incident that raised racial tensions in Los Angeles ahead of the 1992 riots; the music video opens with a dedication to her memory. He also dedicated it to his godson Elijah and to Corin, daughter of Salt from Salt-N-Pepa, with uncredited backing vocals from R&B singer Dave Hollister of Blackstreet. The track marked a real departure from the more aggressive gangsta rap of the era, leaning instead into a compassionate, socially conscious side of 2Pac that tackled women’s rights and the struggles facing the Black community; he later said in a 1995 interview that he’d noticed a lack of songs uplifting Black women before writing it. A sequel, “Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II),” followed posthumously in 1999 on Still I Rise.
First Impressions
The chorus sample pulls you in immediately, but it’s the directness of the verses that actually holds your attention.
My Reaction
What critics tend to highlight is how directly this song pushes back against misogyny, speaking to and lifting up Black women at a moment when rap was routinely called out for how it portrayed them. It’s also often discussed alongside real events tied to misogynoir, most notably the killing of Latasha Harlins, which gives the message an added weight and urgency. Hearing 2Pac step outside the more aggressive persona of the era to make something this compassionate is exactly why the song still resonates.
Rating
84/100