Reaction Keep Ya Head Up by 2Pac

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Gaming: Master of Orion

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Game/Publisher/Developer

Master of Orion, MicroProse, SimTex Software

My Reaction

This one was outside my scope back in 1993-1994; I came to it later. It’s a turn-based game through and through, and the race you pick changes everything about how a campaign plays out. Psilon was my nemesis every single time; their research lead snowballs so fast that by the midgame they’re fielding technology nobody else can touch.

Overview

Master of Orion is a turn-based 4X strategy game released in 1993, developed by SimTex Software and published by MicroProse. Players lead one of ten playable races; Humans, Alkari, Bulrathi, Darloks, Klackons, Meklar, Mrrshan, Psilon, Sakkra and Silicoids; through exploring, expanding, exploiting and exterminating across the galaxy. Each race has its own specialty: Humans lean into trade and diplomacy, the Bulrathi dominate ground combat, the Silicoids ignore pollution and can colonize even the most hostile planets but grow slowly, and so on. Races are also predisposed to like or dislike each other, and each carries its own research strengths and weaknesses.

1993 on Modest Walrus