Songs of Protest: Changes by 2Pac

The song that I looked at was Changes by 2Pac. This song referred to black poverty, the opportunities black people miss out on, how african american males are often targeted by the police and other subjects like that. I have heard this song before but I never really listened to the words until now. When going through the lyrics there was a few lines that really got me thinking about everything. One example is the line where it says "I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black. My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch". This line referred to how black people often live in poverty and I also see it as how people expect them to steal not just because they are poor but because they are black. It has to do with what race they are and the stereo types associated with it. Which leads me to my next line which i "Cops give a damn about a negro? pull the trigger, kill a n*gga, he's a hero". This line touches up on how if a black man is shot its not as big of a deal as when a white man is shot. It sort of shows racial rankings so to speak. In this rap 2pac blames the people and their jealousy or pride for society not changing. He raps about how there should be changes and how everyone should be responsible for themselves and how one black mans actions doesn't represent every black man just like if a white man commits a crime its not said that all white men are like that. Many of 2Pacs songs he refers to racism and oppression and I think that its very important and impressive.