How hip-hop artists pay homage to their mothers

Of all the rap songs in my digital library, there are two that just about bring me to tears whenever I hear them. One of those songs is “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” by Kendrick Lamar. The other song is one that countless people will undoubtedly be listening to this Mother’s Day weekend as we celebrate and honor the women who gave us life. That song is “Dear Mama,” by Tupac Shakur.

The song – released in 1995 – has generated more than 257 million streams on just one popular music streaming service. The main video for the song on YouTube has been viewed more than 395 million times.

I always knew “Dear Mama” was one of Tupac’s greatest hits. But I hadn’t known precisely how popular the song was until I edited an article in which A.D. Carson, a scholar of hip-hop at the University of Virginia, examines some of its complexities and nuances. He also looks at several of the many other songs that various rap artists – from Kanye West to Jay Z – have written as lyrical odes to their mothers.

“In hip-hop music,” Carson writes, “it sometimes seems as if songs to and about mothers are common enough that audiences might take them for granted.”

Carson notes that “Dear Mama” will inevitably gain more popularity thanks to a new documentary of the same name, which takes a look at Tupac’s relationship with his mother, Afeni Shakur, and the role that her revolutionary politics and her own life struggles played in shaping Tupac’s life and musical career. It’s a refreshing reminder that no matter what kind of music we enjoy, we’d have none of it – and really nothing at all – were it not for our mothers.

This week we also liked stories about TV shows about diplomats, abuse in restaurant kitchens and an ode to clothing moths.