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Keep Ya Head Up2Pac

Released: October 28, 1993

Songwriter: Stan Vincent Roger Troutman DJ Daryl 2Pac

Producer: 2Pac DJ Daryl

[Intro: 2Pac]
Little something for my godson Elijah
And a little girl named Corin

[Verse 1: 2Pac & Dave Hollister]
Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots (Oh)
I give a holla to my sisters on welfare
2Pac cares if don't nobody else care (Oh)
And, uh, I know they like to beat you down a lot
When you come around the block, brothers clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive, but don't forget, girl, keep ya head up
And when he tells you you ain't nothin', don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him
'Cause, sister, you don't need him
And I ain't tryin' to gas you up, I just call 'em how I see 'em (You don't need him)
You know what makes me unhappy? (What's that?)
When brothers make babies
And leave a young mother to be a pappy (Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman (Yeah, yeah)
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
(Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?)
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't, we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies that make the babies (Oh, yeah-yeah)
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up?
I know you're fed up, ladies, but keep ya head up

[Chorus: Dave Hollister]
(Keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier
(Keep-keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things'll get brighter
(Oh-oh, keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier
(Keep-keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things'll get brighter

[Verse 2: 2Pac & Dave Hollister]
Ayo, I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me
He had me feelin' like black was the thing to be
And suddenly the ghetto didn't seem so tough
And though we had it rough, we always had enough
I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
Ran with the local crew and had a smoke or two
I realize Mama really paid the price
She nearly gave her life to raise me right (Oh, yeah-yeah)
And all I had to give her was my pipe dream
Of how I'd rock the mic and make it to the bright screen
I'm tryin' to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
It's hard to be legit and still pay your rent
And in the end, it seems I'm headin' for the pen'
I try to find my friends, but they're blowin' in the wind
Last night, my buddy lost his whole family
It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity (Oh, no, no, no)
It seems the rain'll never let up
I try to keep my head up and still keep from gettin' wet up, huh
You know, it's funny, when it rains it pours
They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor
Said it ain't no hope for the youth
And the truth is it ain't no hope for the future
And then they wonder why we crazy, huh
I blame my mother for turnin' my brother into a crack baby
We ain't meant to survive 'cause it's a set-up
And even though you're fed up, huh, you got to keep ya head up

[Chorus: Dave Hollister]
(Keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier
(Keep-keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things'll get brighter
(Oh-oh, keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier
(Keep-keep ya head up)
Ooh, child, things'll get brighter

[Verse 3: 2Pac & Dave Hollister]
And, uh, to all the ladies havin' babies on they own
I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin' all alone
Daddy's long gone and he left you by your lonesome
Thank the Lord for my kids even if nobody else want 'em
'Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure
And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more (Oh-oh)
'Cause ain't nothin' worse than when your son
Wants to know why his daddy don't love him no mo'
You can't complain, you was dealt this hell of a hand
Without a man, feelin' helpless (I know you were)
Because there's too many things for you to deal with
Dyin' inside, but outside you're lookin' fearless
While the tears is rollin' down your cheeks
You're steady hopin' things don't all fall this week (Yeah)
'Cause if it did, you couldn't take it (Yeah)
And don't blame me, I was given this world, I didn't make it (Oh, yeah)
And now my son's gettin' older and older
And cold from havin' the world on his shoulders
While the rich kids is drivin' Benz
I'm still tryin' to hold on to survivin' friends (Oh, yeah)
And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up
But, huh, please, you got to keep your head up

2Pac

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an actor and a highly influential rapper who is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time due to the revolutionary spirit and thug passion he mixed into his music. During his music career, he made appearances in movies such as his acclaimed debut in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), and Above the Rim (1994).

Born in Harlem, New York City to Black Panther Party members Billy Garland and Afeni Shakur, Tupac would later move to Baltimore before settling in the Bay Area cities of Oakland and Marin City in the late 1980s. There, he joined his first rap group Strictly Dope with Ray Luv before connecting with Shock G and Digital Underground. He was a roadie and backup dancer for the group before his breakthrough performance on their 1991 song “Same Song.”

2Pac released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, which featured intense storytelling on singles such as “Trapped” and “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” His sophomore album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z featured one of his signature songs, the Digital Underground-assisted “I Get Around.” After working on the Thug Life group album in 1994, 2Pac released Me Against the World the following year, which is considered by many to be his best album, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a Grammy nomination—all while he sat in prison.

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