![]() This film is based loosely on his brief love affair with a New York poet and his love of Angelou’s poetry, made more poignant that in three years from this film’s release he would be killed. Tupac’s mother was linked to the Black Panther movement, his early life was one of civil rights and power struggles. It’s hard to explain the lasting and shattering legacy Tupac has had on both spoken word poetry and rap music over the last 30 years if you don’t already know. She inspired countless people and one of those was Tupac Shakur. Yet she became a singer, a poet and read her poetry at President Clinton’s inauguration. She endured unimaginable brutality (including rape at age 7) in an era where black people were routinely lynched by white supremacists. ![]() The impact of Maya Angelou on art, civil rights and this filmcan not be underplayed. Lucky (Tupac) is also companioned by music and art. Justice’s main companion through her life is her ‘notebook’ of poems. The word ‘Alone’ also summons up who can be with us. Angelou writes with strong rhythm and repetitions, in plain language and arresting images. That word ‘Alone’ becomes a rallying cry to ‘togetherness’ but also to the power of art to ‘companion’ us. How can people endure these traumas of indignity and poverty? The film shows how these go to separate men from women, fathers from children, people from their heritage. The word ‘Here’ is the key, traveling from ‘this place of poverty’ to the world itself. Maya Angelou writes in ‘Alone’ that “no one can make it out of here alone”. The film highlights all the issues facing young black people in the 1990s (and depressingly still today) early death, poverty, poor mentors, poor housing, health care, children bringing up children, drugs, prostitution, prison. The first poem we hear is ‘Alone’ in the voice of Justice (Janet Jackson) as she writes in response to the assassination of her boyfriend. Justice wonders how she will endure. It is worth noting that Singleton started the trend of using established poets as a voice to the film’s protagonist. Poetry is woven through the film and unlike many of the other films where poetry is featured – it takes centre stage. It is Angelou’s poetry we hear in Justice’s voice, how she is trying to make good choices in a world where bad choices are sometimes the only choice. Justice (Janet Jackson) is a poet, she writes because she feels alone, she has a series of losses and is companioned by poetry. The film is also about the treatment of women within the context of race and class. The themes are self love, love of each other and the overcoming a lack of parental and state guidance due to trials of poverty, race and sex that often the very young are facing. Set in ‘South-Central’ Los Angeles, it’s a portrait of ordinary kids where life is a daily struggle. ![]() The film has three of the biggest black icons Tupac Shakur as Lucky, Janet Jackson as Justice, and Maya Angelou’s poetry and her performance as aunt June. Yet black American culture has influenced many aspects of culture in some way. As the film progresses we see how different the worlds are, how far the kids need to travel to even glimpse ‘white’ American culture. ![]() I think it’s important to mention it’s importance in Black American Culture – as distinct from American culture. He was the youngest and first black man nominated for best director Oscar. John Singleton made Boyz in the Hood in 1991 at only 21.
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