Tupac Shakur – Trapped (1991) —-> Jay Z – Spiritual (2016) —-> Nipsey Hussle feat. Kendrick Lamar – Dedication (2018) —-> Meek Mill – Trauma (2018)

What all these songs have in common is a fight for some sort of inequality or senseless use of power that affects a lesser group of people – the African Americans in the United States.  It all starts with Tupac, a very special rapper indeed. He was an American rapper and actor and to this day he is considered one of the most significant rappers of all time as well as a symbol of resistance and activism against inequality. Much of his work addressed social issues that plagued the inner cities. Much of his work has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of resistance and activism against inequality. Specifically regarding his track “Trapped,” it dives deep into some of the main factors preventing a systematically oppressed neighborhood’s residents from climbing out of poverty. 

Following up many, many years later, Jay Z released Spiritual – which reflects the rapper’s disillusionment with police brutality in modern times. This was a song he wrote after the death of Mike Brown in 2014. He claims he knew that his death wouldn’t be the last one.

Nipsey Hussle – self-proclaiming himself the Tupac of his time, released Dedication with Kendrick Lamar. It’s a diverse mix of bars from each artist that describes their individual paths, and how they both rose from their respective hoods to become two of the best rappers of this generation. Although within their stories, they talk about experiences revolving around that systemic oppression, including but not limited to police brutality.

It seems to me that Meek Mill’s “Trauma,” compliments and assists these other songs in trying to get their message across. He once more illuminates the oppression within his own community and takes one through specific instances where one can see the racism and police brutality that is received by African-Americans more often than people think. All these artists, being that they are the same race, they all must face the same issues. Here we see how they all come together in relation to a bigger cause.