Leaders of the ’Pac
I N life, Tupac Shakur fought to get the struggles of young AfricanAmerican men heard. In death, his work is now being used to convey the same issues to a new audience — on Broadway. Featuring Saul Williams in the lead role, “Holler If Ya Hear Me” opens on Thursday and weaves emotionally complex stories of alienation around Tupac’s songs for hip-hop’s first jukebox musical.
“Part of the reason the show is staying away from being about Tupac’s life is that his lyrics have broader impact,” Daryl Waters, the musical supervisor, tells The Post. “The message of hope and love is not just confined to urban neighborhoods.”
Although Tupac represented the West Coast in the gangster-rap divide of the 1990s, he was born in Harlem and relocated to California in the 1980s before being killed in a driveby shooting in 1996.
Here, Waters reveals how four highly autobiographical ’Pac songs influenced him and the show.
1. “I Ain’t Mad At Cha” (1996)
Released just two days after the rapper’s death, the song addressed a friend (rumored to be fellow rapper Napoleon from Outlawz) who converted to Islam.
“It seems like I lost my little homie, he’s a changed man/Hit the pen and now no sinning is the game plan.”
Waters: “In the show, the character of John [Williams] is addressing a friend. They’ve had a beef, but he’s saying, ‘That all is behind us, let’s move on.’ I don’t think Tupac’s motivation . . . was too far from that.”
2. “M Block” (2002)
This plaintive remix, one of several released posthumously, documents the isolation of inner-city life.
“My life is stressed and no rest, forever weary/My eyes stay teary for all the brothers that are buried in the cemetery.”
Waters: “This is the springboard for the [show] opening, and Tupac’s voice is spread among the cast — which shows how Tupac’s lyrics speak for more than just himself.”
3. “Dear Mama” (1995)
A huge hit in 1996, this was Tupac’s moving open letter to his mother.
“It was hell, huggin’ on my mama from a jail cell.”
In the show, the character Vertus (Christopher Jackson) strays from the straight and narrow. After being implored to change by his mom, he sings this tribute.
Waters: “[Tupac’s] mother, Afeni, was . . . very politically minded, and her black activism was a huge influence on Tupac all through his life.”
4. “MeAgainst the World” (1995)
Tupac mixes defiance and vulnerability on this classic cut.
“I’m headed for danger, don’t trust strangers/Put one in the chamber whenever I’m feeling this anger.”
This is used after John’s prison release, when he is awkwardly reunited with his girlfriend.
Waters: “It’s about inner strength and having the ability to rise above. On the one hand, he doesn’t want people to fear him, but he knows at the same time that he has huge personal challenges to overcome. He’s strong and focused.”