Tupac Shakur, was an American rapper, grew up out of East Harlem, New York and became one of the most influential rappers in history despite going through many hardships in his life. His poetry often reflects those hardships. "Rose from Concrete" one of Tupac's poems, reflects his view on The American Dream, even though someone may be successful and influential, they would still be judged based on their background.
Tupac starts the poem off by telling the reader that if they saw a rose growing from concrete, then they would "marvel at seeing a rose grow through concrete." He compares that to a ghetto kid growing up in the streets and becoming successful. After the comparison, he relates that to his own life, saying "all you can talk about my dirty rose, my dirty stems, and how I'm leaning crooked to the side." He is criticizing those who only look at the negatives of his life. He ends the poem off with, "You can't even see that I've come up from out of that" Tupac is disappointed in the people who cannot look past that fact that he grew up in Harlem.
Tupac started from the bottom, and is now at the top as one of the most influential rappers. There are those who truly believe that his story is inspirational and are trying to make it to the top as well, but at the same time, there are those who will criticize him and call him out for being raised in Harlem. The American Dream was reality for Tupac, and it could be a reality for anyone if they work hard enough.
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