Holler If Ya Hear Me

"Holler If Ya' Hear Me" is a song by 2Pac, from his second solo album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.. It was the first single released from this album in 1993. The track, which uses a sample from the song "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by People's Choice and Public Enemy's "Rebel Without a Pause", is an anthem of resistance. Frustrations with black poverty, police injustice, and Tupac's perceived persecution from political figure Dan Quayle fuel the majority of the track.[2] Hustling, bearing arms, and refusal to conform are the key methods of combating said issues, and the chorus leads those listeners in agreement to join in the movement. The song is autobiographical in nature, referring to various traumas experienced by Tupac himself,[3] and the editor of Vibe was quoted in TIME magazine as stating that the song struck a chord with a large section of disaffected youth.[4] The song was used by Michael Eric Dyson as the title of his book about the life of Tupac Shakur.[5] The song was also used as a title for a musical based on Shakur's music, which premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on May 26, 2014 and closed on July 20, 2014. The non-biographical musical, directed by Kenny Leon and starring rapper/poet Saul Williams, was also produced by Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur.[6][7][8] The song was also played in the 1994 film Above The Rim, which starred Tupac.

This article is about the song. For the musical, see Holler If Ya Hear Me (musical).
"Holler If Ya Hear Me"
Single by 2Pac
from the album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
ReleasedFebruary 4, 1993
Recorded1992[1]
GenreHip hop, political hip hop, hardcore hip hop
Length4:38
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)Tupac Shakur
Producer(s)Stretch
2Pac singles chronology
"If My Homie Calls"
(1992)		 "Holler If Ya Hear Me"
(1993)		 "Call It What You Want"
(1993)
Audio sample
"Holler If Ya Hear Me"
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Music video
"Holler If Ya Hear Me" on YouTube

Music video

The video made for the single was shot completely in black and white. Much like the track, the video clips were shot in an energetic, nearly-chaotic pace. The video starts off from the viewpoint of a young boy who witnesses his father's death. Tupac's lyrics of resistance to injustice and encouragement to bear arms and fight back are backed by his gathering groups of young black men and women to march in the streets. Between these are clips of the young boy in the aftermath of his father's death. After seeing his mother reminiscing on her lost husband, the young boy finds money in the house and takes to the street, later seen buying a gun from someone in an alley. Near the end of the video, Tupac, sporting a bulletproof vest, is walking around in a shooting range with a group of young people taking shots at paper targets (notably accurate in hitting "rib cage" and other vital locations on each target). In the final scene, Tupac and company have left, and the young boy is seen standing alone at the shooting range. He takes off his baseball cap and reveals himself to be a girl—the cap concealing her long hair. She reaches into her coat to retrieve her gun and, now aiming at the target, fires a round. The music video was shot in 1992.

Samples

Track list
  • A1. Holler If Ya' Hear Me (Black Caesar Radio Mix)
  • A2. Holler If Ya' Hear Me (Black Caesar LP Version)
  • A3. Holler If Ya' Hear Me (Black Caesar Instrumental)
  • B1. Holler If Ya' Hear Me (Broadway Mix)
  • B2. Holler If Ya' Hear Me (New York Stretch Mix)
  • B3. Flex (feat. Young Thugz)

References
  1. Sal Manna. "Official Biography". Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  2. Tupac Shakur: Keeping it Real vs. Keeping It Right Archived 2008-10-10 at the Wayback Machine - Andrew J Ryan, George Mason University
  3. Black Jesus - The Stranger, 6 September 2001
  4. TOUGH TALK ON ENTERTAINMENT - TIME magazine, June 12, 1995
  5. Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur - New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2002 | ISBN 0-465-01756-8
  6. Director Kenny Leon Juggles Dinner, Steel Magnolias, and Tupac Musical
  7. Tupac Shakur Musical Holler If Ya Hear Me Will Play Broadway's Palace Theatre
  8. Tupac musical star blames racism for failure of Holler If Ya' Hear Me
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