Changes (Tupac Shakur song)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Changes" is a hip hop song by 2Pac, the song was originally recorded during his tenure at Interscope records in 1992 and was produced by Shock G. Changes was later remixed during 1997-1998. The song re-uses lines from "I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto" which was recorded during the same year. The song samples the 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. 2Pac at times re-used lines from other unreleased songs because he would try to make an updated version. However, since his death many of the unreleased and unmastered songs are being officially released. The song makes references to the Black Panther Party.
Overview
The song was a #1 hit in Norway and The Netherlands and reached the top ten in the singles charts of several other countries, including #3 in the United Kingdom. It is one of 2Pac's most notable and popular songs. Released posthumously on his album Greatest Hits, the song talks about all of the different issues that were related to 2Pac's era of influence - notably racism, police brutality, drugs and gang violence.
"Changes" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards of 2000 and remains the only posthumous song to be nominated in this category. The "Huey" that 2Pac mentions in the song ("two shots in the dark, now Huey's dead") is Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party.
The song refers to the possibility of a black President of the United States, claiming 'we ain't ready'; just over ten years after the song's release, Barack Obama became the first African-American U.S. President.
Music video
The Chris Hafner-directed music video is a compilation of a number of previous music videos 2Pac released in addition to home videos and never-before-seen pictures, similar to the format of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Dead Wrong", also released in 1999.
Samples
The song is an interpretation of the 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Bay Area rapper E-40 had interpreted the song already on his track, "Things'll Never Change", for his album Tha Hall of Game. The Tupac "Changes" instrumental was used by Insane Clown Posse in "Mom Song", a Mother's Day song. Nas also sampled the song for his song "Black President".
