In what is perhaps long overdue, the life contributions of Tupac and Afeni Shakur get the docuseries treatment in Dear Mama.
Arguably the most prolific rapper to date, Tupac’s legacy extends far beyond his impact on music. Yes, he’s sold over 75 million records, was the first solo hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and has written lyrics that countless people around the world can recite. However, he was also heavily in tune with the many ills of society and lent his voice to championing the cause of the disenfranchised.
It’s this social activism component of his life that he undoubtedly inherited from Afeni. His mother was a well-known political activist and member of the Black Panther Party who certainly was not above fighting for well-worthy causes.
So just what is Dear Mama going to cover? Here’s everything we know.
When is the next episode of Dear Mama?
The next episode of Dear Mama airs on Friday, May 12, at 10 pm ET/PT on FX. The episode becomes available to stream the next day on Hulu.
While the series is headed to Disney Plus in the UK, as of now there is no official word as to when that will be. As more information becomes available, we can pass along the update here.
Dear Mama episode guide
Here is an episode guide for the docuseries. Episode 5 premieres on May 12.
Episode 1: "Panther Power"
"Tupac Shakur navigates school, poverty and family, while dreaming of using poetry and music to spread the message of his mother, noted Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur; haunted by her past, Afeni fears how it will affect Tupac's promising future."
Episode 2: "Changes"
"Tupac bursts onto the scene, but trying to be a mainstream star and a militant activist comes at a cost; Afeni's activism lands her and her Panther comrades in the center of a political show trial that could end with all of them in prison."
Episode 3: "So Many Tears"
"Tupac's legal troubles escalate, with multiple different arrests, culminating in his being charged with sexual assault in New York. Afeni is the voice of the New York Panther 21, defending herself at trial. The two trials have different results."
Episode 4: "Ambitionz Az a Ridah"
"Tupac spends nearly a year at the Clinton Correctional Facility at Dannemora. He leaves hardened by the experience and immediately joins Death Row Records."
Episode 5: "Until the End of Time"
"After attending a Tyson fight in Las Vegas, Tupac is shot and killed. Afeni is paralyzed with grief after the death of her son. She manages to secure Tupac's legacy."
Here is a video promo for episode 5.
Dear Mama premise
Here is the official synopsis for the docuseries:
"From Allen Hughes, the award-winning director of critically acclaimed The Defiant Ones, comes FX’s Dear Mama, a deeply personal five-part series that defies the conventions of traditional documentary storytelling to share an illuminating saga of mother and son, Afeni and Tupac Shakur.
"Afeni Shakur was a revolutionary, an intellect and a voice for the people. She became a feminist darling of the '70s, a female leader in the movement amidst the macho milieu of the Black Panther Party. Tupac was a rapper and poet, a political visionary and philosopher who became known as one of the greatest rap artists of all time. In addition to becoming a global sex symbol and media favorite for his outspoken and sometimes outrageous antics, he would eventually become the poster child for modern Black activism. Their story chronicles the possibilities and contradictions of the United States from a time of revolutionary fervor to Hip Hop culture’s most ostentatious decade.
"FX’s Dear Mama is both an audio and visual experience. Tupac's timeless message is undeniable as beats evaporate into soundscapes and his lyrics revealed to be mantras of passion and politics. It eschews strict chronology for a style that slides back and forth in time, finding linkages between mother and son, 1970s and 1990s, Black activism and Hip Hop, that highlight how much has and has not changed in the struggle for human rights. Through this technique, the eras speak to each other and melt time away, shifting the dual narratives into one definitive portrait of a global superstar and the woman who shaped him, forever linked by love and fate."
Dear Mama Trailer
Check out the official trailer for Dear Mama.
Dear Mama director
Directing the documentary is well-established director Allen Hughes in Hollywood. He’s previously lent his talents to Broken City, The Book of Eli and to Emmy-nominated The Defiant Ones.
