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Keep Ya Head Up
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Keep Ya Head Up
| cover = 2Pac - Keep Ya Head Up.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = 2Pac featuring Dave Hollister
| album = Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
| B-side = "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto", "Rebel of the Underground"
| released = October 28, 1993
| recorded = 1992
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Hip hop, R&B
| length = 4:23
| label = Interscope, Jive
| writer = Tupac Shakur
| producer = DJ Daryl
| prev_title = I Get Around
| prev_year = 1993
| next_title = Papa'z Song
| next_year = 1994
| misc =
}}
"'Keep Ya Head Up'" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his second studio album, 'Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...'(1993). It was released on October 28, 1993 as the album's third single. The song features R&B singer Dave Hollister and is dedicated to his godson Elijah, Corin Wray (Daughter of Salt) from Salt-N-Pepa and Latasha Harlins. Tupac emphasizes the abuse black women face in the society.
Production and release
The beat is sampled from Zapp's "Be Alright" and the chorus is taken from The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child". It was first released in Shakur's 1993 album 'Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.' later appearing after his death in 1998 in his 'Greatest Hits' compilation. A "sequel" to the song, "Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)" was released on 2Pac's posthumous album 'Still I Rise' in 1999. The song was featured in the Tupac biopic 'All Eyez on Me'.
Music video
The video opens up with the words "Dedicated to the memory of Latasha Harlins, it's still on", in reference to the 1992 L.A. Riots. The video has a basic format with Shakur rapping in the middle of a circle surrounded by a crowd of people and in some scenes he is seen holding a young child. His mother Afeni Shakur and close friend Jada Pinkett Smith made cameo appearances in the video.
Critical reception
Alyssa Rosenberg of 'Brisbane Times' felt the song "weaved together a critique of negligent fathers, an argument for abortion rights and a sharp analysis of misogyny."
Track listing
'CDS maxi single'
# "Keep Ya Head Up" (LP version)
# "Keep Ya Head Up" (Vibe Tribe remix)
# "Keep Ya Head Up" (Madukey remix)
# "Rebel of the Underground"
# "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto"
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Credits
*Engineer Bob Tucker (tracks: A2, B2), Norman "Slam" Whitfield, Jr.* (tracks: A2, B2)
*Engineer [Remix] Eric Flickinger (tracks: B1), Franklin Purrell (tracks: B1)
*Mixed By D. Nettlesbey* (tracks: A2), Norman "Slam" Whitfield, Jr.* (tracks: A2)
*Producer D-Flow Production Squad, The* (tracks: B2), D.J. Daryl* (tracks: A1, B1)
*Remix [Additional] Norman "Slam" Whitfield, Jr.* (tracks: B2)
Remix,
*Producer [Additional Production] Bryant "Moe Doe" Johnson* (tracks: B1), Battlecat* (tracks: B2), Howard Johnson (2) (tracks: B2), Kris Kellow* (tracks: B2), Lea Reis (tracks: B1), Paul Arnold (tracks: B2), Vibe Tribe (10) (tracks: A2)
*Vocals Black Angel, The (tracks: A1, B1), Money B (2) (tracks: B2), Shockalock (tracks: B2)
References
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