Dear Mama

Tupac wrote this for his mother, Afeni Shakur, to let her know that he appreciates all hardship she went through in raising him. It was one of the first popular rap songs to sing the praises of the artist's mother, something that became common as rappers like Kanye West and Nas dedicated songs to their mothers. Eminem also made his mother the subject of his rhymes, but in a very unflattering way.

This samples "In All My Wildest Dreams" by Joe Sample.

When the Me Against The World album entered the charts at #1 in March 1996, Tupac became the first artist to have a #1 album while in jail: he was serving a 4 ½ year prison sentence for sexual assault.