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Keep Ya Head Up

"Keep Ya Head Up" is a song by Tupac Shakur. It addresses issues concerning lack of respect toward the female gender, especially poor black women. It has a very positive message, and is often used as an example of Shakur's softer side. Many consider it to be one of the deepest rap songs ever made and is often referenced by other artists in their work, building Shakur's persona as a very conscious and influential rapper, being 2Pac's second greatest song, after Dear Mama, voted #11 in the 100 Greatest Rap Songs, with "Dear Mama" voted #4.

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.

The beat is sampled from Zapp & Roger's "Be Alright" and the chorus is sampled from The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child". The song peaked at #2 on the U.S. Rap chart, #7 on the Hip Hop/R&B chart and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The same beat was used the year before on southern rapper Big Mello's album "Bone Hard Zaggin."

The song was also covered by Lyfe Jennings and released on The Phoenix album (2006).

The song is also used in the soundtrack of the movie Freedom Writers.

Video

The video opens up with the words "Dedicated to the memory of Latasha Harlins, it's still on", in reference to the 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 seen holding a young child. At times the video shows scenes of what Shakur is rapping about. The music video also features Jada Pinkett Smith.