All Eyez on Me (2017)

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All Eyez on Me” is an American biographical drama film, released in 2017, about a famous American rapper, Tupac Amaru Shakur. Shakur, born in 1971, was also known by his stage name (2Pac) as well as his alias (Makaveli). Most of Shakur’s works have been remembered for bringing up contemporary social issues, especially those happening in inner cities. Shakur is considered as a symbol of resistance and activism against inequality. [1]

Plot

All Eyez on Me (2017)

This movie revolves around the life of a prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur. It contains the story of Shakur from his early days in New York City, to his journey into becoming one of the world's most influential voices prior to his death at the age of 25. Against all odds, Shakur's raw talent, powerful lyrics and revolutionary mind-set propelled him into becoming a cultural icon whose legacy continues to grow long after his passing. [2]

Black Empowerment

The figure of Tupac Shakur is played by Demetrius Shipp Jr., whose performance is deemed successful to portray Shakur as a hip-hop superstar figure physically and emotionally. As stated by the director, Benny Boom, this movie is intended to entertain as well as educate people. The audiences get to see the life path of Shakur, including the kind of pitfalls he had to experience in his life. Shakur went to jail after being convicted of sexual abuse, as well as being shot five times at New York’s Quad Studios before the verdict of his trial came in. [3]

Despite these adversities Shakur has to encounter, he managed to live an intentional life. The audiences get the chance to learn and be inspired by Shakur’s courageous acts, towards the law injustices that he had to face, especially as a black person. There is one line in the movie, where Shakur’s figure was portrayed to say this full of self-reflection and a brave statement:

For us to survive here, white folks, Black folks, Korean folks, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, we got to understand each other. We gotta take a bigger chance. When I say Americans, people think I’m talking about Uncle Sam, like the actual Uncle Sam, with the grey and hair and the flag…I mean YOU *points to the camera* You! You! The guy…You! The mechanic…wherever. You need do something. You need to check yourself.[4]

Controversy

By seeing the life of Shakur, we get to see how flawed the justice system worked against Black people. An early scene in the movie shows Shakur in October 1991 being stopped and slammed to the ground by police in Oakland for jaywalking, which initiated the distrust in Shakur for the law enforcement system.

Shakur's mom is also portrayed as helping him understand the corruption in the justice system. When Shakur is convicted by a jury, he offers a monologue to the judge. "Do what you want to do because I'm not in your hands, I'm in God's hands," he says.

Without a doubt, the most challenging part of the film to watch is the shooting in Las Vegas which led to Shakur's death. This scene is emotional, as it symbolizes a larger issue about all those young black men who were killed in the streets because of unresolved racism issues during that time in the USA. As a Black person, Shakur had been in several events in which he had to deal with the law.

Although he was a platinum-selling rapper at that time, Shakur still couldn’t afford to pay his bail. It clearly depicts the cruel reality of the music industry, where record labels certainly reap big profit off an artist, without the artist himself receiving the sufficient incentives of his work.

Moreover, there is a scene showing Shakur’s time in jail, where he was treated rudely by a black male guard. That emphasizes how even people from Shakur’s own race, even acting as the law enforcers themselves, are the wheels that keep the discriminative and racist system ongoing.

Reference