Tupac Shakur: Brenda’s Got A Baby should become guideline for teen pregnancy
Society today and years past are still haunted by Teen Pregnancy. It’s a common trend and to be honest, it’s not much we can do about it. While it happens, members of the community, family, friends and anyone else who loves to have an opinion normally places the blame on the parents. So not fair. Not every parent can be around their child 24/7 and because of that, some things good and bad are bound to happen. This is where we need to appreciate the greatness of Tupac Shakur and the song Brenda’s Got A Baby.
When it was released in 1991 the epidemic was strong. However, as we’ve grown so has the problem.
It’s not so much that teens are getting pregnant, it’s the fact that we as parents, mentors, and peers have yet to find a way to reach out to our youth. With no reason as to how to educate our young, the media has decided to embrace the hardships and make money off it. MTV continues to run its highly-popular show, Teen Moms. While it does show the good and bad of being a teen mom, it also helps glorify to the generation coming behind them that it’s possible to have a kid at a young age and pretend to be something you’re not. Grown.
As I listened to Pandora the other morning, Brenda’s Got A Baby hit the rotation and for the first time in years, I listened.
I hear Brenda’s got a baby, but Brenda’s barely got a brain
A damn shame, the girl can hardly spell her name
“That’s not our problem, that’s up to Brenda’s family”
Well, let me show you how it affects our whole community
The first 4 lines may be the strongest of the entire song. Here, Pac is speaking about how Brenda getting pregnant will affect everyone involved. But the strongest part by far is ” the girl can hardly spell her name”. What we have to realize is that these are babies having babies.
She’s twelve years old and she’s havin’ a baby
In love with a molester, who’s sexin’ her crazy
And yet and she thinks that he’ll be with her forever
And dreams of a world where the two of them are together
Whatever, he left her and she had the baby solo
What’s so heartbreaking about these lines is how true they are. What little girl doesn’t grow up thinking of love? At that age it’s all about the fairytale, however, Brenda was wrong. She lost her innocence to an older man and when she thought he would be there for her and their child, he abandoned them.
Now Brenda’s gotta make her own way
Can’t go to her family, they won’t let her stay
No money, no babysitter, she couldn’t keep a job
She tried to sell crack but end up gettin’ robbed
So now, what’s next? There ain’t nothin’ left to sell
So she sees sex as a way of leavin’ hell
It’s payin’ the rent, so she really can’t complain
Prostitute, found slain, and Brenda’s her name
She’s got a baby
Doesn’t matter how old you are, a child brings added responsibilities but for a teen, it’s worse. How many jobs are there for a 12-13-year-olds? This is the message Tupac was trying to enlighten everyone on. When Brenda needed help, everyone turned their backs on her and she was forced to do what she had to do in order to provide and survive. Ultimately it cost her, her life and while the song may have been a bit harsh, it’s reality.
For those that know Pac, he was a rebel, one who did what he wanted to but Pac was much more. He may have made songs and movies that glorified violence but he always gave us a few gems for us to sink our teeth into. We all know a Brenda somewhere, let’s make sure that we never get to see another one.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
