Dear Mama | |
---|---|
Genre | Documentary |
Directed by | Allen Hughes |
Starring | |
Music by |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 5 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Cinematography |
|
Editors |
|
Running time | 50–66 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | FX |
Release | April 21, 2023 |
Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur is an American television documentary miniseries directed by Allen Hughes, about Tupac Shakur and his mother Afeni Shakur. [1] [2] It premiered on FX on April 21, 2023. [3] [4] It received critical acclaim.
The docuseries explores the lives and legacies of Tupac Shakur and his mother, Black Panther Party activist Afeni Shakur. [5] It includes never before seen audio and video footage, [6] as well as interviews with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mike Tyson, Eminem and, Jamal Joseph. [7] [8]
The docuseries was announced on May 21, 2019, with the Shakur Estate granting full access to Shakur's released and unreleased recordings, writings, and poetry. [9] It was originally titled Outlaw. [10] On January 12, 2023, FX announced the premiere date for Dear Mama. [11] Allen Hughes serves as writer, director, and executive producer, alongside writer and executive producer Lasse Järvi, and executive producers Quincy Jones III, Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles King, Peter Nelson, Adel Nur, Jamal Joseph, and Ted Skillman. He and his brother Albert directed the music video for Shakur's 1991 single "Brenda's Got a Baby." [12] The music score is by Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Claudia Sarne. [12]
The first trailer of Dear Mama was released on May 9, 2022. [13] [14] The first episode was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2022. [10] [15] The first two episodes premiered on FX on April 21, 2023, with the final episode on May 12, 2023. [16] It consists of five episodes. [17] [18]
According to FX, Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur was the most-watched unscripted series premiere in the network’s history. [19] [20] [21]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9.00/10. [22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews." [23]
Judy Berman of Time wrote, "Paired with intimate reflections and philosophical insights from the Shakurs’ closest relatives as well as peers in hip-hop and activism, it adds up to one of the most thorough, sensitive portraits I’ve seen of an artist who has by now been eulogized for longer than he was alive—and of the remarkable woman who created him." [24] Johnny Loftus of Decider asserted, "The five-part series Dear Mama feels like the Tupac Shakur documentary of record as it connects the rapper’s enduring legacy to the philosophies at work in his upbringing and presents its story in a challenging, rewarding nonlinear fashion." [25]
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter asserted, "Dear Mama has some real insights into the intersection of Black activism and popular music in the late 20th century," calling the documentary "challenging and not always successful, but the challenges feel right for the subject." [26] Martin Brown of Common Sense Media gave Dear Mama a grade of 5 out of 5 stars, praised the presence of positive messages and role models, citing compassion, loyalty, and the focus on Black activism. [27]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Black Reel Awards for Television | Outstanding Documentary | Allen Hughes | Won | [28] [29] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | Lasse Järvi, Nelson George, Peter Nelson, Jamal Joseph, Ted Skillman, Allen Hughes, Stef Smith, Loren Gomez, Joshua Garcia, and James Jenkins | Nominated | [30] [31] [32] | |
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program | Allen Hughes and Lasse Järvi (Episode: "Panther Power") | Nominated | |||
2024 | Grammy Awards | Best Music Film | Allen Hughes, Joshua Garcia, Loren Gomez, James Jenkins, and Stef Smith | Nominated | [33] |
Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series | Lasse Järvi, Quincy "QD3" Jones III, Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles D. King, Peter Nelson, Adel "Future" Nur, Jamal Joseph, Ted Skillman, Allen Hughes, Steve Berman, Marc Cimino, Jody Gerson, John Janick, Nicholas Ferrall, and Nigel Sinclair | Won | [34] | |
NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Documentary (Television) | Dear Mama | Nominated | [35] [36] | |
Outstanding Directing in a Documentary | Allen Hughes | Won |
Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and songwriter. Considered to be one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time, academics regard him as one of the most influential music artists of the 20th century and also a politically-conscious activist voice for Black America. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. His lyrical content has been noted for addressing social injustice, political issues and the marginalization of African-Americans, but also synonymous with violent rap lyrics.
Me Against the World is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records and distributed by Atlantic Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and poverty.
Afeni Shakur Davis was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and also served as the CEO of Amaru Entertainment, Inc., a record and film production company she founded.
Tupac: Resurrection is a soundtrack album for the Academy Award-nominated documentary of the same name. It was released on November 14, 2003, by Amaru Entertainment and Interscope Records.
Mutulu Shakur was a convicted murderer, New African activist, and a member of the Black Liberation Army who was sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a 1981 robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which a guard and two police officers were murdered.
Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes, known together professionally as the Hughes brothers, are American film directors and producers. The pair, who are twins, are known for co-directing visceral, and often violent, movies, including 1993's Menace II Society, 1995's Dead Presidents, 2001's From Hell and 2010's The Book of Eli. The brothers did most of their collaboration between 1993 and 2001. Since 2004, when Albert moved to Prague, Czech Republic, he and Allen have only directed one film together, The Book of Eli in 2010. They have been involved in directing and producing film and television projects separately since 2005.
Amaru Entertainment was a record label founded in 1997 by Afeni Shakur after the death of her son Tupac Amaru Shakur. The label was created to handle the release of Tupac's previously unreleased material, and was given the rights to release recordings made during his time at both Interscope and Death Row Records, as well as the rights to re-release his Interscope albums 2Pacalypse Now, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..., Thug Life, Volume I, and Me Against the World. The label initially distributed its releases through Jive Records, beginning with R U Still Down? , but, as of 2011, the releases were being distributed by Interscope. Amaru has released 11 posthumous albums by 2Pac, as well as a documentary, titled Tupac: Resurrection. On May 2, 2016, Afeni Shakur died of a heart attack. Since Afeni's passing, Amaru Entertainment has been managed by Tom Whalley, the music executive who signed Tupac to Interscope Records. Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur, Tupac's younger half-sister and president of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, has been in an ongoing litigation with Tom Whalley over control of Amaru Entertainment and Tupac's Estate.
Quincy Delight Jones III, better known as QDIII, QD3 and Snoopy, is a Swedish-American music producer and documentary film producer.
"Keep Ya Head Up" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur from his second studio album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993). It was released on October 28, 1993 by Interscope Records as the album's third single, peaking at numbers 12 and 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, Me Against the World (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack cocaine, but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother supersede bad memories. The song became his first top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. It also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. As of March 2021, the song is certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.
The Panther 21 is a group of twenty-one Black Panther members who were arrested and accused of planned coordinated bombing and long-range rifle attacks on two police stations and an education office in New York City in 1969, who were all acquitted by a jury in May 1971, after revelations during the trial that police infiltrators played key organizing roles.
Jamal Joseph is an American writer, director, producer, poet, activist, and educator. Joseph was a member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. He was prosecuted as one of the Panther 21. He spent six years incarcerated at Leavenworth Penitentiary.
"Trapped" is the political hip hop song written and performed by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on September 25, 1991, through Interscope Records as the lead single from his debut solo studio album 2Pacalypse Now. Recording sessions took place at Starlight Sound Studio in Richmond, California. Production was handled by Ramone "Pee-Wee" Gooden, who utilised samples from the Bar-Kays's "Holy Ghost" and James Brown's "The Spank".
Leila Steinberg is an American manager, business woman, educator, writer, poet, and founder of AIM4TheHeART, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth find their voice using an emotional literacy curriculum and writing workshops. She is best known as the artist mentor and first manager for superstar rapper Tupac Shakur. They met when he was a student in her writing workshop, The Microphone Sessions, in the Oakland Bay area. Today Leila manages the rapper Earl Sweatshirt, formerly of Odd Future.
Yafeu Akiyele Fula, better known by his stage name Yaki Kadafi, was an American rapper and a founding member of the hip hop group Outlawz.
Craig Venegas Alvarado, known by his stage name DJ King Assassin, is an American disc jockey, producer, and engineer from Los Angeles, California.
All Eyez on Me is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by Benny Boom. Titled after the 1996 studio album, as well as the song of the same name, it is based on the life and death of the titular American rapper Tupac Shakur. The film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac, with Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan, Hill Harper, and Danai Gurira. Jamal Woolard reprises his role as Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace / The Notorious B.I.G. from Notorious (2009).
Alex Stapleton is an American director, showrunner, and executive producer of documentary feature films and unscripted television.
Welcome to Wrexham is an American sports documentary television series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on FX. The series documents the events of Welsh association football club Wrexham A.F.C., as told by the club's owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The series received critical acclaim, winning two Critics' Choice Television Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards. The second season premiered on September 12, 2023. In November 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 2, 2024.