Keep Ya Head Up

"Keep Ya Head Up" is a 1993 hit single by 2Pac. The song features R&B singer Dave Hollister and is dedicated to his godson Elijah and Latasha Harlins. Tupac also emphasizes the abuse black women face in society.

For other uses, see Keep Your Head Up.
"Keep Ya Head Up"
Single by 2Pac featuring Dave Hollister
from the album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
B-side
ReleasedOctober 28, 1993
Recorded1992[1]
GenreHip hop, R&B
Length4:23
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)Tupac Shakur
Producer(s)DJ Daryl
2Pac featuring Dave Hollister singles chronology
"I Get Around"
(1993)		 "Keep Ya Head Up"
(1993)		 "Papa'z Song"
(1994)
Audio sample
"Keep Ya Head Up"
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Keep Ya Head Up" on YouTube

Production And Release

The beat is sampled from Zapp's "Be Alright" and the chorus is taken from The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child". 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. A "sequel" to the song, "Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)" was released on 2Pac's posthumous album Still I Rise in 1999.

Music Video

The video opens up with the words "Dedicated to the memory of Latasha Harlins, it's still on", in reference to the 1992 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 he is seen holding a young child. His mother Afeni Shakur also appears in the video. Jada Pinkett Smith (then known as Jada Pinkett) made a cameo appearance in the music video.

The song was featured in the Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me.

Critical Reception
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Bruce Pollock United States The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 2005 *
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Songs That Shaped Rock 2011 *

Alyssa Rosenberg of Brisbane Times felt the song "weaved together a critique of negligent fathers, an argument for abortion rights and a sharp analysis of misogyny."[2]

Track listing

CDS - maxi single

  1. "Keep Ya Head Up" (LP Version)
  2. "Keep Ya Head Up" (Vibe Tribe Remix)
  3. "Keep Ya Head Up" (Madukey Remix)
  4. "Rebel of the Underground"
  5. "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto"

Charts
Chart (1993-94) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 12
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] 7
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[5] 2

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[6] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Credits
  • Engineer – Bob Tucker (tracks: A2, B2), Norman "Slam" Whitfield, Jr.* (tracks: A2, B2)
  • Engineer [Remix] – Eric Flickinger (tracks: B1), Franklin Purrell (tracks: B1)
  • Mixed By – D. Nettlesbey* (tracks: A2), Norman "Slam" Whitfield, Jr.* (tracks: A2)
  • Producer – D-Flow Production Squad, The* (tracks: B2), D.J. Daryl* (tracks: A1, B1)
  • Remix [Additional] – Norman "Slam" Whitfield, Jr.* (tracks: B2)

Remix,

  • Producer [Additional Production] – Bryant "Moe Dee" Johnson* (tracks: B1), Battlecat* (tracks: B2), Howard Johnson (2) (tracks: B2), Kris Kellow* (tracks: B2), Lea Reis (tracks: B1), Paul Arnold (tracks: B2), Vibe Tribe (10) (tracks: A2)
  • Vocals – Black Angel, The (tracks: A1, B1), Money B (2) (tracks: B2), Shockalock (tracks: B2)

References
  1. Sal Manna. "Official Biography". Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  2. "5 songs politicians should listen to before they're allowed to talk about hip-hop". Brisbane Times. April 9, 2015.
  3. "2Pac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  4. "2Pac Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  5. "2Pac Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  6. "American single certifications – 2 Pac – Keep Ya Head Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 28, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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