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Allen Hughes Talks New Afeni Shakur & Tupac 5-part Documentary-series 'Dear Mama' | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Apr 18, 2023
Legendary director Allen Hughes stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about his new documentary-series 'Dear Mama'.
The story of Afeni Shakur and Tupac is one of passion, intelligence, and revolutionary spirit. As a female leader in the macho atmosphere of the Black Panther Party, Afeni became a feminist icon in the '70s. Tupac, on the other hand, revolutionized the rap industry through his political philosophy and powerful poetry, becoming a global sensation and symbol for modern Black activism. Their story not only highlights the possibilities within revolutionary movements, but also the contradictions within United States society throughout the rise of Hip Hop culture in its most extravagant decade.
Experience the powerful docuseries, 'Dear Mama', which is both an audio and visual masterpiece. Enter a world where Tupac's lyrics become mantras of passion and politics, while beats shift seamlessly into soundscapes. This innovative docuseries eschews traditional chronology, connecting mother and son, 1970s and 1990s, black activism and hip hop, to reveal how much has and hasn't changed in the struggle for human rights. Through its unique technique, the past and present converge, melting time away to present one definitive portrait of a global superstar and the woman who shaped him, forever linked by love and fate. Don't miss this journey that will leave you inspired and enlightened.
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Exclusive interviews from Sway Calloway and the Sway In The Morning/ SwaysUniverse.com team with some of today's biggest celebrities, like Kevin Hart, Kanye West, Eminem, Usher, Jessica Alba, Steve Aoki, Torey Lanez, Julia Stiles and so much more.
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0:00
think my mother knew that freedom
0:01
wouldn't come in her lifetime just like
0:03
I know that it won't come in mine
0:05
wow man this may be
0:08
I don't know I'm applaud in it already I
0:10
haven't even seen this five-part
0:11
document series it's called Dear Mama
0:13
premiering April 21st on FX it will be
0:16
streaming on Hulu as well
0:18
and
0:20
man what can I say about this uh our
0:22
next guest who's been on the show before
0:24
we've had some of the greatest
0:26
conversations and dialogue some of the
0:28
most transparent informational
0:30
conversations have come from this man he
0:32
does not hold his tongue
0:34
um and he's a pillar in his culture he's
0:36
been around for a long time for decades
0:39
we've all benefited from his work DP can
0:42
you do a little more Justice to who we
0:43
have here today I mean I wish I had more
0:45
time to explain how impactful menace to
0:48
society was my mom took me to see the
0:50
movie in theaters I was young and I was
0:52
impressionable and I'm gonna admit that
0:54
you know there were some great
0:56
characters in that film but I wanted to
0:58
be old dog you know and and that's just
1:00
you know being a young kid and just
1:02
seeing this this creative character come
1:04
to life on screen it was like that dude
1:06
is awesome and now I probably would have
1:08
chosen somebody else you know from that
1:09
film but
1:11
um and I will always quote Dead
1:13
Presidents which is another film that
1:14
was heavily impactful on me uh when
1:17
Heather B came on screen get the [ __ ]
1:18
off spider
1:21
I will quote that to the end but I mean
1:24
this guy is is truly talented The Book
1:26
of Eli I love a movie with a great plot
1:28
twist if you haven't seen I'm not gonna
1:29
say it but that was such a I mean
1:31
intelligent way to tell that story and
1:34
uh I mean he's back with us now he's a
1:35
citizen we love him he's a friend here
1:37
and please welcome Alan Hughes yes
1:39
indeed yes indeed
1:42
so Alan Heather been just bragging about
1:44
your relationship how close you are how
1:47
much I stayed in touch can you give it
1:49
what is the dynamic Heather between this
1:51
I got told sway Allen before he try to
1:54
reduce my words because the way he's
1:55
good at that I said this was the first
1:57
person when you hear a name you remember
1:59
your first in life right and you hear a
2:01
name and I say that was the first person
2:04
to ever cast me in a film like this was
2:06
a feature film this was huge for me and
2:09
I remember the night before the audition
2:11
I remember walking into the room and he
2:14
was in there and I was like oh [ __ ] like
2:16
him and his brother they're 10 minutes
2:17
to society wait What's My Line it was
2:19
only one lie to get the F off a spider
2:21
but listen can you say the line don't do
2:25
that
2:28
wait there's more there's more what what
2:31
made this so memorable for me when I got
2:34
on set
2:35
um Alan in particular was super cool
2:37
with everybody there at me and Kenny
2:40
Parker was in the trailer and I've
2:42
shared this before bumping a Red Man
2:44
remix and he could hear the beats coming
2:46
through the trailer so he came and he's
2:48
like what y'all playing so we was in
2:51
there talking about hip-hop we were
2:53
doing everything he was explaining to me
2:55
the next scene I would have to try to
2:56
take a punch he let me do the stunt like
2:59
that that stayed with me forever and it
3:02
was a work ethic that I always just say
3:04
when you it doesn't matter what
3:05
quote-unquote small part you have go
3:08
hard and do your best you never ever
3:10
know and you know what we talked about
3:13
this the first time I was on the show I
3:15
mean I don't know how many minutes it
3:16
was it's probably two minutes or a
3:18
minute minute and most men even stunt
3:21
men don't know how to sell a punch to
3:23
grab the wrong leg [ __ ] remember like
3:26
you really knew how to because you have
3:28
to put your body into someone to sell a
3:30
punch she did it instantaneously like
3:33
like a wonderful like a veteran stunt
3:35
man the first take
3:37
it out with that pistol everything yo I
3:40
guess today is the one and only
3:45
[Applause]
3:53
Alan I have a little surprise for you
3:55
because back in 2020 when we were all at
3:56
home um doing interviews you know
3:58
virtually and everything because of
3:59
covid um we had Dion Taylor Tyrone
4:02
Turner and Michael Ealy promoting the
4:04
phone for towel
4:05
um we asked them about a certain scene
4:07
in the film and if it wasn't Ode to
4:10
Menace and this is what they had to say
4:12
it was uh coming up there's a scene
4:17
where Tyron is sitting in a car and he's
4:21
talking with his cousin and I'm looking
4:22
at this scene and I thought I was
4:24
looking at Menace to Society almost and
4:27
right Dion you know we talked about it
4:29
and he was just like you know what man
4:31
I'm thinking about bringing that
4:32
particular car what you think I was like
4:34
that that kind of would be cool or
4:36
whatever and we also added the spice one
4:38
right there like I just took it back to
4:40
that era because I was like damn this is
4:42
cool man we can wink after huge brothers
4:44
and be like yo we know what y'all did
4:46
for us and that's in honor of the huge
4:48
Brothers man just for being two of the
4:50
dopest filmmakers we've had
4:51
oh [ __ ] no I didn't know you didn't even
4:54
know that I didn't say it was a dinner
4:55
with Dion about a month ago he didn't
4:57
even tell me that uh-huh no I didn't
4:59
know that wow I did not know that wow
5:01
yeah man you celebrate it man you're
5:02
working celebrated it's been a
5:04
tremendous inspiration to many folks uh
5:07
this particular five-part document
5:09
series I want to jump into it dear Mama
5:11
I found was really interesting because
5:12
Kayla Steinberg Tupac's original manager
5:16
Layla used to take Park and she used to
5:18
do this with me too around different
5:19
various high schools in the Bay area and
5:21
we would talk to kids and park would do
5:24
a lot of community work and so on and so
5:25
forth and um I when she told me about it
5:29
I said you know I love Allen but I that
5:31
this sounds interesting to me because of
5:33
their relationship was so volatile
5:37
um how is this going to turn out how
5:39
will it be done without any bias and so
5:41
my first question to you because Alan's
5:45
expressed I remember you talking in
5:46
detail about the fights you had with
5:47
Tupac and you said you lifting him up
5:49
and slammed him on a car or something
5:51
like that
5:53
um and I realized how volatile it was
5:55
what made you want to do this what made
5:57
you think you would be the right person
5:58
to do this well first off just to go
6:01
back for a second when I came the only
6:03
time I ever told that
6:05
story beat for beat was here over 10
6:08
years ago yeah and I've never done it
6:10
since and I won't do it again good okay
6:12
and I didn't do it for 20 years and so
6:14
funny when you say put the only time I
6:16
ever even described that yeah I never go
6:18
into it you know okay I don't want to go
6:20
into it no no no but I wanted you guys
6:22
to know I felt like when I came in that
6:23
day and it was a we went on the run I
6:26
blacked out yeah you know um and we
6:29
really really really really really went
6:31
into it yeah yeah but to answer your
6:33
questions like me and my brothers
6:35
started our career with Tupac we did his
6:37
first three music videos we had an
6:39
intense personal friendship as well
6:41
creative and otherwise we would pick him
6:44
up from the airport every time he flew
6:45
to L.A it was probably nine minutes nine
6:48
months to a year it wasn't long but you
6:51
remember when you're young yeah nine
6:53
months felt like three years yeah and
6:54
you did more nine months than you did in
6:56
three years now yeah so you know like
7:00
your family and like my own brother I've
7:02
been in fist fighting a damn near hung
7:03
my brother off a balcony he's throwing
7:05
microwaves
7:07
you know like we've gone hard you know
7:09
but you can't uh reduce the relationship
7:12
to the times that we were in fist fights
7:14
yeah you know and with Tupac
7:16
um there was a tremendous amount of Love
7:18
there for 99 of it then that thing
7:22
happen
7:23
and we had a misunderstanding I now know
7:25
what where I was wrong because I didn't
7:27
realize where I was wrong in that right
7:29
he was you don't we don't need to make
7:32
it violent that was wrong right yeah and
7:34
then at the end of the day it's like I'm
7:36
super proud of of who he became globally
7:40
and what he represents and he helped us
7:42
as well I've never said this because I
7:44
didn't realize it I didn't realize I had
7:45
Trauma from that 10 guys turning me
7:48
inside out right yeah wow um uh Tupac is
7:51
the reason Menace got greenlit and he
7:53
did me a favor he did my brother a favor
7:55
when I said can you be in this film and
7:57
he didn't want to start anyone's film
7:58
but John Singleton back then he was on
8:00
the John Singleton like me and John are
8:02
uh scorsesean DeNiro because he did
8:05
Poetic Justice exactly and but they had
8:08
you know Tupac always looking for that
8:10
big brother and Father Figure he he
8:12
would go all the way once he found that
8:14
thing he thought it was and he told us
8:16
broke our hearts he's like I'm not
8:18
starring in anyone's movies not even and
8:21
we started with him
8:23
but he still blessed us with like I'll
8:25
agree to do this and that's why the film
8:27
got greenlit yeah so my point is is like
8:31
there's no way I don't operate out of
8:33
hate I never could look at things
8:36
through like hateful ninjas I operate
8:38
out of love and like trying to
8:39
understand
8:40
always trying to understand and with
8:42
Tupac the reason I agreed to do this I
8:44
go
8:45
how could I unders I wanted to make
8:47
sense of that last year of his life
8:48
because it was so disconnected from the
8:50
first
8:51
24. yeah and I wanted to understand what
8:54
happened and I figured I'd go you know
8:56
what I was raised by a single mother who
8:58
was a radical revolutionary feminist
9:02
I'll probably find out about him
9:05
through his mother and that's what
9:06
that's when the light bulb went off
9:08
that's when the light bulb went off I'ma
9:10
ask you a couple of questions being so
9:12
close to it because I got a chance to
9:13
meet affini Shakur I remember presenting
9:16
her with an award at a Summer Jam in
9:18
Sanford wow with KMEL before and this
9:21
was possumus of his of his passing and
9:24
really having to get a chance to hug her
9:28
um so I knew him both really well but
9:31
then I like you said that last year was
9:33
something different you know for Park I
9:36
knew him as a teenager coming up what
9:38
did you learn about him because I know
9:41
you probably got footage you never had
9:42
access to uh you probably got interviews
9:45
you did with people you found out things
9:47
you never learned what did you learn
9:49
about this young man the number one
9:52
thing let's set aside recording artists
9:54
let's set aside actor let's set aside
9:57
poet
9:59
he's a pure artist yeah he's like he's
10:02
an artist first like
10:03
and when I say artist
10:06
with all the away with the fairies and
10:09
you know all the creativity that comes
10:11
within the artist all the the you know
10:13
the thing when they come into a room you
10:15
know you're like what is this I'm
10:16
experiencing you know
10:18
um and he would he had severe
10:20
displacement issues because they were
10:22
always moving around
10:23
and you know we know about the Father
10:26
the the father not being there and not
10:28
knowing who the father is so he had to
10:30
adjust to any neighborhood he got he
10:33
would learn the Lexicon they talk about
10:34
in the film when he moves to Marin when
10:37
he moved whatever Oakland he would pick
10:40
up real quick the little lexicon and fit
10:42
in real quick chameleon yeah and so you
10:46
know people there I'm not going to say
10:48
it when they you know he got lost in
10:50
this gangster you know whatever it's
10:51
like that was just the moment he was in
10:54
at 25 he wasn't going to stay in that
10:56
hit him up moment that was just part of
10:58
his progression but as you know Tupac
11:01
when he felt something oh you're gonna
11:04
feel it yeah you're that's that's that's
11:06
why we talk about them that's why you
11:07
see his image in murals in Africa and in
11:11
Europe and Asia and South America
11:13
because he's a global symbol of
11:15
rebellion you know but I learned that
11:19
this all and also like poverty
11:22
I didn't know how poor Tupac was for a
11:25
large part of his adolescence they
11:27
didn't know where the next meal was
11:28
coming from you because other ideals you
11:31
know they don't pay the ideas that you
11:34
know their life philosophies don't make
11:36
you money like revolutions have to be
11:38
financed right right
11:41
um what you had now knowing what you
11:44
know today as a adult male what would
11:46
you possibly could have done differently
11:49
with minutes to society and how that
11:51
went could with Tupac yeah
11:54
first of all besides Tupac I would have
11:57
liked to make a better movie but yeah
12:00
okay but we were young
12:03
um with Tupac he was having a problem
12:06
with he's playing the the Muslim
12:08
character the non-violent character and
12:10
he
12:11
he didn't like that it didn't explain
12:14
how he got to be non-violent right but
12:17
that wasn't what he was doing he was
12:18
being very volatile about everything
12:21
but the actual dis disagreement
12:24
it's it's complicated
12:27
we were already on the last music video
12:30
starting to have difficulties okay you
12:33
know and you have to keep in mind where
12:35
all three of us me and my brother and
12:37
Tupac Are 19 at the time
12:44
so young black boys yeah you know what
12:47
generation before us we'd be lucky to be
12:49
in college let alone Rockstar filmmakers
12:52
uh recording artists whatever so that's
12:55
wow that's what's really going on right
12:57
but no I think he by the time he made
13:00
direct I didn't realize this until I
13:01
started making the movie by the time he
13:03
made the request about like yo I wanted
13:05
I want the train I want to know why that
13:07
character got that way I was like [ __ ]
13:08
that I was like [ __ ] that because [ __ ]
13:11
you and all your [ __ ] you know like
13:13
it was emotional I could have been like
13:16
yo man like let's sit down and work this
13:17
out but we weren't on the same page by
13:19
that time that's where I was wrong yeah
13:21
I was wrong about like not trying to
13:23
figure that out you know Alan how hard
13:26
is it because you're an artist like as
13:29
much as you director but you're an
13:31
artist at heart as well and you have
13:33
this this something dear to Your Heart
13:36
Like Tupac in a five-part documentary
13:38
how hard is it to approach it because
13:41
it's one thing where you have like the
13:43
numbers and the viewers and the money
13:44
because it's business but Pock is
13:47
beloved by the culture like I feel like
13:49
you have to answer to the culture for
13:51
this project how how hard is it in terms
13:54
of approaching something like this in
13:56
your mind at night trying to get it all
13:57
right it's torture you know it's torture
14:00
yeah like for three and a half years my
14:03
my nights have been restless and and I
14:05
don't fear for my life or anything like
14:07
that you know but like you know people I
14:09
hear the haters and the way the question
14:10
you opened up with was the perfect
14:11
question because and this being a cousin
14:15
to that question you're like
14:17
this dude
14:19
has become so transcendent and we talked
14:22
about the first time I was here like on
14:24
your grandmother's wall you got Jesus
14:26
MLK JFK and then two Tupac it's over
14:29
here on his own wall right right yeah
14:32
and so you got to be careful when you
14:34
know because people
14:36
the difficulty too is we could talk
14:38
about the quads uh Studio shooting we
14:41
can talk about the Vegas when he lost
14:43
his life and people go no this happened
14:45
and that happened and somebody must have
14:47
conspiracy is like no no there's no
14:48
conspiracy my man
14:51
went and beat down a known shooter
14:55
[ __ ] you want to make this into Camelot
14:58
because it's like that it's like JFK
14:59
like it has to be because because the
15:01
myth is so big that everyone so you have
15:04
to be careful my thing is you got to be
15:05
mindful to go hey I can't un pull the
15:08
thread on the myth yeah because people
15:09
we that
15:11
we emotionally connect to story as human
15:14
beings we learn from Facts in in truth
15:18
but story is in our hearts and that's
15:22
what why mythology is so powerful so we
15:24
I had to be very careful very careful
15:27
what was um
15:29
the most important thing you learned
15:31
about Afeni Shakura during this process
15:34
I hadn't
15:35
you know you knew more than anyone I'm
15:37
sure you know like I knew she was a
15:39
black panther and then you got the whole
15:42
Addicted to You Know crack and but that
15:45
was it I didn't know she uh was on trial
15:48
facing 360 years with the panther 21 and
15:52
that the FBI had infiltrated the
15:54
Panthers and put all the planet all this
15:58
[ __ ] on them accused him took him to
16:01
100 Central uh Center Street down there
16:03
for an eight-month trial saying that
16:06
they were trying to blow up Macy's the
16:07
Botanical Gardens and plotting to blow
16:09
up this and blow up that Anna Feeney
16:11
decided to defend herself yeah in court
16:15
and I got those transcripts and her
16:17
closing statements and like you talk
16:19
about off the charts intelligence and
16:21
eloquence and Tupac ain't a poet by
16:24
accident she isn't a poet first you
16:27
should hear you'll hear her poetry in
16:28
the movie you you'll hear in the 70s
16:30
she's doing spoken word and when she's
16:32
speaking around and you're like yo
16:34
that's a wrap and you we place it we put
16:36
it to like the stems of I get around
16:38
because we're getting ready to get into
16:39
the scene if I get around so you hear
16:42
Feeney basically rapping in 1974 and
16:44
you're like
16:46
I didn't know any of this yeah you know
16:47
there was no footage we had to find all
16:49
this stuff she's incredible I think she
16:51
was too
16:53
you know when you meet like Tupac when
16:56
someone's that uh you know when they're
16:59
little that you call them precocious yes
17:00
right you know when someone's got that
17:02
light you know you've met five-year-olds
17:04
you're like you're 80. yeah and people
17:06
try to hold them down I think if Fanny
17:09
at 2021 was you know like out another
17:12
galaxy with her intelligence and how
17:14
authentic she carried herself to she
17:16
wasn't trying to blend in to be in uh
17:19
you know a white America and the way
17:22
they wanted her to look and feel she was
17:24
she was very stylish too her clothes
17:27
didn't wear her she rocked her clothes
17:29
in her jewelry you see where Tupac got
17:31
all his style from too and she was
17:33
beautiful like beautiful intelligent off
17:36
the charts did you tear up I would
17:38
imagine watching all of this putting
17:39
this together I I don't know how I would
17:41
be able to control my emotions did you
17:43
cry at any point during this process
17:45
recently yeah recently I I you know
17:48
recently it happened a few times I'm
17:51
like what the [ __ ] is going on you know
17:52
but you know when things start to come
17:54
together whether you're making a record
17:55
and you get to get the flutes and
17:58
everything right or whatever it is and
17:59
once you start mixing it and everything
18:01
you put your heart into starts to
18:03
coagulate and crystallize whatever and
18:06
then you go oh and you that's when it
18:08
started hitting me I'm like oh man I
18:10
really felt
18:11
I really fell for him yeah I really felt
18:14
for him and that's what brought me to
18:16
tears yeah is that I I because I'm
18:18
really empathic I'm like oh man I can
18:20
feel them now yeah I know what this is I
18:23
know what this is you know I can't hate
18:25
on it first of all there was a period of
18:27
time I did hate and it was right after
18:29
the the beat you had right to be angry
18:31
yeah that was it yeah but
18:33
you can't take on that responsibility
18:35
to your point Heather you can't take on
18:37
that responsibility and
18:40
[ __ ] on it it just it's unacceptable you
18:42
know yeah man Alan Hughes is hanging out
18:45
with us man we're talking about the five
18:47
part [ __ ] series Dear Mama premiering
18:49
April 21st on FX
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Alan I'm wondering
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um he's nervous
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you're gonna be all critically acclaimed
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don't even worry about it the story
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itself is you'll be fine absolutely
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celebrate with us after you win these
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Awards okay so shout us out your lips to
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God's here I believe that um every human
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serves as a teacher in some form you
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know whether you know them directly or
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you know them through their art through
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their literature etc etc and you get
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such an intimate seminar with so many
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teachers I feel like as a film you know
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maker
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in this project what are the lessons
19:35
that you've applied to your own life
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wow you guys are coming deep [ __ ] that
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was that's a really great great question
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and you know when you sit down with um
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in the case of the defined ones I'm
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sitting down with like world-class poets
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and writers and like why is I'm getting
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all this game these are writers right
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right you know whether it's Snoop or
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Bruce Springsteen these are writers and
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this one I got to sit down with like
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Panther veterans
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um you know who were on the Forefront of
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like social justice and and you know how
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they rocked it I don't have to tell you
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how the Panthers did their thing right
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but they seemingly lost that war and
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that's why they a lot of them turn to
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drugs and and were sent to prison or you
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know or or got killed whatever it was
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right the
20:24
the deepest thing I learned on on this
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film because it happened right while I
20:28
was making it that when Roe versus Wade
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got overturned yeah
20:34
this fight for social justice and human
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rights
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and civil rights is eternal that's what
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they were teaching me it never stops
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you're not gonna Tupac talks about that
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his mother not my lifetime We're Not
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Gonna See Freedom yeah you know even
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when you secure a victory you haven't
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secured the victory the morning that the
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Roe versus Wade news broke I'm sorry the
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afternoon you know what was going on at
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Tick Tock and Instagram that day
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all the young females and boys were
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talking about
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um the Kardashian Marilyn Monroe dress
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that's what they were talking about wow
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and I thought it was A Tale of Two
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Cities that afternoon it dropped that
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the rumor was Supreme Court's getting
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ready to get rid of this I go well look
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at what all these young women are
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talking about right now look at what all
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these young men are talking about right
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now 40 years ago you think young women
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and young men would be talking about a
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goddamn dress you took your eye off the
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ball I told my mom I'm like what about
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these young women these young ones she
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goes [ __ ] the young women what about
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them young men
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they got responsibility in this too
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absolutely so I'm learning on the
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journey to your to your point there your
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question is like it it helped me you
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know the ideals again you know and also
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like you know what
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um at what cost can I be bought right I
21:52
had to really ask those questions
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what what excess can I lose myself to
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and I decided I'm like none
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you you can't buy me self-possession is
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what affinity and Tupac taught me
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there's a difference in self-obsession
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if we're in the era of self-obsession
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self-possession is a spiritual thing
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where you know self you know like I [ __ ]
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you might be at a wedding of a friend
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you're like I gotta get in the whim
22:17
right now like this this scene yeah but
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your spirit's like you're getting to win
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someone gets shot yeah 15 minutes later
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yeah that happens like you but you feel
22:24
it you know so we're in an era of
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self-obsession yeah and and I think we
22:29
need to learn about self-possession and
22:31
that she had that tenfold defending to
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Tupac clearly had that um and
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unfortunately for Tupac I think the
22:40
you know what he's a rock star yeah and
22:42
he had he had spent three four years
22:44
doing dear Mama's Brenda's Got a Baby
22:46
keep your head up
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and then it went to prison he got bitter
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he's like I did all that no one's
22:50
celebrating that [ __ ]
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you know what he got out of prison yeah
22:55
I'm rocking out yeah and he deserved a
22:57
rock out you know when you listen to the
22:59
all eyes yeah it's it's it's void of
23:02
those tracks yeah because it's it's a
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rock it's a rock star album It's he gave
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into the excesses but that was
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his he was moving through that stage you
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know yep he told me he he told me he
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went through that stage to gather
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attention of the people who needed to
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hear it the most you know what I mean
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told him what they wanted to hear
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uh but then he was going to transition
23:26
and tell him what they needed to hear
23:28
but then his life was taken I believe
23:31
that yeah I really believed it yeah you
23:33
know but I also believe that he's 25 and
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young man and he's a sex symbol you know
23:39
like come on man no I used to hang out
23:41
with him I caught some crumbs
23:47
they don't set me up like that when I'm
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about to ask a serious questions
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I'm a really big fan of
23:56
filmmakers who understand the importance
23:59
of pairing music with film yes because
24:01
it's just as uh crucial to sell and
24:03
market a film when you have a great
24:05
soundtrack Menace to Society amazing
24:07
soundtrack Dead Presidents amazing
24:09
soundtrack even now in the trailer for
24:10
Dear Mama Used like a acapella stripped
24:13
down version of of the song Yes
24:15
um but we don't see that so much anymore
24:17
you know black panther had a great
24:19
soundtrack but you don't see it being
24:20
utilized as often as it was in the 80s
24:22
and the 90s why is that that's a great
24:25
question I mean well you see what
24:27
happened to music with streaming you
24:28
know the network just asked me they're
24:30
like can you put together we do
24:32
director's playlist with apple music
24:34
like the music that inspired you doesn't
24:36
necessarily need to be in the film like
24:38
oh is this what the soundtrack is now
24:39
like yeah yeah the interrated playlist
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yeah you know and it's shareable so it
24:45
makes makes sense and
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I think everything has changed you know
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we all talk about it sounds cliche now
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like oh man it will make them like they
24:53
the records ain't that the movies the
24:55
you know television's gotten better I
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think yeah the writing got a lot better
24:58
A lot of people started going their TV
25:00
Yeah but I
25:01
soundtracks like everything got just
25:04
streamified you know and and everyone
25:08
again I hate to say this like we're
25:10
living in a narcissistic narcissistic
25:12
culture now the iPhone iPad I I
25:16
everything's me what is in this for me
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so there's no like like fans like they
25:22
used to be too like oh you know I'm I
25:23
work at IBM
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I'm going to see Tupac this weekend
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whatever it used to be but I'm
25:30
I got my little lunch pill I'm going to
25:32
wear another person with the lunch pail
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and I was like I'm getting ready to form
25:35
a tech company flip it become a
25:36
billionaire you know like everyone's so
25:39
I don't think anyone's focused on any of
25:41
that type of [ __ ] anymore I really don't
25:43
you know Alan Hughes is here dear Mama
25:45
man get that round of applies to April
25:47
21st on that fact citizens I keep saying
25:49
it yeah two questions
25:52
that was random wasn't it
25:55
I'm like what the [ __ ] was I just
25:57
talking about no no no no
25:58
you're on point today you're on fire
26:00
you're on fire
26:02
um is he the most in your opinion
26:05
influential figure to come out of our
26:06
generation
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hands down hands down why
26:10
he checks all the boxes you know even
26:13
when you talk about greatest hip-hop
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artists of all time yeah
26:16
you know I have my personal favorite
26:18
which was his personal favorite Scarface
26:20
Brad Jordan Brad Jordan okay oh damn man
26:23
that's my Muddy Waters right but Tupac
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when you think about like when you
26:31
listen to blasphemy or you listening to
26:33
me and my girlfriend
26:34
and he starts to rage out and you hear
26:37
the Hennessy and you hear the passion
26:39
you go wow he did that one take that
26:41
ain't he didn't go re-punch and perfect
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it
26:44
you feel his spirit and I was talking to
26:47
Nelson George the other day ago he goes
26:48
yes he's he's Wilson Pickett he's Otis
26:50
Redding he's a soul singer you feel him
26:54
Mike Tyson said in this film The
26:56
Children soldiers in Africa Love Tupac
26:59
they go into war and there's a picture
27:01
in the film you see these 12 year olds
27:03
with machine guns they look 80. they're
27:05
wearing Tupac shirts
27:07
I said how the hell do they know what
27:09
he's saying they know what he's saying
27:11
yeah that's what makes him the greatest
27:13
of all time we he is easily still one of
27:16
the most talked about people on the
27:18
internet and he passed away he was life
27:20
was taken in 1996.
27:24
check this out too yeah
27:28
this is a little sacrilegious okay
27:31
but like the Bible and I don't I don't
27:34
know any other 20th century figure you
27:35
can do this you can project what you
27:37
want to into two fun you can see a lover
27:39
you can see a fighter you can see a
27:41
saint you can see a sinner a poet a
27:43
prophet violence whatever you want to
27:46
see you're going to see in him I don't
27:49
know him not Muhammad Ali not a MLK not
27:53
Gandhi no not no one of the 20th century
27:56
icons in the current 21st century can
27:59
you project what you want to into like
28:01
the Bible like the Bible
28:04
so the [ __ ] is biblical okay
28:11
my final question and now that you know
28:15
what you know and you lived the life you
28:17
lived
28:19
and from the time you were in teenager
28:22
and you met this man to now especially
28:24
making this film if you had a chance to
28:26
sit with him today
28:28
what would you say to him it's probably
28:30
I love you and just hug him yeah you
28:31
know I was outside right now and I
28:34
didn't I don't know what that was I
28:35
thought he was just casually walking I
28:37
am sway I was it felt casual yeah but I
28:40
saw a camera I think no it wasn't a
28:41
camera it was a phone oh Ty always got
28:44
his iPhone but it wasn't it was casual
28:46
it was like oh there he goes you know
28:48
and then uh he came to hug me
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and there's certain people that hug you
28:53
and you're like damn this [ __ ]
28:54
he knows how to hug yeah this is a hug
28:56
yes and you you learn the power of touch
28:59
and what a real hug is and it's almost
29:03
Southern in its you know and I really
29:05
mean this I was tough because if you
29:07
know I'm pulling away a few times and
29:09
he's
29:10
and I'm like he knows I need it yeah he
29:13
knows I need it that's what I would do
29:15
yeah with Tupac and I'm not as good as
29:18
you with that at the at the proper hug
29:20
but that's probably what I would do and
29:22
I know you needed it I needed it too
29:24
thank you brother we got that connection
29:26
man yeah all right we appreciate you
29:28
Alan Hughes thank you so much thank you
29:30
for taking this on man you were the
29:32
right person for the job
29:34
through my anxiety yes relax you did
29:38
this for the world brother your job is
29:40
done
29:46
thank you hey Alan Hughes give him a big
29:49
round of Applied citizen Dear Mama
29:51
premiering April 21st on FX and then
29:53
streaming on Hulu yeah
29:55
on Park we got Mr Fab representing the
29:58
Bay Area coming up next Bay today you
30:01
want to talk to Fab 888-742-3345
30:06
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