Holler If Ya Hear Me

This article is about the song. For the musical, see Holler If Ya Hear Me (musical).
"Holler If Ya Hear Me"
Single by 2Pac
from the album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
ReleasedFebruary 4, 1993
Recorded1992[1]
GenreHip hop, political hip hop, hardcore hip hop
Length4:38
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)Tupac Shakur
Producer(s)Stretch
2Pac singles chronology
"If My Homie Calls"
(1992) 		"Holler If Ya Hear Me"
(1993) 		"Call It What U Want"
(1993)
Audio sample
"Holler If Ya Hear Me"
Music video
"Holler If Ya Hear Me" on YouTube

"Holler If Ya Hear Me" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his second solo studio album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993). It was released on February 4, 1993 as the album's lead single. The track is an anthem of resistance. Frustrations with black poverty, police injustice, and Tupac's perceived persecution from political figure Dan Quayle fuel the majority of the track.[2] The song is autobiographical in nature, referring to various traumas experienced by Tupac himself,[3] and the editor of Vibe was quoted in Time magazine as stating that the song struck a chord with a large section of disaffected youth.[4]

The song was used by Michael Eric Dyson as the title of his book about the life of Tupac Shakur.[5] The song was also used as a title for a musical based on Shakur's music, which premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on May 26, 2014 and closed on July 20, 2014. The non-biographical musical, directed by Kenny Leon and starring rapper/poet Saul Williams, was also produced by Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur.[6][7][8] The song was also played in the 1994 film Above the Rim, which starred Tupac.

  1. ^ Sal Manna. "Official Biography". Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  2. ^ Tupac Shakur: Keeping it Real vs. Keeping It Right Archived 2008-10-10 at the Wayback Machine - Andrew J Ryan, George Mason University
  3. ^ Black Jesus - The Stranger, 6 September 2001
  4. ^ Tough Talk On Entertainment - Time, June 12, 1995.
  5. ^ Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur - New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2002 | ISBN 0-465-01756-8
  6. ^ Director Kenny Leon Juggles Dinner, Steel Magnolias, and Tupac Musical
  7. ^ Tupac Shakur Musical Holler If Ya Hear Me Will Play Broadway's Palace Theatre
  8. ^ Tupac musical star blames racism for failure of Holler If Ya' Hear Me