I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto
Encyclopedia
"I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" is the first posthumous single
by 2Pac. It appears on his album R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
. It was also released as the B-side on the "Keep Ya Head Up
" single.
There are two versions of the song on the R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
album. One is the regular remix version; the other is a "hip-hop remix" version which was recorded while he was on Death Row and intended for the album. They are both different from the original version that was featured on the "Keep Ya Head Up
" single.
The song title originally came from the lyrics of fellow West Coast Rapper Spice 1
, of the 1992 song "Welcome to the Ghetto."
Portions of the lyrics were later re-used and remixed for the single "Changes" which appeared on 2Pac's Greatest Hits
compilation released in 1998.
Rapper Nas
sampled "I Wonder if Heaven's Got A Ghetto" in his song "Black President" on his untitled 2008 album
. The line "And though it seems heaven sent/We ain't ready to have a black president" is used repeatedly as the chorus.
viewpoint of Shakur. After being shot, he stumbles to a nunnery in fictional Rukahs, New Mexico. ('Rukahs' spelled backward is 'Shakur'.) The license plate of the car that Shakur gets in with the older man reads "61671", which references Shakur's birthday on June 16, 1971. The room he goes into with the girl is room number 7. The clock in the background at the end is set to 4:03, the same time Shakur officially died. At the end, he goes into Amaru Diner, Amaru being his middle name.
In the first 5 seconds "...rapper Tupac Shakur shot multiple times" is heard from the helicopter.
The video also features several notable figures. Mother Teresa
is seen getting on a bus, and already on the bus are Jimi Hendrix
, Martin Luther King Jr., a Black Panther Party
member, and Elvis Presley
. In the bar, Ray Charles
is playing the piano.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by 2Pac. It appears on his album R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
R U Still Down? is the second posthumous album by 2Pac, released in 1997. Although it is the second album release after his death, it is the first to be finished without the creative input of 2Pac...
. It was also released as the B-side on the "Keep Ya Head Up
Keep Ya Head Up
"Keep Ya Head Up" is a late 1993 hit by Tupac Shakur. #11 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, with "Dear Mama" voted #4.It was first released in Shakur's 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., later appearing after his death in 1996 in his Greatest Hits compilation...
" single.
There are two versions of the song on the R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
R U Still Down? is the second posthumous album by 2Pac, released in 1997. Although it is the second album release after his death, it is the first to be finished without the creative input of 2Pac...
album. One is the regular remix version; the other is a "hip-hop remix" version which was recorded while he was on Death Row and intended for the album. They are both different from the original version that was featured on the "Keep Ya Head Up
Keep Ya Head Up
"Keep Ya Head Up" is a late 1993 hit by Tupac Shakur. #11 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, with "Dear Mama" voted #4.It was first released in Shakur's 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., later appearing after his death in 1996 in his Greatest Hits compilation...
" single.
The song title originally came from the lyrics of fellow West Coast Rapper Spice 1
Spice 1
Robert L. Green, Jr., better known by his stage name Spice 1, is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He has consistently been releasing solo and group albums since 1992. Spice 1 was ranked number 56 in The Source magazine's Top 115 Hip-Hop Artists from 1988–2003...
, of the 1992 song "Welcome to the Ghetto."
Portions of the lyrics were later re-used and remixed for the single "Changes" which appeared on 2Pac's Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (2Pac album)
Greatest Hits is a double disc greatest hits album for late rapper 2Pac, released by Amaru/Death Row Records in 1998. The album's non-chronological sequence highlights 2Pac's career; the 21 popular hits, some slightly re-edited for legal reasons, are accompanied by four previously unreleased songs:...
compilation released in 1998.
Rapper Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
sampled "I Wonder if Heaven's Got A Ghetto" in his song "Black President" on his untitled 2008 album
Untitled Nas album
The untitled ninth studio album by American rapper Nas was released by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records on July 15, 2008 in the United States, with earlier dates in some other countries. Its original title—Nigger—was changed due to controversy surrounding the racial epithet...
. The line "And though it seems heaven sent/We ain't ready to have a black president" is used repeatedly as the chorus.
Video
In the music video, the camera's perspective is a first-personFirst-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
viewpoint of Shakur. After being shot, he stumbles to a nunnery in fictional Rukahs, New Mexico. ('Rukahs' spelled backward is 'Shakur'.) The license plate of the car that Shakur gets in with the older man reads "61671", which references Shakur's birthday on June 16, 1971. The room he goes into with the girl is room number 7. The clock in the background at the end is set to 4:03, the same time Shakur officially died. At the end, he goes into Amaru Diner, Amaru being his middle name.
In the first 5 seconds "...rapper Tupac Shakur shot multiple times" is heard from the helicopter.
The video also features several notable figures. Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
is seen getting on a bus, and already on the bus are Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Martin Luther King Jr., a Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
member, and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. In the bar, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
is playing the piano.
Peak positions
| Charts (1998) | Peak position |
|---|
External links
- Music video at MTV.com, Yahoo! Music