“Changes” by 2Pac Is a MASTERCLASS in Storytelling | First Listen & Reaction

Welcome to Part 1 of our journey through 2Pac! 💜

I'm a Swiftie, and while I've spent plenty of time exploring artists outside of Taylor's world, Tupac is a whole new experience for me. So we're starting at the beginning; not just with the music, but with the man behind it.

Before we get into “Changes,” Rick and Robert take me through Tupac's story: his influence, his reputation, his connection to Los Angeles, his time in the spotlight, his poetry, his family, his enormous catalog, and the incredible amount of music he left behind.

We talk about what made Tupac so different from other artists of his era, including the way people who grew up around him remember him as someone who could still just show up at a party without acting like he was above everyone else.

We talk about his death at just 26 years old, the music he recorded before he died that would continue to be released afterward, his poetry, his legacy, and the complicated questions surrounding his estate and surviving family.

Rick and Robert also give me a very small introduction to the story of Tupac and Jada Pinkett Smith and the performing arts school where they met—but we're saving the deeper dive into that relationship for Part 2.

And yes… we address the conspiracy theories. 👀

Then, around the 20-minute mark, we finally get to “Changes.”

And this is where the episode really becomes a deep dive.

We break down the lyrics, historical references, Huey Newton and the Black Panthers, Tupac's storytelling, and the way seemingly every word in this song has a purpose.

Robert gets especially personal when he talks about growing up in the projects and why the song's depiction of poverty, crime, survival and the cycle of desperation hits differently when you've actually lived around it.

We get into the economics behind poverty, the crack epidemic, the War on Drugs, what life can actually look like in communities like Watts, and how a lack of jobs, resources and opportunity can create cycles that are incredibly difficult to escape.

I also talk about growing up with poverty and struggle myself and how hearing Tupac's perspective helped put into perspective just how differently poverty can look depending on where and how you grow up.

That leads to one of my favorite conversations of the episode: Rick explaining how Tupac became a bridge of perspective between him and Robert, and how music like this helped shape their friendship.

We also talk about why Robert sees Tupac as more of a poet than a rapper, why there's so little “fluff” in his writing, the power of his storytelling, the lost art of the third verse, and the call to action buried inside “Changes.”

And when the song ends, we're far from finished.

We rate it Source Magazine-style, talk playlists, production and features, discuss the beauty of the music against the tragedy of Tupac's story, and unpack the uncomfortable idea that despite everything Tupac was saying decades ago…

so much of it still feels painfully relevant today.

Finally, Rick and Robert start introducing me to another side of Tupac: his awareness of his own mortality, the darker parts of his story, and the murder allegations that continue to surround his legacy.

This is only Part 1.

We're just getting started.

Next up: Taylor Swift — “Betty.”

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CHAPTERS:

LEGEND OF TUPAC - 0:00

TUPAC'S INFLUENCE - 04:00

DISCOGRAPHY - 10:00

SURVIVING FAMILY - 13:30

A HAUNTING FROM BEYOND - 16:45

VERSE 1 & HOOK - 20:15

THE BLACK PANTHERS - 21:55

THE WAR ON DRUGS - 28:00

VERSE 2 & HOOK - 32:30

HE'S A POET - 33:55

POVERTY MENTALITY - 37:50

A BRIDGE TO PERSPECTIVE - 40:00

RUN IT OUT PAC - 44:25

A CALL TO ACTION - 46:35

NOTHING HAS CHANGED - 51:00

TUPAC'S MURDER THEORIES - 54:00

SWIFTIE FRIDAY - 56:40