Prophecy conveys warning to the hearers of it. It is usually used as a wake-up call on what a future event can be based on choices. In today’s society, we sometimes fail to realize the true meaning of prophecy because there are prophets telling people they will receive something based on their good. Tupac’s song depicts a vociferous cry from the inside of the hood.
This song entitled, “Brenda’s got a baby” by Tupac is about a female who was molested by her cousin. She then becomes pregnant at the age of 12. Her family left her to take care of the child. So, she did what she knew to support her and her child. She can’t keep a job because she cannot find a babysitter. She tries to sell drugs and ends up getting robbed. Then, she tries prostitution. This works for a while and puts food on her table however, in doing this she gets raped and killed. The economic struggle she went through is what many African-Americans go through. This prophetic message was a warning that questioned why this happens in poor communities.
The gap between the rich and poor continue to grow. The rich live lavishly while the poor continue to suffer. This song gives hearers a clear and concrete view of a poor community and what happens when people make attempts to survive despite major setbacks. According to the census bureau, 25.7% of blacks suffer from poverty compared to 11% of whites.
There is an overt problem and nobody is trying to prevent these numbers from getting uglier. People who live in our poor neighborhoods struggle from day to day trying to make ends meet. According to the Census Bureau, in 2011, one in six Americans had an income below $22,811, and one in-15 American households earned less than $11,406. In Dr. Robert Franklin’s book, Crisis in the Village, he says, “There is time for diagnosis and there is time for prescription.” But what good is prescription that doesn’t get filled? And what good is a filled prescription that we won’t faithfully take? It’s time to fill the prescription; that is, to apply good advice we give ourselves and to those closest to us. That’s the ethical imperative for all of us today: “fill the prescription, take the medicine.” The tragedy in American society is that pertinent issues have not become a part of prompt agenda’s because of pompous stake-holders. We have many diagnoses and prescriptions, but America will not swallow the pills that social justice experts have manufactured.