Tupac’s father “disappointed” by Hulu’s ‘Dear Mama’ docu-series

8 June, 2023

Tupac Shakur

Tupac‘s biological father, Billy Garland, has revealed his disappointment in the recent Hulu docu-series, Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni & Tupac Shakur.

In March, a trailer was released for the upcoming documentary, revealing its premise of exploring the relationship between the Death Row rapper and his mother Afeni, who was a Black Panther.

Earlier this month, in a clip from a The Art Of Dialogue interview, Garland revealed that he was somewhat “disappointed” when he saw the Dear Mama docu-series. He recounted how the interview he was filmed for came about, and how if he knew how they would edit it then wouldn’t have taken part.

“Allen Hughes [director] asked me to do an interview,” said Garland. “He didn’t tell me anything about Dear Mama. He didn’t tell me too much about anything other than it was about Tupac… I denied him at first. I didn’t want to do no interviews and every time I did an interview, it was always taken out of light.”

He said that was interviewed for “two hours” but when he saw his excepts in the show, he “was slightly disappointed.”

“I didn’t like [Dear Mama], to be honest with you. It was more about something else than [it was] about Tupac. If I knew it was about Dear Mama I might’ve still did it, but I probably wouldn’t have.”

Garland confessed that the first question Hughes asked him was “‘Do you think Tupac was really bipolar?'” He denied it, saying, “[Tupac] had some success and then it was taken away from him on those flimsy false charges… Bipolar doesn’t fit; how can you have bipolar when people do things to you that make you or change your view of them?”

He claimed his son’s behaviour was due to the plight he faced: “He would flare up. He would have his mood change – who wouldn’t? Imagine any human being going through those degrees of emotions.”

Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni & Tupac Shakur was released on April 22 via Hulu in the US. It consisted of never-before-seen archival footage of Tupac’s life and never-heard-before audio from him.

Last week, it was announced that Tupac will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The producer of the famous walk, Ana Martinez, told LA Times, “Tupac Shakur was a rapper, actor, activist, poet, and revolutionary. This iconic artist has continued to be part of the zeitgeist for decades after his passing and will continue to be an important cultural figure for many years to come.”

In April, Tupac’s sister Set Shakur called out comparisons made between her brother and former president Donald Trump “blasphemous.”

In other news, a biopic on the life of Tupac’s mother was announced earlier this year.

Peace, Love & Respect; the Afeni Shakur/Panther 21 Story will follow a crucial two years in her life between 1969 and 1971, and her involvement in the Black Panther Party.

Afeni, who passed away in 2016, was a prominent member of the organisation. She joined in 1968 and was arrested as a part of the ‘Panther 21’, who were put on trial accused of organising bomb attacks in New York before they were acquitted.

The new biopic is set to be executive produced by Jasmine Guy and Jamal Joseph, while Dina LaPolt is producing. The film has also received the backing of the Shakur estate.

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