Parents' Guide to Dear Mama

This series takes an unflinching look at the contradictions in Tupac's life and career, how they infused his music, and how he became one of the most revered American artists after his death at 25. Dear Mama is not the type of sanitized, PR-heavy music documentary that tends to get made these days. Instead, it goes in-depth on both the negative and positive aspects of Tupac's character, and uses his relationship with his mother Afeni Shakur, an important historical figure in her own right, as a window into recent American history. Director Allen Hughes (Menace II Society), gives the documentary a compelling structure, style, and propulsive editing that keeps the series fun to watch. He features interviews with stars like Dr. Dre and Eminem, but also spends a great deal of time with pivotal figures in Tupac and Afeni's lives, like members of the original Black Panther Party, who are able to give insight into not only the Shakurs, but American cultural history. The result is a documentary with a vital perspective that looks at an important artist both critically and empathetically.