Tupac Shakur Docuseries ‘Dear Mama’ Premieres on FX
A look at the rap icon and his activist mother
Dear Mama, a five-part series that looks at Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur, debuts on FX April 21. Allen Hughes directs.
Tupac Shakur, a rap icon, was shot to death in Las Vegas in 1996. Afeni Shakur, a political activist, died in 2016.
“Told through the eyes of the people who knew them best, Dear Mama is an intimate wide-angle portrait of the most inspiring and dangerous mother-son duo in American history, whose unified message of freedom, equality, persecution and justice are more relevant today than ever,” FX said.
Hughes’ film credits include directing Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and The Book of Eli with his twin brother Albert. Speaking at the TCA Winter Press Tour, he said the series offers a unique portrait of Tupac Shakur. “There's a lot throughout the five parts that have never been seen,” he said. “There's also audio that's never been heard, and not just some of his acappellas and his vocals.”
Hughes added, “You get to understand why he made certain decisions and why he did this and did that.”
Episodes are on Hulu the day after they air on FX.
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Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.