Poetry Collection Jacob Ferguson

Tupac was born as Lesane Crooks, but because of his Black Panthers godfather, and civil rights activist mother, became named after a defiant Incan warlord.  He went to a Baltimore art school.  He is best known for his rapping and acting. His handwritten poems were found and published as The Rose That Grew From Concrete.

The collection of poems really focuses on things directly related to him, and things he seems to worry about.  "Jada" is about the deep, complex love he has for a woman who later became Will Smith's wife.  "In The Depths Of Solitude" and "In The Event Of My Demise" both discuss his general existential angst.  It all really deals with him and his emotions and thoughts.
The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

In that poem, Tupac compares the story of his life to an image of a plant thriving in a harsh environment. This fits perfectly as the flower is art and beauty, and the concrete is an unforgiving and challenging urban setting. He was like the flower and rose to success through adversity. The flower does things that are said to be impossible by "keeping its dreams" like "[walking] with out having feet" and "[breathing] fresh air." By adding "when no one else ever cared" as the last line he emphasizes that all this is possible without support, that you have to be your own motivation.

I think it's awesome how straightforward and open Tupac is with his emotions. I want in my poetry and writing to clearly express the things I feel or think; being this open is an emotionally healthy thing. He uses vivid images and doesn't worry about conventions of grammar or writing, and I think this is a way of just getting his point across in the way that's best for him, which is a really useful idea.

Sources
"Tupac Shakur." Poems. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://allpoetry.com/Tupac-Shakur>.