Tupac's 'Dear Mama' endures as rap artists detail complex relationships with their mothers, street life and the pursuit of success

Afenia Shakur (left). mother of Tupac Shakur (right). Getty Images

In hip-hop music, it sometimes seems as if songs to and about mothers are common enough that audiences might take them for granted.

As someone who studies hip-hop and how it shapes and is shaped by society and culture, I don’t believe rap has ever abandoned the idea that a song for your mother or mother figure is expected of any artist.