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Tupac Shakur’s Music Video Director Recalls the Rapper’s One Request for This 1995 Video

In 1995, while Tupac Shakur was incarcerated, he personally asked director Lionel C. Martin to helm the music video for “Dear Mama” with a single condition: his mother, Afeni Shakur, and women in general must be prominently featured. Interscope Records facilitated the connection, and Martin collaborated directly with Afeni, incorporating family photographs and even her sister into the visual narrative. The resulting video became one of Tupac’s most celebrated works, highlighting a heartfelt tribute to his mother and elevating female representation in hip‑hop visual culture.