Welcome To The Struggle By Dr. Mutulu Shakur

In 1996, while in a state of lock-down at the Maximum Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, I was motivated to complete a project that was meant to enlighten the People to the moral importance and values of Tupac Amaru Shakur's character, and to pay tribute to political prisoners of war. That project is now known as Dare 2 Struggle.

Dare 2 Struggle was conceived and came to be through the conversations I had with my son, Tupac. In 1992, during a prison visit, we discussed putting together a music CD with the above in mind, and in 1993, our Thug Code was composed with the full involvement and support of Tupac and his brother, my son Mopreme. This project is the realization of a task that my sons and I embarked upon whole-heartedly, but a task which was delayed when Tupac was assassinated by COINTELPRO in 1996.

One of the reasons why Tupac was targeted by COINTELPRO was the fact that he enjoyed the love and affection of many Crews of the streets and behind these walls. It was this love and affection that helped create the unity necessary to develop and support our Thug Code. This code is to prevent the underworld economy from destroying our communities.

My goal on completing the Dare 2 Struggle project was thus to also address the issue of COINTELPRO's relationship with Hip-Hop culture. Tupac believed, and conveyed through his music, that it is the responsibility of all of us to free the Political Prisoners of War within our Movement.

Our focus is aimed at connecting the fans of the most progressive Hip-Hop artists to the Revolutionary Forces that have in the past, and continue to work uncompromisingly in the resistance against our repression. Particularly, the Black Liberation Army (BLA) and the New Afrikan Freedom Fighters. Both of these forces were targeted and became victims of COINTELPRO's agenda for destruction. The BLA and Republic of New Afrika waged the struggle at their best, and it is important that their sacrifices be put into context. Lest we forget that they did Dare 2 Struggle.

Both Tupac and I felt an obligation to give inspiration to the Brothers and Sisters behind the walls. We envisioned that at some point during Tupac's career, we would collaborate with those locked-down, and those returning from long sentences. We would develop a music CD representing their lessons learnt, their hopes for a better future, and their voices of explanation.

To stay true to this goal, this project was accomplished by prisoners from behind the walls of America’s various maximum security penitentiaries. Dare 2 Struggle features the Brothers of the Solitary Confinement Unit (S.C.U.), Strap, and other talented artists that are currently imprisoned. During recording, few if any re-takes were possible on the four-track recording panel used. In some cases, only cassette tapes were available. But with the heroic efforts and support from various producers and artists on the outside, we have put together the best we could do from behind these walls.

Eight years of struggle have gone into the full development of this project, and it is my hope that through this compilation CD and our other projects of its kind, that we are able to heighten the level of awareness of our youth. This project was conceived with the intention to motivate, inspire, and challenge YOU to Dare 2 Struggle against all of our obstacles.

I want to take this time to thank all of you out there, and all of my brothers and sisters behind the walls, for the words of sympathy and love you all expressed to me after Tupac's passing. As you know, my family The Shakurs have suffered many losses, but we loved the journey we traveled with our members.

Tupac Amaru's transition has left us reeling for adjustment. We loved his stay here, for his life made our lives a process of dynamic introspection. Tupac's humor and love was infectiously unique, as was the force of his rebellion. We all miss him. Therefore, let us continue to do justice to his dream and life’s work in the arts, while we enjoy the comfort Tupac gives us with his spirit as we continue our journey here.

My respect goes out to Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, who also took a Dare 2 Struggle when she embarked on the major task of protecting the legacy of Tupac's art and music for all of us. Afeni, my love and respect to you always.

We who have lost our children as a direct result of our resistance to the oppression of our People have suffered an indescribable loss. In our bereavement, we will never forget that the sacrifices of our children are the fuel for our continuing resistance over power. Join us, the Family of Resistance.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur

Straight Ahead
Stiff Resistance