This begins with a short clip presumably recorded during the LA riots of 1992. The man; a black man; says he’d give his life if it means that a single African (child) will have a (successful) future. It’s an extreme claim, one he’d probably dismiss as metaphorical if there were a way to take him up on the offer, but I appreciate his compassionate, which sets the mood for the song. He even uses the word Lil to describe the boy.

It’s a politically-driven anthem that’s not just about but also dedicated to African-American boys who basically grow-up on the streets because their mothers, the hoes who spent years fucking random “niggas” and having babies out of wedlock, don’t have the education or means to raise them right. That’s “right” in a moral sense. The neighborhood thugs take on the role of the father, creating a downward spiral effect.

Snoop Dogg narrates from the first-person perspective about being in jail after catching a murder case, which Dr Dre follows as a man released from prison after serving a long sentence only to get back into the same kind of trouble that got him locked away in the first place. The third verse, by Snoop, is unnecessary, but it’s a deeply effective song with catchy chorus vocals and a magnificently out-of-place jazz flute.

my rating : 4 of 5

1992