"Dear Mama" is a song by Tupac from his third studio album, Me Against the World (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, Tupac details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack coc@ine but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother supersede bad memories.
The song became his first top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. It also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. As of March 2021, the song is certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.
"Dear Mama" has been consistently ranked among the best of its genre, appearing on numerous "greatest" lists. In 2009, the song was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, which deemed it a work that is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and reflects life in the United States", making it the first hip-hop recording by a soloist to be inducted.
Tupac was the first solo rapper to have a number-one album on the Billboard 200 charts.
His album “Me Against the World” achieved this milestone in 1995.