"Trapped" is the solo debut single by

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

from his debut album ''

2Pacalypse Now ''2Pacalypse Now'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991, by Interscope and Jive Records. ''2Pacalypse Now'' is Tupac's commentary on contemporary social issues facing American society, such as ra ...

'' (1991). It deals with

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

. The first verse tells a story of 2Pac being harassed by the police with one even shooting at him. He then fires back and says he did it because he was tired of constantly being profiled and abused by police officers. The song samples "Holy Ghost" by

Bar-Kays The Bar-Kays are an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" (US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B number 10) in ...

and "The Spank" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. "Trapped" was featured on 2Pac's ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' album in 1998.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

features

Shock G Gregory Edward Jacobs (August 25, 1963 – April 22, 2021), known professionally as Shock G and by his alter ego Humpty Hump, was an American rapper and musician who was best known as the lead vocalist of the hip hop group Digital Underground. ...

singing part of the song's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and depicts Shakur in jail. It features a cameo by J-Dee of

Da Lench Mob Da Lench Mob was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, associated with Ice Cube. The group consisted of rappers Shorty, T-Bone, J-Dee, Maulkie, and Ice Cube. Their Islamic religious and social politically inspired-lyrics garn ...

. It appeared as a bonus on the DVD for '' Tupac: Resurrection''. Around the time the music video was debuting, Tupac was assaulted by the Oakland Police Department after he cursed at them for demeaning his name and prolonging the issuing of a ticket sustained during a jaywalking incident.

Track listing

#A1 "Trapped" (LP version) (4:50) *Backing vocals – Dank,

, Wiz *Producer – Pee-Wee #A2 "Trapped" (instrumental mix) (5:26) *Producer – Pee-Wee #B1 "The Lunatic" (LP version) (3:31) *Producer –

#B2 "The Lunatic" (instrumental mix) (3:31) *Producer –

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Tupac Shakur songs Interscope Records singles Jive Records singles Song recordings produced by Shock G Songs written by Tupac Shakur Songs about police brutality Political rap songs