The Philosophy of Self-Defense: Tupac Shakur’s Concept of “Thug Life” and the Ideology Behind the Black Panther Party

Author: Kaya Lockhart

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program, TRiO (SSS, Upward Bound, etc.)

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 43

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Beyond his fame as a hip-hop artist, Tupac Shakur became a well-known political figure who sought to reduce gang violence, opposed police brutality, and advocated for self-defense—values that have been compared to those of the Black Panther Party. In 1992, Tupac established a set of “criminal” guidelines known as the “Code of Thug Life” to protect bystanders from needless engagement in gang disputes and bring more order in the streets while ensuring self-defense against opposing gangs or other threats. This project reframes discussions about the “Code” by analyzing it through the lens of Panther theorist Eldridge Cleaver’s controversial adaptation of the concept of the “lumpenproletariat,” which, contrary to Marxist orthodoxy, saw structurally uneducated and unemployed Black communities as a vanguard for revolutionary politics. Responding to historians such as Chris Booker, this video essay reconsiders Tupac’s “Code of Thug Life” as a continued theory and praxis of “lumpen” politics and fight for black empowerment.