“Stereotypes of a Black Male Misunderstood”: Collaborative Intergenerational Autoethnography, the Communication of Black Masculinities, and the Symbolism of Tupac Shakur

Abstract

This collaborative intergenerational autoethnography explores the communication of Black masculinities, the symbolism of Tupac Shakur, and societal implications for Black men. The communication of Black masculinities is a theoretical explication of overlapping dilemmas in social interaction. Historically, Black/African American men have felt the need to function with double consciousness and a negotiated cultural identity that is constantly in flux. The purpose of the study is to interrogate how this phenomenon occurred across aspects of Tupac’s life and how the phenomenon continues in the 21st century. The study revealed five primary themes: (1) Black boyhood and the (un)reconstructed Black man, (2) keeping it real or keeping it right, (3) Black male misunderstood, (4) language, identity, and the n-word, and (5) relational communication with Black women.

KEYTERMS:

• Black masculinities theory
• Black men
• collaborative autoethnography
• Hip-Hop
• Tupac Shakur

Acknowledgement

This work is dedicated to Afeni Shakur and Fred Hampton.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). We censored profanity as an act of respect for readers. Our decision is not meant to misrepresent the original words of anyone quoted in this essay.