Ethel Love, who starred in Tupac’s “Brenda’s Got a Baby” video, spoke with “GMA” about her experience working with the legendary rapper during a segment on the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop.
“Brenda’s Got a Baby” was the first hit single from Tupac’s 1991 debut album, 2PACALYPSE NOW.
Tupac wrote the song after reading a news article about a 12-year-old girl in Oakland giving birth to a child she abandoned while living on the streets.
Ethel Love said that the video is still relatable today.
When you see that video or somebody look at it again today. You understand that, ‘Man, I experienced that. Oh, my niece just experienced that.
Ethel said that working with Tupac on the video was easy because he was friends with her and her brother, but at the time, they had no idea that the video and Tupac’s career would explode like it did.
Tupac was a friend of mine and my brother so it was easy because we all, you know, hung around each other and, you know, talk with each other.
…It was like natural because it was still part of me. Because I already done majority of those things, especially the part of being a mother and bringing, um, that child, you know, to birth.
…We didn’t know Tupac was going to explode so big like that. We didn’t even know that video was going to explode.
In 1992 “Brenda’s Got a Baby” became a top 10 hit, reaching number three on the Billboard’s rap charts, and Ethel Love became a local celebrity.
Ethel was 17 years old when she filmed the Tupac video, and she is now a 49-year-old mother of three with four grandkids.
She lives in Atlanta, and she owns her own childcare business.
Watch the “GMA” report below on Ethel Love below:
Watch the “Brenda’s Got a Baby” video below:
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