"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac 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 dedicated to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack cocaine, 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, who deemed it a work that is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States", making it the first hip-hop recording by a soloist to be inducted. In a press release, the organization called the song "a moving and eloquent homage to both the murdered rapper's own mother and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference."

The song is a tribute to Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur. She and her husband were active members of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Shakur was born a month after his mother was acquitted of more than 150 charges of "Conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks" in the New York "Panther 21" court case. She was often absent during his childhood in favor of being an activist, and also became addicted to crack cocaine during Shakur's adolescence. Shakur was kicked out by Afeni at age 17, and they had little contact for many years. Having "lost all respect" for his mother, he subsequently moved into a vacant apartment with friends and began writing poetry and rap lyrics. In 1990, realizing her habit was out-of-control, Afeni enrolled in a twelve-step program at a drug and alcohol treatment center in Norwalk, Connecticut. Following her completion, she reconciled with her son, who was at this point a successful rapper.

Record producer Tony Pizarro recalled that Shakur frequently referenced the idea of "Dear Mama" across multiple songs, which led Pizarro to believe it could be developed into a standalone track. He stated that Shakur later made a concept for the song and referenced "In My Wildest Dreams" (1978) by Joe Sample of the Crusaders as a musical inspiration. Pizarro prepared the beat based on the sample, after which Shakur recorded and completed the vocals for the track.

The song was written shortly before Shakur served a prison term. Upon completion of the track, Shakur called close friend Jada Pinkett-Smith, remarking "I wrote this song about our mothers and I want you to hear it." Similar to Afeni Shakur, Pinkett-Smith's mother had struggled with drug addiction, and their experiences growing up with this as children led to their friendship. She later remarked that the song gave her a "rush of emotions" upon her first listen. Johnny J, one of Shakur's producers, noted that his emotional and vulnerable songs were his personal favorites.

In a 1995 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Shakur revealed he was influenced by emotionally expressive songs including Don McLean's "Vincent" (1972), which he described as deeply "touching" lyrically. He explained that he wanted his own music to evoke similar emotional responses in listeners, and took for example that "Dear Mama" was written to directly appeal to his peers' emotional experiences. When questioned about misogyny in his lyrics, Shakur defended his music, noting that he worked in the studio with women and played his songs for women beofre their release, remarking that he wrote "Dear Mama" for Afeni due to his unconditional love.

You always was committed,

A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how you did it.