What is the theme in After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson?

The novel is built around the real-life final years of rapper Tupac Shakur, and through the characters' affection with Tupac, the author demonstrates the significant emotional impact that music can have. As Jayjones says, Tupac doesn't know him "from a can of paint," and yet Tupac's artistry is powerful enough to speak to all of them, as if Tupac personally knew them. Tupac deals with issues such as racism, police harassment/brutality, teen pregnancy, life in the ghetto, hunger, and child abandonment, and often these issues "hit home" for the characters, forcing them to reflect on their own lives.