In a recent interview with Essence, director Allen Hughes (The Book of Eli, Menace II Society) offered some in-depth insight into his upcoming work, Dear Mama, about the life of Tupac Shakur. Numerous documentaries and films have been made about the legendary rapper, but Hughes said his approach to this project was different, particularly because it focuses on Shakur's relationship with his activist mother, Afeni Shakur.

“Anybody who knows Tupac knows that he and his mother are like twins,” Hughes said, adding that it was important to highlight Afeni as "an authentic Black woman" who championed her son and was a huge influence on the perspective he shared in his songs.

Hughes said that while there's a plethora of work out there about Shakur, Dear Mama is unique.

“I just felt like the things that had been done before weren’t a full portrait of him," said Hughes, who also directed the Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine documentary, The Defiant Ones.

Dear Mama, a five-part series, will premiere on FX this fall.